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John Livingston

The Wolverines and the Vanishing Student Athlete

According to The Capital Sun, another conservation group has filed suit against the federal government, this time demanding that it finally designate “critical habitat” for the wolverine. The government, apparently, can’t begin to protect these rare northern carnivores until it first defines where they live. It’s a fair point—and one that might just apply to another vanishing […]

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John Livingston

How Was Your Day?

It seems to me that it’s far too easy to get caught up in news cycles and politics at every level. Being engaged and informed matters—it’s our civic duty—but these things are not the most important part of life. The story below captures my thoughts about setting priorities and remembering what really counts. When the final whistle […]

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John Livingston

Idaho’s Republican Divide: Principles vs Integrity

Why is the Idaho Republican Party so divided, even as it holds a supermajority in both chambers of the Legislature and the Governor’s office? That question was recently posed on Idaho Reports to former Governor Butch Otter and former Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General David Leroy—two of the most skilled retail politicians Idaho has ever produced. Along […]

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Opinions

Op-Ed: Government Must Stand for Citizens, Not Illegals

Immigration is the defining issue of our time. For the better part of a century, America has struggled with illegal border crossings and visa overstays, with foreigners claiming refugee or asylum status, and with migrant workers we’re told are necessary for our economy to function. President Ronald Reagan believed he had struck a grand bargain […]

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Bob's Words

America at War with Iran: A Necessary Response to Decades of Terror

As I sat down at my desk this morning and turned on the TV, I was met with the headline on Fox News that America and Israel were at war with Iran. The country that has consistently threatened the United States and Israel for the past 47 years is now under attack by two of […]

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Podcast

PODCAST: Idaho Budget Crisis and School Choice

Bob Neugebauer welcomes Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, to the Idaho Pulse for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of Idaho’s legislative session. Nate opens with a detailed breakdown of the state’s budget crisis, explaining how six years of spending growth—fueled significantly by federal COVID-era funding—has now pushed Idaho into a budget […]

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Opinions

The Agentic State

What the heck is the Agentic State? According to this “vision paper“, created by the Tallinn Digital Summit 2025, “agentic AI will transform government and defines the contours of the Agentic State.” According to IBM, Agentic AI “consists of AI agents—machine learning models that mimic human decision-making to solve problems in real time. In a […]

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Opinions

Matt Gaetz on the Agenda

The process for selecting the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee’s Lincoln Day speaker is straightforward. Our Lincoln Day sub-committee researched possible speakers that would be available and whose honorarium would be within budget. Last year it was suggested that we get Tucker Carlson, which sounded like a great idea until we were told that Tucker […]

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John Livingston

Compound Interest of Evil

C. S. Lewis, Natural Law, and Immigration Non‑Enforcement In Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis writes: “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance.” Lewis assumes an objective moral law (the Tao) that orders personal life, social life, and life under […]

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John Livingston

The Golf Lesson Idaho’s Leaders Could Learn

When I was a boy growing up in central Ohio, my father didn’t join the country club until my senior year of high school. That summer, I was playing Legion baseball when he asked if I wanted to take golf lessons instead. I told him no. Trying to persuade me, he said, “You can play […]

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John Livingston

The Politics of Hatred and the Death of Virtue

So tonight, I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support: The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” Those words from President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address […]

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Opinions

Op-Ed: Trump Knocked It Out of the Park Again

President Trump has given many great speeches over the years, but this week’s State of the Union Address took the cake. Between honoring American heroes, reflecting on a year of tremendous progress, and calling out Democrats for their blatant hypocrisy, Donald Trump delivered a masterpiece on Tuesday night. The president’s consistent message—just as it has […]

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