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Bob's Words of Wisdom

America, a Nation at War with Itself

Wars and Corruption: While we are engaged in supporting the Ukraine war with Russia we are now engaged in another war with the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah all backed by Iran. Does anyone want Trump back in office? We can all thank President Biden for giving Iran all the money they need to wage this […]

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John Livingston

Can We All Agree on at Least One Thing?

Several years ago, I was honored to have lunch with one of the “Grand Dames” of Idaho Republican politics. She and her husband had built several businesses and raised a wonderful family. Her children had built their own businesses, and one became a lawyer. The lunch occurred during one of the many debates in the […]

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John Livingston

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 […]

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John Livingston

Neopatrimonialism Versus Liberty

Patrimonialism is a form of governance in which all power flows from the ruler or the top of an organization to the bottom. The sovereign-ruler-ruling class controls individual liberty. The line between public and private domains is blurred and the oligarchic and autocratic power brokers exclude “WE THE PEOPLE”—all classes of people, from power. We […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

The Battle for the Soul of Idaho

Stand with the Idaho Freedom Caucus to fight against dirty, underhanded campaign tactics. We’re in a battle for the conservative soul of Idaho, and we need your help. The Idaho Freedom Caucus, true champions of liberty, is under attack from establishment RINOs. We can’t let these attacks silence our liberty heroes. Your support is crucial. […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Mr. Winder And His Corporate Comradery

According to Senator Chuck Winder, President Pro Tempore, “All the power that’s given to the government comes from the people and because of that government should be serving the people in a way the people want and not the other way around.” At least that is his claim on his website. Mr. Winder recently decided […]

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John Livingston

ABUSUS NON TOLLIT USUM

(Abuse does not Negate Use) I have received many e-mails after my last Gem State Patriot article about government corruption. I again state that a corrupt act may or may not be illegal. The danger is when the act benefits a politician, or an enterprise doing business with the government. A developer asking for a […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

Idaho Republican Party Strongly Denounces Unjust Persecution of Donald Trump, Citing Threat to Democracy and Public Trust

The unjust targeting of President Donald J. Trump for political reasons has raised significant alarm. It is evident that the principles of a fair and transparent electoral process have been greatly compromised, as President Trump has become the victim of unlawful and corrupt investigations and indictments aimed at curbing his campaign for President. In America, […]

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Bob's Words of Wisdom

Why does our Government Subsidize Corporations?

The government began Oil subsidies back in 1916 to speed up depreciation of drilling costs which can be quite substantial. A second subsidy was the oil depletion allowance, that became law in 1926. The oil depletion allowance is the biggest incentive to invest in drilling for oil, natural gas and fracking and without this allowance, […]

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John Livingston

Justice and Mercy

My Quaker Grandfather once told me when I was about 5 years old that there is no such thing as justice in this world. I had petitioned him for a redress of a great wrong that had been perpetrated against me after my father paddled my fanny for something my brother had done. My father […]

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Bob's Words of Wisdom

U of I Purchases University of Phoenix: Good Deal or Bad Deal?

What’s the Rush: Why is there such a hurry by the State Board of Education and the U of I to purchase this for-profit university with a very checkered history? In the past, we have found that when secretive transactions such as this one take place it is not always in the best interest of […]

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Opinions / Op-eds

The BLM & Bunkerville

The Bunkerville incident occurred in 2014 where citizens gathered to support Cliven Bundy and his stand against the removal of his cattle by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It ended up with BLM law enforcement agents pointing guns at those citizens and some of those citizens pointing guns back. Luckily, it was the county […]

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