It’s no surprise that Sen. Jeff Siddoway, a key figure in keeping Idaho’s tax rates needlessly high, would attack the Idaho Freedom Foundation as well as conservative legislators who vote according to limited-government principles.
Siddoway, who voted to hike your taxes by nearly $100 million last year, wants to define conservatism to his own liking. That is, he wants Idahoans to give moderate-to-liberal legislators like himself a free pass to hike taxes, support Obamacare expansion and grow government to unsustainable levels.
The moderate senator talks a good game, declaring that he holds sacred the handling of taxpayer cash. However, his record betrays him. Siddoway continues to support huge increases in government spending. This year, he and his colleagues added more than $230 million to the state spending budget. He and other so-called conservatives couldn’t muster the strength to pass even the faintest tax-relief bill to aid Idaho’s struggling families.
Besides that, he voted to burden your kids and grand kids with more federal debt with his support of Obamacare expansion in Idaho. Does the good senator not know the federal debt now exceeds $19 trillion? Surely he does.
Aside from his lukewarm support of the conservative values and principles many Idahoans hold dear, Siddoway distorts how the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Freedom Index operates. Let me correct the record.
If a bill limits government or otherwise promotes freedom, it receives a positive score. If a bill grows government red tape or inhibits fair economic growth, the legislation gets a negative score. When a legislator votes on a rated bill, he or she receives the positive or negative score associated with the legislation. After the session, IFF tallies the total and releases a scorecard.
Sen. Siddoway received an F+ grade in 2016. In sum, he supported conservative values on a mere 57 percent of his votes. I guess I’d be upset, too, if my free pass to vote however I like ended.
Finally, I must note, Siddoway mentioned he adheres to the scorecards produced by other monied special interest groups. He said those grades matter. Why does Siddoway feel the need to please special interests?
Conversely, IFF doesn’t spend a dime on campaign contributions. Our client is freedom, not special interests. We are beholden to our principles, not big-money lobbyists.
