When I was a very young kid, my dad gave me a hammer to pound some nails into a 2x4 while he was doing the real work of building a new shed. I pounded a few nails, but then I wanted to see what else that hammer could do. Yup, everything became a “nail” for my new hammer to pound. Rocks, glass, sticks, M&Ms — you name it, they got pounded.
Watching Governor Little’s 2024 State of the State address for Idaho immediately brought to mind my kid-with-a-hammer experience. Everything in Idaho looks like a nail to be pounded by Little’s big-spending hammer. Here’s a sampling:
To top things off, here’s how the governor rounds out the discussion about the budget: “In Idaho, we live within our means. We deliver tax relief while making meaningful investments, we maintain a balanced budget, and we keep responsible amounts in reserve. If Idaho can do it, Washington, D.C., SHOULD do it. The runaway freight train of federal spending has got to stop.”
What a priceless perspective to offer after giving one of the biggest tax-and-spend speeches in Idaho history. The governor has the gall to complain about how the federal government operates on a debt basis while ignoring the fact that nearly half — 43% — of Idaho’s budget comes from the federal checkbook. The governor’s latest proposal only sustains this trend. Idaho is supposed to have a balanced budget, but trying to balance it on the foundation of federal debt offends the conservative conscience.
Finally, the governor touts his plan to leave at least $250 million in surplus for both of the next two years. This is in addition to more than $24 million in new funding to pad the budget stabilization fund. He says this provides for a “structurally balanced budget” but that’s a contradiction. Any budget left in either a deficit or a surplus is NOT in balance. And it should offend every Idaho taxpayer to hear the governor imply that these over-collections of taxes should stay in the government’s bank account instead of being returned to Idaho taxpayers.
Idaho is often cited as the reddest of the red states. But by the looks of our government policy and this governor’s big spending plans as per his State of the State address, we have a long way to go before our brand of legislating and government spending matches the values of the average Idahoan. Idaho families deserve lean, efficient, non-intrusive government, but that’s not what they’re getting. The Legislature needs to remind Governor Little about the “forgotten man,” the taxpayer. Reject these big spending plans and return the money to Idaho families being crushed by Biden’s inflation economy.
