Business
It’s Couponers, Not Readers Buying Newspapers
The DAILY PAPER published a sort of “good news, bad news” story today that is self serving and self deprecating. It’s about “extreme couponing.” Seems folks are stealing the STATESMAN–not for news, obituaries, the crossword puzzle, great pictures, or a craving to be informed. Nope. They raid the newsstands to get coupons. Thanks to the [...]
Ada Probation Agency Comes Under Scrutiny
The GUARDIAN has received a series of complaints of late regarding Ada County’s misdemeanor probation system and its private for-profit operating company. While several of the complaints are admittedly from offenders who have gotten on the wrong side of the law, we find there is also a philosophical issue with the coppers who get caught [...]
Hospitals Dump Cash To Remain “Non-Profit”
After reading the DAILY PAPER story on hospital CEO pay, we thought of all those dedicated candy stripers and others who VOLUNTEER at a place where the big guys are making more in a year than most will make in a lifetime. While the Statesman article on hospital CEO compensation was interesting, of much more [...]
City Cleaning Contract Fails Smell Test
Sylvia Hampel runs Clearview Cleaning with an impressive list of clients ranging from St.Alphonsus Hospital to the Idaho National Guard. When she won a bid In January to do a $395,000 contract for Boise City to include the Library! and Public Works she geared up on staff and equipment, eager to get started. In February [...]
Geezer Group Gropes For Gravitas
UPDATE If reader CLANCY’s links to the House WAYS and MEANS are on target, it looks like AARP itself is topped by only three others when it comes to paying off politicos. The lobbyists at AARP put out a press release Thursday with an analysis of state political payoffs after they came out of the [...]
GUARDIAN Turns Six, But No Party Scheduled
In a shameless attempt at self-serving friendly comments, we offer the following. It was six years ago today when the GUARDIAN posted its FIRST STORY which just happened to be about the public being locked out of the City-owned Boise Depot most of the time. Things haven’t changed much. Ironically, the Depot was purchased with [...]
Insider Trading At BCVB For G-BAD Election?
E-mail is such a wonderful thing! Once something hits cyberspace it leaves tracks like an 800 pound gorilla in fresh snow. Such was the case when the following showed up in the GUARDIAN’s “In” box this morning. “Sully – Here are the hotel contacts. Sorry, I forgot to send them to youyesterday. If you click [...]
G-BAD Election Heats Up (More)
Playing by the rules has always been a loose proposition in politics, but the GUARDIAN has copies of a document favoring two candidates for the May 17 Greater Boise Auditorium District election that appears to have crossed the line. The “800 pound gorilla” in the race is over the issue of whether or not the [...]
G-BAD Election Is About Spending Room Taxes
With six candidates chasing only two seats on an obscure government board, the Greater Boise Auditorium District election of May 17 would seem like a yawner. Not so if you are in the public relations, advertising, hotel, or even the DANCE business. The big issue is a split among candidates over funding The Boise Convention [...]
Canyon Government Workers Earn Top $$$
The Idaho Press-Tribune ran a salary roundup of top paid government workers which shows that Canyon County is a great place to work if you like to benefit from taxpayer largess…not so good if you are one of those taxpayers. While the story shows half a dozen Nampa coppers earned (received?) well in excess of [...]
Idaho Cities Battle For Convention Dollars
GROWTHOPHOBE (growth o phobe)–”One who opposes growth just for the sake of growth. Usually refers to municipalities and governments seeking to increase population and attract businesses merely for the sake of growing without due regard to long term affect on citizens and taxpayers.” The opposite of GROWTHOPHOBE is GROWTHOPHILE and that special breed seems prolific [...]
New Airport Will Need Property Tax Money
Proponents of the constitutional amendment that passed in November repeatedly claimed “no tax money” would be used for airports. Now, it looks like they were wrong if the news from Sun Valley area is any indication. The proposition that amended the Idaho Constitution allows airports to sell municipal bonds without a public vote. The sale [...]
Crapo Caters To Special Interests, Reduces Revenue
The bold face is a current press release from Idaho Senior Senator Mike Crapo: Idaho Senator Mike Crapo said the spending reductions outlined by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) provide ideas on immediate steps to reduce the nation’s dangerously unsustainable federal debt. Elements of the House proposal have already been a part [...]
How About Testimony Under Oath At Legislature?
After 40 plus years of watching the Idaho Legislature and seeing how much influence (control) the lobbyists have over legislators and ultimately the laws they pass, we think it is time that all testimony–written or oral–given to a legislative committee should be taken under oath with the penalty of perjury for offering false information. Jurors [...]
TVCTV Favors Democratic Politicos
Local public access cable channel 11 at TVCTV hardly is hardly in the league of National Public Radio, but they have sure left themselves open to claims of liberal bias. A press release about an upcoming fundraiser telethon says,”TVCTV’s mission is to facilitate a free exchange of ideas, community dialogue and cultural and artistic expression [...]
Boise Library Joins Communist Movement
communism |ˈkämyəˌnizəm| (often Communism) noun a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned…Central to Marxist theory is an explanation of social change in terms of economic factors, according to which the means of production provide the economic base, which influences or [...]
Idaho Offers Businesses A Welfare Home
While Idaho legislators are looking for money in all the wrong places, the text from a Dept. of Commerce brochure is quite revealing. In short, the state and local governments are in an economic civil war with their neighbors in a battle predicated upon seeing who can give away the most. Businesses decide where to [...]
Politicos Cater To Special Interests
It’s enough to turn your stomach listening to the politicos at all levels crying about the lack of revenue for education, police, medicaid, on one hand while their other hand is quietly catering to special interests. Senior Crapo complains almost daily about Obama fiscal policies, yet he seeks to redefine “small brewers” and cut taxes [...]
BoDo Developer “Passionate” About Niagara Falls
We got a tip about Boise developer Mark Rivers’ attempt to hustle some bucks out of the city of Niagara Falls, New York–not unlike the parking garage deal he got from Boise’s CCDC for the Hampton Inn. When we looked at the details of the deal and the way the mayor dishes out studies and [...]
Boise County Bankruptcy Is Historic
While Boise County is set to file for bankruptcy in federal court, there probably won’t be any auctions for snowplows and road graders in the near future. Since the developers who won the $4 million judgement against the county are themselves delinquent in paying their property taxes to the tune of $368,182, we expect a [...]
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