The Idaho Republican Party held its 2024 Winter Meeting last weekend at Harvest Church in Meridian. I am proud to say it was one of the best run meetings I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending. The Rules and Resolutions Committees worked hard into Friday night, and their work paid off when the State Central […]
History Reimagined
In 2021, concern was raised about the Idaho K-12 Civics and U.S. History standards, adopted in 2016. “Lack of specificity is both cause and consequence of a more general lack of rigor” (whatever that means). However, “Enormously broad injunctions and thin, disjointed, thematically scattered content” does describe one defect of these standards. In December, 2023, […]
Dear Friends, I want to share some great news. Last Friday, I was informed the Supreme Court accepted our emergency application and stayed the erroneous ruling from the Ninth Circuit on Idaho’s criminal abortion law in Idaho v. United States of America. In addition, SCOTUS is also granting an uncommon writ of certiorari, taking the […]
The Concentration of Power
Before I begin my discussion about the ever-increasing concentration of power into government bureaucracies at all levels, let me say that I have tremendous admiration and respect for people who put themselves and their families on the line to run for public office, and if elected serve, many times sitting at endless meetings and briefings […]
Leadership
Arguments of the extreme have been the tool of the progressive movement since the early part of the twentieth century. Both Democratic and Republican progressives have painted conservatives in a corner. The progressive arguments have always been theoretical. They are never empiric. They claim the moral high ground without ever establishing a moral predicate. Such […]
I’m sure most Idahoans will be curious to see just our legislators have in store for us in 2024. Maybe some tax cuts? Don’t count on it. One thing is for sure since it is an election year, we actually might see some kowtowing to the voters who elected our NOT-so-conservative Senate and Somewhat conservative […]
The Business of Politics
The most powerful lobbying agency in Idaho is unknown to most Idaho voters. This organization wields enormous power and influence over every state elected official. How do we know this? None of them will openly criticize, or even talk about it. In 1974 the Idaho State Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Idaho […]
Is This Treason?
U.S. Constitution – Article 1 Section 10: Powers Prohibited of States “No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation….” Treaty – “ratified agreement between two or more nations or sovereigns; a contract between two or more countries that is adhered to by the nations party to it; an international agreement between two or […]
Our country is in a rough place right now, perhaps the worst since the Civil War. Spending is out of control, our southern border is wide open, and Congress seems to be unable (or unwilling) to rein in the deep state swamp. What can we do to save this country we all love? Some look […]
This was a headline from a recently released report on legislative voting from the Institute for Legislative Analysis. While I’m not fond of the term RINO there are other descriptions that come to mind like imposter, cheat, and liar. I recall a time not to long ago when I sat in a central committee meeting […]
Boise, ID – Attorney General Raúl Labrador led a coalition of 27 states in filing an Amicus Curiae brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the Second Amendment, asking the Court to affirm the lower court’s decision to enjoin California’s unconstitutional Assault Weapons Control Act (AWCA) in Miller v. Bonta. For […]
Boise, ID – Acting in response to the Idaho Attorney General’s emergency application, the Supreme Court of the United States today took the rare step of granting an immediate stay of the preliminary injunction issued by a U.S. District Judge in State of Idaho v. United States of America, which prevented Idaho from implementing its Defense of Life Act. […]