We posted a story YESTERDAY showing that when visitors searched for “absentee ballot” or “voter registration” they got neither–instead they were offered a menu of commercial sites headed by the Risch ad.

Looks like someone in Pocatello reads the GUARDIAN.

Looks like they way to sell Fords for instance is to put “Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota” in your keyword list. It is all done for the money of course.

We searched the net for “MCCAIN.org” and got the following chance to pay $63,000 for the site name. Whatever or whomever you’re selling, the secret is to include all the competition in the keywords to be searched.

Seems the internet players understand the value of keywords and the incestuous relationships between all the search engines and sponsors, etc. Knowing that many of you are at work and the boss is on vacation, we would love any insight from you techie nerds.

If you are a registered voter living in Ada or Canyon County you can get your name on the ballot to fill one of the 5 open seats on the College of Western Idaho Board of Trustees with just 5 signatures of other registered voters. If you are 18 and NOT registered, just register to vote and you qualify to be an elected official.

The school is woefully underfunded, thanks to low ball estimates by those eager to get approval last year. The new board has authority to levy a ton of taxes on local property owners and they would not be bound by the promises of previous supporters. Conversely, the new board could be taken over by anti-tax types and they could kill all funding efforts with a tiny levy.

Chances of a victory in the November election are pretty good for ANY candidate because Seats 1,2,3, don’t have any candidates at all. Seates 3 and 4 are also up for election and you just have to beat a couple of men appointed to the posts who are not likely to campaign hard for a non-paying position.

The CWI trustee job pays NOTHING, meets at least monthly, and takes a fair amount of time. The rewards include being an “elected official in Idaho” so you LEGALLY get to carry a concealed weapon with no permit. (Just don’t try to go through airport security packing heat or you get busted by the feds.)

If the younger set decide to step up and serve their community through the CWI Board, they will be in a position not only to levy property taxes, but even hire and fire the president of the college. They will be the major deciders of the curriculum and approve budgets. No need for a student council if the students run the place.

This is a rare opportunity for the youth of Ada and Canyon counties to make history for a good cause. Better act now because the deadline for filing is September 2. For details contact the CWIelection official:

Cheryl Wright
5500 E University Way,
Nampa ID 83687
cherylwright@cwidaho.cc
Phone: 562-3299

Nice work for Jim and staff, but hardly appropriate on an official county website. No doubt it is a case of the Risch staff being just a little smarter than the webmeister in Pocatello. Probably just a case of “running the county like a business.”

SCREENGRAB OF BANNOCK COUNTY SITE

We aren’t surprised to see local politicians jump on this one, but you read the proclamation “first on the GUARDIAN.” Team Dave leader, Mayor Dave Bieter will haul out his old Schwinn cruiser for this photo op and the mainstreamers will oblige with plenty of video and still images. They will ride from the YMCA on State Street to City Hall at 10 a.m. Saturday to celebrate her Gold Medal win at the Olympic women’s bike race.

PROCLAMATION:

Be it known to the World that KRISTIN ARMSTRONG has helped make Boise, Idaho “the most livable
city in America.”

WHEREAS Kristin is the best news since the Fiesta Bowl for local media,
WHEREAS Kristin has worked tirelessly to set an example of leadership and discipline,
WHEREAS Kristin has demonstrated the ability to provide inspiration to young people,
WHEREAS Kristin is a world class athelete bringing credit to herself, her country, and Boise,
WHEREAS Kristin instills pride in her fellow citizens of Boise,
WHEREAS Kristin will bring honor and cash donations to the YMCA,
WHEREAS Kristin emulates the spirit of fun found in the GUARDIAN,

THEREFOR, the GUARDIAN hereby proclaims Saturday the 16th day of August in the year of our Lord 2008 to be “Kristin Armstrong Day.”

By the authority of my editorship of Boise’s leading news blog,
(SIGNED) DAVID R. FRAZIER

The GUARDIAN will also present her with a key to our bike lock in lieu of a key to the city.

UPDATE 8/15– Lt. Guv Jim Risch and Mayor Dave Bieter have both jumped on Kristin’s tandem bike with the GUARDIAN. Risch is offering a proclamation and Bieter is offering a “key to the city.” We are flattered they both copied our efforts.

Public records at the Idaho Secretary of State site show the “quasi-governmental” corporation donated $500 to the Republicans for the Lincoln Day party in February. We are told $500 will get those who pay, a table closer to the front of the venue. Wonder if the members appointed by the Guv approved the donation…we can’t find any indication of similar donations to the Democrats.

Seems the folks entrusted with selling GARVEE highway bonds, facilitating loans for low cost housing, and proposing to make Tamarack’s $670 million bailout legit to union pension funds has a tilt to the right.

Sounds a lot like former Guv Cece Andrus and former Senator Frank Church deals at Boise State University. No doubt the new College of Western Idaho would like to host the institute. Now, if we can just get the paperwork on that cheap land near Cascade…

Gone are the days of “putting the people first.”

A recent ruling by 4th District Court Judges simply fails the test of logic when it comes to deciding who pays the costs of justice…Unfortunately it arguably passes the test of law. Under the Idaho Code, the court is ordering Boise City to pay about $1 million annually because Boise is the “prime user” of the courts and judges.

WE ALSO PAY MORE TAXES TO ADA COUNTY! Yet, they want us to pay additional fees. (every Boise taxpayer is also an Ada County taxpayer) That’s like WalMArt charging higher prices to people who are repeat customers and spend the most money.

The decision of the court is an “administrative ruling,” but it can–and should–be appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court. Simple logic tells us a city with more population–and more criminals–will have more trials and hearings. The city also generates more fines and court costs for things like judges retirement funds and police training. The city’s arguments are hindered by an old City/County agreement–and state law that allows courts to order municipalities to provide magistrate court facilities and staff.

It all got murky when Ada Commishes in the late 1990’s consolidated all the courts into the current court house which was never approved by a binding vote of citizens. That put a lot of pressure on Ada County to find cash to pay for the new facility. Magistrate court was formerly at the City-County law enforcement building on Barrister–apparently provided by the city, according to court documents which acknowledge the line between city and county became blurred.

Meridian and Garden City do not pay for use of the courts and have ignored court orders to “provide magistrate court facilities.”

The Daily Paper quoted Ada Commish Fred Tilman as saying Eagle, Star and Kuna pay a fair court share “through an agreement with the county.” That statement is simply not true.

What Tilman was apparently talking about is the fact that Kuna, Eagle, and Star are “customers” of the sheriff who rents his badge to those communities. They do not have their own police forces and pay the sheriff to run their police services. HOWEVER, those contracts have nothing whatsoever to do with the cost and operation of the courts. Because the sheriff has three cities as customers certainly doesn’t relieve those municipalities of an obligation to pay their share.

The Ada County Prosecutor also provides (for a fee) criminal legal services to Eagle, Kuna, and Star, but that doesn’t cover the courts either.

To summarize: The Ada Sheriff rents his badge to Eagle, Kuna, and Star. Ada’s 4th District Judges want Boise to rent court rooms and clerks from the Commishes for their use. Boise’s City Attorney rents lawyers to Meridian (forgot to tell you about that one!) to prosecute misdemeanors and traffic cases simultaneously with Boise cases.

Depending on the political winds, Boise City and Ada County have combined some facilities and made “working agreements.” At present those winds are erratic at best and we all pay when they turn stormy.

All we can say is, “You are doing a heckuva job Brownie!”

In a press release she bemoans the lack of interest in the campaign and is open to any format, moderator, or location to offer the public an opportunity to “compare the candidates.”

Even the Daily Paper has refused to make an endorsement in that race. They note Ullman is smart and informed, but “doesn’t play well with others.” The others don’t attend commish meetings or understand the budget process.

Perhaps an “ultimate fighter” format in a caged arena with former Bronco broadcaster Paul J. Schneider doing the play-by-play would generate some interest?

This time it’s an outfit called Areva which is in the energy business. They got the obligatory color drawing on the front page of the Daily Paper and endorsements from state and federal politicians to build a $2 billion uranium enrichment plant near Idaho Falls.

Now all they need is about a hundred permits, $2 billion in financing, land, local zoning approval, and a market for enriched uranium fuel rods to power nuclear reactors, while the nation struggles with disposal of hot nuke waste that could be used to make bombs.

Locals in Idaho Falls are questioning the hazards of the proposed facility and seem eager to hear “the rest of the story.”

The GUARDIAN did a brief number crunch with the Bonneville Assessor. If the plant truly turned out to be worth $2 billion and it paid its fair share of taxes, it would mean a 41% DECREASE in local property taxes. As it now stands, the taxable value is capped at $400 million. At best it could contribute about 8% of the county revenues. Total taxable value in Bonneville County is currently $4.8 billion.

The Daily Paper ran the story as a “done deal,” saying the company WILL open the plant near Idaho Falls–not may, could, wants to, proposes, but WILL.

Here some examples of other highly promoted proposals which never made it:

ASSORTED BILL AGEE schemes including the Texas TGV rail line, the Honolulu monorail.

ROCKET LAUNCH site also near Idaho Falls promoted by Lockheed with a giant mock up of a space ship they towed around the country hustling local politicos.

THE DEFUNCT “WPPS” nuke plant that cost millions and never opened.

SATURN AUTO PLANT. Idaho wanted to put it at Kellogg to create jobs for unemployed silver miners…never mind GM would have had to ship parts and supplies a thousand miles to the wilds of Idaho and also ship finished cars as far.

SUPER COLLIDING SUPERCONDUCTOR. Another scheme that was shopped all over the nation. The GUARDIAN noticed everywhere we traveled the locals were “in the running.”

MEDITERRANEAN MOVIE SET and “planned community” at Blacks Creek east of Boise. What an idea location for a seaside community in the desert of Idaho.

MOVIE SOUND STAGE and theme park at Nampa. Sweetwater Junction never got going either, despite press conferences and headlines.

BOISE TOWER and a dozen other hotels, offices, convention centers, and condo projects.

MICRON PLAYED the political game of “we will put you on the list if you give us a break.” They got the break and built new facilities–in China, Singapore, and Virginia, NOT idaho.

Meanwhile the politicos still gush about all the jobs these projects “will create.” They seem to forget the humiliation of Albertson’s tax deal, the tax cap on Micron–the largest non-profit company in the state, Hollywood movie production rebates, and the list goes on.

For the record, the GUARDIAN actually favors nuclear power as a clean energy source, but it is absolute INSANITY to create more waste without establishing a permanent safe repository for spent fuel rods.

Areva, like any other company should pay its way. If they can meet the safety standards, provide the financing, pay their taxes, offer a safe workplace and good wages–welcome to Idaho.