Policy

Coverage vs. Care (Part 2): What Was Lost and Why

By Wayne Hoffman, guest columnist and President-Emeritus, Idaho Freedom Foundation

June 24, 2026

Before Medicaid, Idahoans who needed medical care and lacked the means to pay for it relied on a number of alternatives: friends and family, charitable care from physicians, church networks, mutual aid societies, and community organizations that knew their neighbors by name. Fraternal orders — the Odd Fellows, the Elks, and the Knights of Columbus […]

TAGS: 1920s, 1930s, 1965, Commercial Insurers, Elks, Employer-Sponsored Group Insurance, Families, Fraternal Orders, Great Depression, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Knights of Columbus, Local Institutions, Medicaid, Mothers’ Pension, New Deal-era, Odd Fellows, Old-Age Support, Orphanages, Price Controls, Public Welfare, Social Security, Tax Treatment, Voluntary Association, Wage Controls, Workers’ Compensation

Coverage vs. Care (Part 1)

By Wayne Hoffman, guest columnist and President-Emeritus, Idaho Freedom Foundation

June 9, 2026

On Valentine’s Day 1966, Gov. Bob Smylie called a special session of the state Legislature to deal, primarily, with reapportioning the Idaho Senate to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s one-man-one-vote requirement. Back then, there was a senator for each of the state’s 44 counties, and the courts had ruled the arrangement unconstitutional. So when […]

TAGS: 1966, 44 Counties, Administer, American Federalism, Authority, Bureaucracy, Centralized Charity, Disabled, Dual-Sovereignty, Farragut State Park, Governor Bob Smylie, Great Society, Health Expenses, House Bill 14, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho legislature, Idaho Senate, Inadequate, Medicaid, Medically indigent, One-Man-One-Vote, Outsourced, Policymakers, Poor, President Lyndon Johnson, Program, Public Assistance, Thomas Sowell, Tradeoffs, U.S. Supreme Court, Unconstitutional

Property Tax Relief Options Explained

By Fred Birnbaum

June 4, 2026

The most important point to understand regarding property taxes is that they are budget-driven. This simply means local taxing districts, which include counties, cities, schools, fire districts, etc., set property tax budgets, and those budgets are the primary driver of property tax payments and the changes (usually increases) over time. Long-term property tax relief requires […]

TAGS: Blind, Budget, Cap, Capitol, Carve-Outs, Circuit-Breaker, Cities, Commissioners, Counties, Disabled Veterans, Eliminated, Exemptions, Fire Districts, Fire Officials, General Reductions, Homeowner’s Exemption, House Bill 292, House Bill 521, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Tax Commission, Increase, Levies, Local School District, Local Taxing Districts, Local Units, Mayors, Offset, Property Tax, Redistribution, Reduce, Sales Tax, Schools, Senior Citizens, Shift, Spending, Spending Growth, State Constitution, Tax Burden, Tax Relief, Taxes

Unconstitutional Programs and the Administrative State: Stopping the 1419 Project

By Brett Farruggia

June 2, 2026

Over the past century, political progressives have built a bureaucratic machine with the goal of undermining our republic. It accomplishes this by making people dependent on government programs and by ignoring the will of the people and their elected representatives, ruling solely through executive fiat. Idaho has long been at the forefront of the battle […]

TAGS: 16.06.12, 1984, 1992, 1997, 2026, Administrative Fiat, Administrative Rules, Aid to the Blind, Aid to the Disabled, Appropriations, Article III, Article VII, Attorney General, bureaucrats, CCDF, Child Care and Development Fund, Codifying, Constitution, Daycares, Director of DHW, Expansion, Federal Dollars, FY26, Greater Boise Auditorium Dist. v. Royal Inn of Boise, ICCP, Idaho, Idaho Administrative Procedures Act, Idaho Child Care Program, Idaho Code § 56-1003(4), Idaho Code § 56-202, Idaho Constitution, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho House of Representatives, Idaho Office for Children, Idaho Supreme Court, IDAPA, IDAPA section 67-5291(2)(a), Independent Statutory Basis, JFAC, Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee, legislative intent, Legislature, Medicaid, Medical Assistance, Minnesota, Nick Shirley, Office of the Attorney General, Old-Age Assistance, Potential Fraud Ring, Public Assistance, Rulemaking Authority, Section 13, Section 29, Section 56-202, Senate Bill 1374, Senate Bill 1375, Senate Bill 1419, Senate Bill 1428, Senate Bill 1435, Senator Brian Lenney, Senator Josh Keyser, Social Services, Spending, Stealing Tax Dollars, Treasury

The Property Tax: Expensive and Outdated

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.

May 19, 2026

When my dog gets hold of one of her toys, she won’t let it go. The harder I try to take it, the harder she holds on. I’m the same way about the revolutionary idea of eliminating property taxes in Idaho. The more you try to talk me out of abolishing these unfair, misguided, and […]

TAGS: Apartment, Appraisers, Article VII, Assessed, Assessors, Budgets, Cities, Collections, Confiscations, Constitutional Rights, County, County Assessors, Disputes, Economy, Evicted, Fire Stations, Fixed Incomes, Fred Birnbaum, Higher, Homeowners, Idaho, Idaho Constitution, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Sales Tax, IFF, Income Tax, Increase, Inflation, Lawyers, Libraries, Local, Local Governments, Market Value, Mosquito Control, Payments, Police Services, Product Tax, Property Tax Bill, Property Taxes, Regulations, Rent, Sales Tax, School Construction, School Districts, Section 2, State-Collected Tax, Taxes, Taxing Districts, Unpaid, Unrealized Gains, Use Tax, Values

Play for the Team on Your Jersey: It’s an Integrity Thing.

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

May 14, 2026

Imagine your favorite sports team. They all wear the same uniform, stand under the same banner, and operate under the same creed — not just to play, but to win according to a shared playbook. Each player brings unique strengths, but when they join the team, they all commit to the same rules, values, and […]

TAGS: Absentee Voting, accountability, Affiliation, Alignment, Break Ranks, Clarity, Consistency, Constitutional Obligations, Democratic Party, Environmental Stewardship, Executive Officials, fiscal conservatism, fiscal responsibility, Grocery Tax Repeal, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Launch program, IDGOP, IDP, Integrity, Leadership, Liberty, Limited Government, Local Officials, Party, Party Platform, Party Politics, Policy, Promises, Property Ownership, Quality Public Education, Repealing Medicaid Expansion, Representatives, Republican party, Resolutions, Social Equity, State Representatives, State Senators, Team, Traditional Family Values, Undermine Party Priorities, Uniform, Values, Working Class

Teacher Appreciation Should Not Be Tied to Spending on Education

By Fred Birnbaum

May 8, 2026

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week across the country, and it prompted Governor Brad Little to issue a press release where he had this to say: “This is Teacher Appreciation Week, a meaningful opportunity to recognize the people who stand at the front of our classrooms each day, shaping the future of our state. I […]

TAGS: 2019, 2021, Appreciation, Bonus, Brad Little, compensation, COVID Funds, COVID-19, Funding Increases, Governor, House Bill 516, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho politics, Institution, K-12, Micromanagement, Money, pay, Payroll, raises, school, School District, state government, Student Performance, Teacher, Teacher Unions, Teaching Performance

Saving Money Should Not Be a Thankless Task for Legislators

By Fred Birnbaum

April 30, 2026

Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a staff member of one of Idaho’s US Senators. The conversation centered around why it was so difficult to get federal spending under control - which clearly has not happened. This staffer remarked to me that when Congress cuts spending, they hear loudly from those who […]

TAGS: 14.5 Billion, Agency, Bills, Budget, Congress, Cuts, Defunded, Federal Employees, Fiscal Year 2026, Fiscal Year 2027, Fiscally Conservative, government, Growth, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, IRS, Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee, President Trump, Savings, Session, Spending, State Senator Wintrow, taxpayers, Thankless Job, Wall Street

Buried Without a Vote: The Secret Power of Committee Chairmen

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

April 28, 2026

It isn’t a power afforded in House or Senate rules. It isn’t written into Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure, and it certainly isn’t penned into the Constitution. Yet, during legislative sessions at the Idaho Capitol, it is utilized and treated as an authorized exercise of power. We are, of course, talking about the chairman’s drawer. […]

TAGS: abolish, accountability, Big Ag, Chairman Dan Foreman, Chairman Jim Guthrie, Chairman John Vander Woude, Chairman Ron Mendive, Chairman Vito Barbiari, Chairman’s Drawer, Child Protective Services, Cloud-Seeding, Committee Chairman, Constitution, De Facto, Debate, Deliberation, Department of Health and Welfare, Disenfranchise, Federalist 51, Fiscal Restraint, Founding Fathers, Government Unions, Governor, Grocery Tax Repeal, House Bill 592, House Bill 633, House Bill 660, House Bill 669, House Bill 745, House Bill 850, House Bill 912, House Bill 953, House Bill 954, House Bill 955, House Bill 956, House Environment Energy and Technology Committee, House Health and Welfare Committee, House Resources and Conservation Committee, Idaho, Idaho legislature, Idaho Power, Immigration Bills, individual liberty, James Madison, Jefferson’s Manual Of Parliamentary Practice, Limited Government, Medicaid expansion repeal, medical industrial complex, parental authority, Personal Bill, Power, Procedure, Recorded Votes, Self-Defense, Senate Bill 1298, Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee, Senate State Affairs Committee, Special Interest Groups, Teachers Unions, Veto, We the People, weather modification

The Measure of a Man

By Wayne Hoffman, guest columnist and President-Emeritus, Idaho Freedom Foundation

April 22, 2026

House Bill 461, introduced late in the 2025 legislative session, would have required the state to run an analysis of the Idaho Launch program to determine its effectiveness. I won’t bore you with all the details, but essentially the question is: “Does this program help the state the way Gov. Brad Little and other proponents […]

TAGS: $8000, 2025, Artist, Brad Little, Candlestick Maker, Career, career path, Entrepreneur, government incentive, H461, High School Graduates, human flourishing, HVAC Installers, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Launch program, Life Trajectory, Musician, Nursing Assistants, Office Clerks, State-Selected, taxpayers, Welders, workforce

Kneecapping Conservatives, Protecting Bureaucrats: Vander Woude’s Lame Duck Legacy

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

April 16, 2026

As the 2026 legislative session reached its disappointing end, so too did Chairman John Vander Woude’s tenure in the Legislature. Rather than attempting to solidify his legacy as one of defense for children, families, and freedom, he seemingly spent his final days in the Capitol running interference for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, […]

TAGS: 2025 Medical Freedom Act, Able-Bodied, Big Government, Chairman, Child Protective Services, DOGE Task Force, Drawered, General Orders, H592, H757, H808, H809, H850, H912, H953, H954, H956, House Health and Welfare, Idaho, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho politics, John Vander Woude, Lame Duck, Legislation, Legislature, Lucas Cayler, Medicaid expansion repeal, medical mandates, Rep. Jordan Redman, Rep. Rob Beiswenger, SNAP, Status Quo, We the People, Work Requirements

Idaho’s Budget Grew 2.5% Despite the Cuts, because of Welfare Spending

By Fred Birnbaum

April 8, 2026

If you were paying attention to the budget debates on both the House and Senate floors during the legislative session, you might think the Legislature made significant cuts to the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget. Unfortunately, based on preliminary numbers, total appropriations are a 2.5% increase, with FY27’s $14.453 billion outpacing the FY26 original appropriation […]

TAGS: $1 Billion, Appropriation, Budget, budget cuts, Budget Growth, COVID Funds, Enhancements, Fiscal Year 2026, Fiscal Year 2027, Funding, government, Health and Human Services, House, House Bill 850, Idaho, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho politics, Increase, Legislature, Medicaid, Medicaid expansion, New Federal Program, Reductions, Rural Health Transformation Fund, Senate, Senate Bill 1331, Supplemental, Welfare, welfare state

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Policy

Coverage vs. Care (Part 2): What Was Lost and Why

Coverage vs. Care (Part 1)

Property Tax Relief Options Explained

Unconstitutional Programs and the Administrative State: Stopping the 1419 Project

The Property Tax: Expensive and Outdated

Play for the Team on Your Jersey: It’s an Integrity Thing.

Teacher Appreciation Should Not Be Tied to Spending on Education

Saving Money Should Not Be a Thankless Task for Legislators

Buried Without a Vote: The Secret Power of Committee Chairmen

The Measure of a Man

Kneecapping Conservatives, Protecting Bureaucrats: Vander Woude’s Lame Duck Legacy

Idaho’s Budget Grew 2.5% Despite the Cuts, because of Welfare Spending

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