Federal Government
E-15 Fuel No Good For Older Cars
A GUARDIAN car buff reader sent this along as a reminder, warning, grump at the Feds: BY BILL GOODNIGHT The “ethanol industry” (mostly prospering corn farmers) has successfully lobbied the EPA to issue a final rule approving the use of gasoline diluted with 15% ethanol (E15). EPA recognized this fuel will seriously damage vehicles manufactured [...]
Balanced Budget Amendment Is Grandstanding Politics
Idaho’s U.S. Senators, Junior Jim Risch and Senior Mike Crapo have joined a group of 47 who propose an amendment to the constitution of the United States of America to require a balanced budget. While that sounds great in concept, it will take years upon years to ever pass. The joint announcement is nothing but [...]
Running Government Like A Business
A couple of stories we have noticed recently in rural Idaho media show just how to run government like a business AND turn a tidy profit for government workers. Some are legal, some are crooked, and some just stink. –The GUARDIAN detailed how Boise motorcycle coppers make $56 an hour using city equipment to patrol [...]
Coppers On Choppers “Have Guns Will Travel”
If you notice any Boise coppers on choppers along the scenic byways of Boise County this summer, they aren’t lost. They’re just using the City-owned uniforms and BMW motorcycles to earn a little overtime–at about $56 an hour. It’s all part of a highway safety grant funded by U.S. taxpayers and administered by the Idaho [...]
June 14 Is FLAG DAY
We share a collection of flags we have seen: FROM WIKIPEDIA– In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. The June 14 date is also when Congress adopted [...]
Hot Potatoes Become Political
We have all heard of a political “hot potato,” but now we find that hot potatoes are also political. That news comes from politicians who seek to keep the tuber that made Idaho license plates famous on the dinner plates of healthy Americans–especially school lunch plates. Idaho Reps Labrador and Simpson joined others in a [...]
Should Government Spend Tax $$ To Lobby?
A recent story in the IDAHO REPORTER about the Pocatello Auditorium District using $20,000 in taxes to lobby on its own behalf exposes only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to government influencing government. Perhaps the worst offender in the influence peddling game is the City of Boise. The city is awash [...]
Crapo Warns Of Choppy Waters For Lake Lowell Users
Idaho Senior Senator Mike Crapo issued a press release Friday warning users of Lake Lowell within the Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge of potential boating restrictions in the near future. Not wanting to make waves among boaters, fishermen, and wildlife managers, Crapo points to a 100 year record of co-existance among the groups AND the waterfowl [...]
Flood Threat Eases, But Boise River Remains At Critical Capacity Through City
Warmer weather and potential for more rain could spell trouble along the Boise River as snow/water content in the mountains outstrips reservoir storage capacity. Steve Zerza and his readers at BOISE RIVER WILD TROUTare hashing out the numbers. Just like the weather that triggers the runoff, the picture changes daily.
Boise Bistro Bustles At Bin Laden Buzz
An audible hush fell over the dining room at Papa Joe’s eatery on Capitol Blvd. Sunday night as the TV screen normally running silently with sports action suddenly came alive with a BREAKING NEWS! message that Bin Laden was dead. A waiter quickly turned up the sound and soon an eclectic mix of college students, [...]
Nampa Homeowners Face $48 Flat Tax Hike
Question: When is a tax not a tax? Answer: When it comes in the form of a mandatory “fee” from Nampa City Hall. Mayor Tom Dale has sent a letter to property owners inviting them to attend an April 27 meeting at the Nampa Civic Center to discus a plan to curtail the continued pollution [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Where Does Crapo Stand On National Monuments?
We got a press release on February 17 from Senator Mike Crapo bragging about co-sponsoring legislation to limit Presidential authority to designate or expand National Monuments. Two days later he is part of the Idaho Congressional delegation applauding expansion of the Minidoka National Monument in Idaho. Apparently Senior Crapo doesn’t know which monument–or press release– [...]
Landfill Energy Project May Be Just Garbage
After getting some negative comments as well as talking with an engineer, the GUARDIAN’s red flag began to wave over the electric generation project with Dynamis and Lloyd Mahaffey at the Ada Landfill. Last week the DAILY PAPER ran a big page one story which clearly said the firm operates a trash-to-electricity project at Barrow, [...]
PUC Deals Big Blow To Wind Generators
Idaho’s Public utilities commission has dealt a blow to companies seeking to sell massive amounts of electricity to Idaho Power and two other utilities in the Gem State. Monday the PUC issued an order putting a temporary limit on the size of so-called PURPA projects which require the big utilities to purchase power from alternative [...]
Cheatgrass And Growth Are Hot Topic
Range managers and scientists from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management are meeting in Boise this week to figure out a way to reduce the invasive cheatgrass species found throughout the southwest Idaho desert, according to a DAILY PAPER report. If they find a solution it could save Ada taxpayers some money. Last summer in [...]
F-35 May Not Fly In Congress (or Boise)
Despite the endorsement of the Boise City Council and Team Dave, it looks like the skies over Boise won’t soon be bothered by F-35 fighter jets. The program is grossly over budget. Here is a WEBPOST from last Friday detailing the problems. http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/aerospace/military/us-joint-strike-fighter-f35-hits-afterburners-on-cost-overrun No word from the State, Feds, or Boise about mixing military fighters [...]
Marketing The Fear Factor In Wake Of Tragedy
Following the tragic “Safeway Massacare” in Tucson, the airwaves and internet are alive with exchanges of blame game, gun nuts, anti-gun nuts, calls for more laws, more guns to every shopper, and hate mongers vowing to disrupt funerals. And a sobering account from SLATE. We are a violent nation with people being shot all day [...]
Cockpit Voice On Flight Rage Case
The GUARDIAN contacted a working airline captain to put last week’s story of flight rage into perspective. It is a little long–he may be the one who chatters on the P.A. when you are trying to grab a power nap. Here is his informative report. THIS IS THE CAPTAIN SPEAKING As a starter, all airlines [...]
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