POLICY ISSUES
Building a Culture of Liberty
Economic freedom drives growth, innovation, and prosperity by empowering individuals to make their own choices, encouraging voluntary exchange, and fostering entrepreneurship through secure property rights, limited government, and sound money. In such an environment, self-interest motivates people to serve others, resulting in an efficient “bottom-up” approach to production and resource use. Countries with greater economic freedom enjoy higher incomes, lower poverty rates, better health and education, and more political liberty. Beyond material gains, economic freedom protects individual rights and limits government overreach. The Idaho Freedom Foundation advocates for these principles through policies that support low taxes, minimal regulation, strong property rights, and a fair legal system, believing such a framework allows Idaho families and businesses to thrive.
The Founding Fathers believed “the principal support of a free government is to be derived from the sound morals and intelligence of the people; and the more extensive the means of education, the more confidently may we rely upon the preservation of our public liberties.” In line with this vision, the Idaho Freedom Foundation is dedicated to reforming Idaho’s system of education to better equip the youth of our state with the virtues and intelligence necessary for self-government. We are committed to fighting the radical Left’s capture of the public education system by ending its monopoly over the minds of our children through promoting universal school choice, purging critical theory and radical gender ideology from our classrooms and libraries, and pushing back against the progressive policies of the education establishment.
Freedom and prosperity are inseparable from the preservation of the traditional values of Western civilization, the foundation of which is the natural family. Our Founding Fathers carefully delineated between ordered liberty and license. The former consists in the exercise of one’s natural rights in conformity with the “laws of nature and nature’s God,” the latter is the abuse of that liberty in a way that undermines moral decency and the good order of society. In accordance with this tradition, the Idaho Freedom Foundation affirms the sanctity of the natural family, the fundamental rights and obligations derived from parenthood, and the obligation to discourage moral depravity in a constitutional manner.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation understands that shrinking government means shrinking spending, restraining lawmaking, and limiting regulation. The proper role of government is outlined in the U.S. and Idaho Constitutions and should not extend beyond securing liberty and upholding the rule of law. When government exceeds these core functions — through excessive regulation, market interference, or unsustainable budget growth — it threatens personal freedom, erodes responsibility, and stifles economic growth. Power should remain close to the people through strong constitutional limits.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation believes fundamental liberties are inherent, natural rights every individual possesses by virtue of their humanity — rights that no government has the authority to take away. These inalienable rights, endowed by our Creator, form the moral foundation of a free society. The core purpose of just government is not to grant special privileges, but to protect our rights. Among the most essential are the right to life, which includes the right to self-defense; liberty, which encompasses the ability to govern ourselves and includes acquiring and possessing private property; and the pursuit of happiness, supported by the rule of law and self-reliance.
The United States consists of 50 sovereign states with significant autonomy, as affirmed by the Tenth Amendment and multiple Supreme Court rulings. State sovereignty, however, is often undermined by federal overreach, particularly through the federal government’s vast land ownership in western states — including 62% of Idaho — and the restrictive conditions tied to federal funding. The Idaho Freedom Foundation believes states can reclaim their authority by promoting sound money, setting independent law enforcement priorities, and refusing federal policies that do not align with their values. As James Madison emphasized in Federalist No. 45, federal powers are “few and defined,” while state powers are “numerous and indefinite,” and when the federal government exceeds its limits, it is the responsibility of the state to defend the rights of its residents.
Policy Articles
