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Opinions / Op-eds

A Very Republican Gathering

The 2026 IDGOP Winter Meeting was high energy and low drama. Twice a year, summer and winter, the 228 members of the Idaho Republican Party State Central Committee meet to conduct party business. The 2026 Winter Meeting was last weekend in Meridian Idaho. The Idaho Republican State Central Committee (SCC) is comprised of four representatives […]

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John Livingston

The New Puritans of Public Virtue

For several years, there has been growing concern about the tenor and aggressiveness of a particular class of activists who relentlessly assert their own moral authority through public denunciations and emotional theatrics—what are now commonly labeled “virtue signals.” Their rhetoric often feels less like moral insight and more like a performance of superiority, backed by […]

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John Livingston

Capitalism, Liberty, and the Greatest Gifts

F. A. Hayek once observed that while you can have capitalism without liberty, you cannot have liberty without capitalism. The moral foundations for both are remarkably similar: rule of law, enforceable contracts, the sanctity of private property, and the core virtues of justice, charity, prudence, and courage. For centuries, some have said that liberty and […]

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John Livingston

From David to Goliath or Behemoth to Leviathan

The Midwestern Farmer–Labor tradition began as a defense of ordered liberty and local independence and, over time, was captured by centralized, progressive forces that now use its rhetoric to justify bureaucratic control and dependency. Understanding that transformation is essential if families today are to teach their children to be both pious and patriotic, and to […]

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Bob's Words of Wisdom

Idaho’s Grocery Tax: Six Decades of Burden on the Lowest Income Idahoans

Overview Idaho remains one of only thirteen states to tax groceries and is one of just three—alongside Alabama and Mississippi—that applies the full state sales tax rate to food purchases. At 6%, this tax costs Idaho families $406 million every year. Although the state returns $251 million through a grocery tax credit system, it still […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

AG Labrador Secures Court Order Ending Yearslong Block on Idaho’s Birth Certificate Law

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that a federal court agreed to dissolve a 2018 injunction that blocked Idaho from enforcing state law requiring birth certificates to accurately reflect biological sex at birth. Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond E. Patricco granted Attorney General Labrador’s motion, allowing Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare to […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Fulcher: ‘This package achieves meaningful wins for the Gem State’

Jan 8, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) issued the following statement after the House passage of H.R. 6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. “Every federal dollar saved helps drive down inflation and delivers real relief for hardworking Idahoans,” said Congressman Fulcher. “Today’s passage of […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

NGOs Are Still Active

Environmental non-governmental organizations (NGO) might have been slapped in the face with the election of President Trump who has been dismantling agendas so dear to their cause, and cutting money spigots off, but it has prompted an old strategy for saving the planet. Rather than messing with the bloated federal government, target local governments. The Center […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

If Insurers Profit From Idaho Fire Risk, They Should Help Fight the Fire

A Solution-Focused Companion to Reporting by Murphy Woodhouse This story begins with journalism. In recent reporting by Murphy Woodhouse of Boise State Public Radio, a growing problem facing homeowners across the Mountain West was brought into the open. Insurance premiums are rising at alarming rates. Policies are being canceled or not renewed. In many cases, […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Resolve to be Involved

The New Year brings a sense that there are new opportunities. One of those opportunities could give you the ability to shape our local, state, and even national politics. Becoming an Idaho Republican Precinct Committeeman (PC) is one of the most accessible and impactful ways to engage in grassroots politics. Idaho is divided into 976 […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Op-Ed: Winter Meeting is a Time for Unity and Celebration

This Friday and Saturday, Republicans from all over Idaho will gather in Meridian for the 2026 Winter Meeting. Members of our State Central Committee will vote on new rules and resolutions, recognize those who have given of themselves to the party and our state, remember those we lost in the past year, and enjoy a […]

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Bob's Words of Wisdom

Trust But Verify

Ongoing Fraud Investigations and Local Concerns Allegations of billions of dollars in fraud continue to surface in states such as Minnesota, with investigations now beginning in Maine and Ohio. These developments suggest that further abuse in misusing U.S. taxpayer money is likely to be uncovered. It would be naive to assume that Idaho is immune […]

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