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Policy

Continuous Spending Growth

By Brett Farruggia
August 25, 2026
Idaho spent around $17.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 (FY25), with $4.62 billion of that spent on what are called continuous appropriations. This amounts to roughly a quarter of the budget, and it was about the same amount as all expenditures of federal funds ($4.94 billion). As opposed to the regular appropriations process, where the […]

Not All Idaho Cities Embrace Flock’s Panopticon

By Eireann Van Natta
August 18, 2026
Mayor Randy Westlund recently announced Post Falls will not operate Flock Safety cameras, further vowing the city will never become a “surveillance state.” He made the announcement on July 24 in response to residents’ concerns about license plate readers, while noting the city operates Motorola cameras. Westlund asserted that Idaho law mandates cities keep the […]

City In Southeast Idaho May Be In Hot Water After Years Of Noncompliance With State Controller

By Eireann Van Natta
August 13, 2026
The City of Lava Hot Springs may be in hot water with the state of Idaho after its repeated noncompliance with transparency and auditing requirements, according to documents obtained by Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF).  For tourists seeking natural hot springs and an Olympic swimming complex, the city in Bannock County is a prime destination. Taxpayers […]

CARE, CUSTODY, AND CONTROL: Your God-given Parental Rights and Idaho Law

By Sarah Clendenon
August 12, 2026
God entrusted you with your children. You are the expert on your children. Your children do not belong to the schools, the doctors, the state, or any governmental entity. Your children are your responsibility. Directing the upbringing, care, education, health, and wellbeing of your children is your fundamental right. Idaho gets some of these protections […]

State Revenues Exceeded Forecast Despite Tax Cuts

By Fred Birnbaum
August 6, 2026
You’ve probably seen the video clips of big spenders at the Idaho legislature complaining about how recent income tax cuts have squeezed revenues to the state to the point where necessary programs are under pressure from cutbacks. Well, after the robust spending growth we have documented since the COVID spending splurge began, we certainly hope […]

People vs. Poison:  Monsanto Wins

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.
August 4, 2026
Monsanto (a division of Bayer Global) makes Roundup weed killer. Over the past few years, their bigwig attorneys have doled out campaign money and favors to win over Idaho politicians so they could get a liability-immunity (for harm allegedly caused by the Roundup herbicide) bill in Idaho. Idaho Freedom Foundation stopped them at every turn […]

 “Big Brother” City Council Postpones Alcohol Ordinance Vote After Online Outrage

By Eireann Van Natta
July 30, 2026
Idaho Falls was preparing to vote on a contentious alcohol ordinance on July 9, but after a councilman criticized it on Facebook, and Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) reported on the proposal, the city postponed the vote. The council claimed it was postponed so members of the public could express their views, according to East Idaho […]

Heroes Needed, Heroes Helped

By Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D.
July 28, 2026
In a world marked by violence and killing, it would be nice to see more heroism, writes Ronald M. Nate, Ph.D. Idaho has many heroes, and here’s the remarkable thing about the heroes I’m writing about today: heroism begets more heroism. Unexpected and unwanted pregnancies are an opportunity for some Idaho heroes to help mothers-to-be […]

The Bureaucrats Are First at the Trough: How the Rural Health Transformation Fund Kicks Off With Millions in Grants for Administrators

By Brett Farruggia
July 23, 2026
The first three subgrant opportunities from the federal government’s Rural Health Transformation Fund have been posted. The three grant opportunities are just the first drops of funding in what will ultimately amount to nearly a billion dollars in debt-financed federal money coming into Idaho’s health care system. These funds, part of a five-year, billion-dollar scheme, […]

Spy Cameras Are Flocking To Idaho – Your City Could Be Next

By Eireann Van Natta
July 21, 2026
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are sweeping across Idaho and prompting fears that the Gem State may soon become another surveillance state. Some residents, however, are pushing back against police departments using a private company to collect data on Idahoans’ vehicles.   Flock cameras, a technology from the Georgia-based Flock Safety company, are ostensibly used to […]
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