“It always makes Idahoans feel good to do fed bashing, but it misses the point,” according to Rep. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise. “The issue is how people in government either serve, or don't serve, the people they're supposed to represent.”

In an interview with IdahoReporter.com, Burgoyne detailed his concerns with the activities of the Idaho Department of Lands, both its proclivity for buying otherwise private land and private commercial businesses, and for its lack of transparency when engaging in such transactions.

Citing the Idaho Constitution, Burgoyne said that “when the state gets rid of a piece of public lands, that's supposed to be subject to a public auction.”

In mid-September, Burgoyne, along with Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, both spoke at a press conference arranged by the Tax Accountability Committee, a citizens’ group that has been expressing alarm over the conduct of the Department of Lands.

Sounding a philosophical note, Burgoyne told IdahoReporter.com Tuesday that “our U.S. Constitution and our state constitution both proceed on the basis that there is a mistrust of government, and a concern that people (in government) will abuse their power. I've seen it time and again, people at the state level engage in the same kinds of behaviors and the same kinds of tactics that go on at the federal government.”

Burgoyne is calling for more transparency with the way in which the Department of Lands conducts business. He and Vander Woude have proposed a legislative fix to the problems.
Listen to Burgoyne’s full comments HERE.