Idaho welcomes diversity, but not the social justice version of it

By Wayne Hoffman | President

About a hundred descendants of David and Yetta Cohen gathered for a family reunion in Georgia earlier this summer. Over the span of a few days, my aunts, uncles, and cousins, mostly Jews who live on the east coast, questioned me about Idaho, the state I’ve called home for nearly 25 years. Their curiosities were mostly about, in no particular order: potatoes, the blue football field, and my distance from Des Moines. Because Iowa. No one asked about Idaho’s “history” as a home for racists, or whether my big nose or my occasional use of Yiddish makes me a target for anything.

Sanders survives health scare thanks to American medical care

By Dr. John M. Livingston | Medical Policy Adviser

As a retired surgeon, I was sorry to hear that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders had an ischemic event—crescendo angina or a heart attack—while campaigning in Las Vegas. I know firsthand that it’s probably a relief to Sanders, his friends, family, and supporters he was being treated at a state-of-the-art medical center. I know many of the physicians and surgeons that practice at the Las Vegas hospital where Sanders underwent surgery.

He is a very lucky man.  

Trillhaase’s head fake avoids the truth about career ladder

By Fred Birnbaum | Vice President

I have to hand it to the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s longtime foe, Marty Trillhaase. The liberal columnist is a master of the head fake.

Let’s roll back the tape to reveal Trillhaase’s almost-brilliant deception, a sly trick he used to dodge a serious discussion that the Idaho Freedom Foundation wants to have about the state’s education system.

Medical cannabis proposal flunks the freedom test

By Wayne Hoffman | President

Every day, sickly Idahoans—sufferers of depression, elderly with arthritis, cancer patients who can’t keep their food down, epileptic kids—risk trips across the state line to get the one thing that helps them treat their symptoms. But, alas, the medical marijuana initiative being shopped by petition signature-gatherers isn’t a much better option than politicians sitting on their hands and doing nothing.

Gov. Little is correct: Inmate’s surgery would cost taxpayers

By Wayne Hoffman | President

If you are easily triggered, this column may not be for you. Momentarily, I will defend Gov. Brad Little’s appeal of a court ruling that has the media racing to the side of an Idaho prison inmate and his elective surgery.

You’ve been warned.

Boise State to faculty and staff: Come learn how white people are racists

By Wayne Hoffman | President Boise State University is now inviting its faculty and staff to attend a series of trainings on “white privilege” from an author who believes all white people are latent racists. The program consists of seven sessions, for which attendees earn credit as part of the school’s “diversity” program.

The program’s curriculum is based on Robin DiAngelo’s book, “What Does It Mean to Be White?: Developing White Racial Literacy.”

Release: Boise City Hall squanders $144 million, property taxes continue to skyrocket

This week, the Idaho Freedom Foundation released a report that details more than $144 million in wasteful spending by Boise city officials. Said wasteful spending leads to high property taxes for residents and businesses.

The 208-page report, “Are you kidding me, Boise?”, reveals how city officials waste tax dollars on myriad pet projects

Public hearings show continued public disdain for Common Core

By Wayne Hoffman | President

The Idaho State Board of Education held hearings in August about Common Core education standards. Comments made by attendees prove that parents, students, business owners, and even some educators are not entirely supportive of the standards that Idaho adopted almost a decade ago.

Nampa, Moscow part ways on property tax increases

By Wayne Hoffman | President

The Tin Ear of the Year award has to, without question, go to the Moscow City Council, for having voted recently to force a massive tax increase on the property owners of that town in the middle of an equally massive debate about how to keep Idaho’s rising property taxes from pricing people out of their homes.

Rising pension costs contribute to higher property taxes

By Wayne Hoffman | President

Idahoans fed up with skyrocketing property taxes hope state lawmakers will step in and offer relief. But raising the homeowner’s exemption, which reduces the taxable value of owner-occupied residences, is not the answer and never has been. Raising the exemption only shifts the rising tax burden from homeowners to other types of properties, including commercial real estate and rentals. This has a downstream impact on the cost of food, clothing, housing, cars, and so on.

Common Core hearings scheduled, a chance to undo bad policy

By Wayne Hoffman | President

Some long-overdue public hearings and discussions regarding Idaho’s education standards are coming your way. Hundreds of Idahoans asked the State Board of Education to open a discussion on Idaho’s decision, nine years ago, to adopt Common Core. (Though revised a bit in 2017, much of the troublesome standards remains). As a result, the petitioners got their wish.

BSU’s diversity agenda doesn’t work in the corporate world

By Fred Birnbaum | Vice President

In a recent commentary, former BSU President Bob Kustra attempted to deflect scrutiny from the university’s radical diversity agenda by comparing it to corporate diversity programs.

Neo-segregation is real, and it is wrong for Idaho

By Wayne Hoffman | President

The Post Register would have its readers believe there’s nothing controversial about “diversity” programs at Idaho’s public colleges and universities. Actually, they are controversial. Quite so. So much so that the National Association of Scholars has a name for these types of programs: neo-segregation. The president of the NAS, Peter Wood, says neo-segregation “is a disguised form of political oppression.”

Lawmakers have a duty to oversee public institutions

By Fred Birnbaum | Vice President

Boise State University is going in the wrong direction.

Instead of prioritizing academic excellence and achievement above all else, the BSU elites have decided to implement a radical social justice agenda that won’t lead to anywhere good.