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Opinions

Op-Ed: Lincoln Day is an Idaho Tradition

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office to become the first Republican president in American history. Two years later, in the midst of a terrible civil war, he signed an act creating the Idaho Territory. From the very beginning, Lincoln, Idaho, and the Republican Party have been linked. That shared history […]

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Bob's Words

Are Smartphones Dangerous?

As someone who grew up in the 40s and 50s, the idea that I could have a piece of equipment the size of a small note pad in my pocket that allowed me to instantaneously communicate with someone on the other side of the world was pure science fiction. The best we had was a […]

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Podcast

Idaho’s Budget Crisis: Spending and Tax Policy Debate

Bob Neugebauer and IFF President Ron Nate dissect Idaho’s self-inflicted budget crisis stemming from 60% spending increases over six years. Nate reveals the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s $1.9 billion in proposed cuts, including repealing Medicaid expansion and Idaho Launch. The discussion exposes how the governor’s acceptance of federal healthcare funding and workforce training programs benefits corporate […]

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Opinions

Reviewing HB 517

HB 517 was introduced to the legislature by Rep. Scott on January 22, 2026. The purpose of this legislation is to remove Idaho from the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER). PNWER, “a nonpartisan public-private partnership” and non-profit organization, was established by IC Title 67 Chapter 78 in 1991, based on the idea that there was an emerging […]

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Opinions

Labrador Letter: 2025 Year in Review Part 2 – Defending Consumers and Meeting with Idahoans

Dear Friends, A few weeks ago, I shared part of what we accomplished in 2025 protecting children and defending Idaho’s laws. If you missed that newsletter, you can read it here. This week I want to tell you about our fights against scammers and threats to your constitutional rights. Defending Constitutional Rights Idaho was on the front […]

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Opinions

AG Labrador Announces Sentencing of Kootenai County Woman for Public Assistance Provider Fraud

BOISE, ID — Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced that Tracy Hofius, 49, was sentenced January 21, 2026, for Public Assistance Provider Fraud. Public Assistance Provider Fraud is a felony currently punishable by up to 15 years in prison, though at the time of Hofius’ fraudulent conduct in 2022 and 2023, the penalty was 5 years […]

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Opinions

Fulcher On House Completing FY26 Appropriations

Jan 22, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Defense; Homeland; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations legislation, marking the House of Representatives’ completion of all 12 annual spending bills for Fiscal Year 2026. Congressman Fulcher said, “Today […]

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Opinions

Op-Ed: A Convention of States is Not the Answer

We all agree there are serious problems in our country: skyrocketing national debt, the breakdown of law and order in our biggest cities, and an economy built on hope and bubbles—it’s enough to drive anyone to despair. But I’m not despairing, and I hope you’re not either. We believe these problems can be solved when […]

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John Livingston

Bishop Barron’s Minnesota Warning: De-escalate Before the Center Gives Way

Minnesota has become a case study in how a virtuous society can lose its bearings without quite noticing when the slide began. The state’s recent convulsions—a sprawling fraud scandal and mounting street-level confrontation around immigration enforcement—prompted Catholic Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester to issue a stark warning: the situation is “untenable,” and unless all sides […]

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John Livingston

From Little Rock to Wallace’s Schoolhouse to the Streets of Minneapolis

When Governor Orval Faubus used the Arkansas National Guard in 1957 to block nine Black students from entering Little Rock Central High School, he was not “standing up to Washington”; he was openly defying federal law and a binding Supreme Court ruling. President Eisenhower responded by federalizing the Guard and sending in the 101st Airborne […]

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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

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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