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John Livingston

The Logs in our Eyes

Matthew 7:3–5 asks why we notice the speck in a brother’s eye while ignoring the log in our own. It is a question about hypocrisy, but also about responsibility. Before we condemn others for tragic outcomes, we must ask how our own failures—political, institutional, cultural—helped lay the tracks that led to those moments of crisis. […]

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Bob's Words of Wisdom

Who is Financing the Demonstrations in Minneapolis?

As we turn on our TVs and witness the protesters in Minneapolis exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and protest, it is important to consider who is supporting these demonstrations. Having visited Minnesota and Minneapolis over the years for both business and pleasure, I can say that the current events are far removed […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Is Idaho Quietly Defunding the Sheriff?

And what happens to Idaho if the office collapses? This started with one question in Horseshoe Bend Last Tuesday at the “Meet the Representatives” town hall in Horseshoe Bend, I asked a question based on direct work with Idaho sheriffs. I told the room I have interviewed sheriffs across the state, and they are all […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

The Grocery Tax Debate

Stand Up For Idaho is a non-profit organization that holds weekly town hall meetings to inform and educate the public. It also has both a YouTube and Rumble site where video recorded meetings can be viewed. At a recent town hall meeting, hosted by Jolyn Thomas from KID Newsradio, a discussion was held on the […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

American Exceptionalism Squandered

The year 2026, this year, marks the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. While the Founding generation sought for and prayed for prosperity and a land of liberty for themselves and their posterity and even understood the scope of what a nation blessed with liberty could accomplish, at least to some degree, they could […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Fraud is a Feature

Is there a functional difference between socialism and fraud? “To protect these rights, governments are created among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” The Declaration of Independence enumerates the proper roll of government, to protect the rights of the governed. As citizens we pay taxes to establish systems designed to […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

AG Labrador to Defend School Choice Tax Credit Before Idaho Supreme Court

BOISE, ID — On Friday, attorneys in the Office of Attorney General will argue in defense of Idaho’s School Choice Tax Credit before the Idaho Supreme Court. The hearing follows a legal challenge brought by the Idaho Education Association and others seeking to block Idaho families’ ability to use these tax credits to choose the best […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Immigration, John Quincy Adams to Ayaan Hirsi Ali

The Statue of Liberty features the inscription: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door! These words by Emma Lazarus have inspired Americans and the oppressed around the world. Many came, […]

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John Livingston

Immigration, Sponsorship, and the Duties of the Sojourner

We often say America is a “nation of immigrants,” but we rarely ask what made our earlier waves of immigration work—and why our current system is failing so many newcomers and citizens alike. The answer, I believe, lies in an old-fashioned word that has nearly vanished from our policy debates: sponsorship. Ellis Island in 1904 […]

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John Livingston

Where’s the Beef?

When serving as a junior officer aboard the USS Virginia (CGN-38), it was possible to watch two very different leadership styles under two commanding officers with equally impressive résumés. One captain went on to become a vice admiral: the other retired into mediocrity. The contrast between them offers a useful lens for looking at how Idaho’s government […]

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Bob's Words of Wisdom

United We Stand – Divided We Fall

When we look at the constant turmoil and civil unrest that is taking place in our country, we must say to ourselves, how did all of this come about and how do we rectify it and become a united nation once again? I have written many times about the dangers of succumbing to the leftist […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Labrador Letter: Idaho’s Fight for Women’s Sports Reaches the Supreme Court

Dear Friends, This week, Idaho had its day before the United States Supreme Court. More than five years after we became the first state in the nation to pass a law protecting women’s sports from biological males, nine justices heard oral arguments in Little v. Hecox. I’m incredibly proud of my legal team for representing Idaho […]

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