Constitution
Self Storage Association Quizzes Idaho Land Board
The national president of the Self-storage Association in Washington, D.C.has asked the Idaho Land Board to curtail future purchases of retail storage businesses, investing instead in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) specializing in self storage. The letter to the board is dated November 5 and includes numerous questions and concerns about the practice of state-owned […]
Can’t Fight City Hall and Win
GUARDIAN editor David R. Frazier issued a statement following the election which saw approval of three constitutional amendments he had opposed. Said Frazier, “I learned it is impossible to battle the might of government, regardless of the nobility of one’s cause. My only regret is that I didn’t get a commission on the advertising purchased […]
David (Frazier) vs Goliath (politicians,media, money)
As we hit the home stretch in the mid-term election campaign, the GUARDIAN position on preserving the right of citizens to vote as detailed by the constitution and the supreme court seems in jeopardy. Local governments, hospitals, and politicians of all stripes have dumped tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours into their effort […]
State-Owned Private Business Venture Draws Split Decision From GUARDIAN Readers
Businesses–especially the lucrative self storage sector–can expect to see more State-owned competitors in the future. Land Dept. Deputy Director Cathy Opp talked with the GUARDIAN Wednesday following our post about the Department purchasing and operating a retail self storage facility at 450 S. Maple Grove in Boise. She said the goal of the endowment fund […]
Airport Seeks Public Financing Of Private Business Facilities
In a page one Saturday story by reporter Cynthia Sewell, the IDAHO STATESMAN ran a statement by Richard McConnell, Boise Airport’s director, which illustrates the need to oppose HJR5. “If a company says it wants to lease a cargo facility within the next 12 months for a 20-year period, the city would first have to […]
What Others Say About Amendments
As election day draws near, interest in the three constitutional amendments is drawing media attention throughout the state. All three aim to abolish the constitutional rights we currently hold to vote on debt by airports, public hospitals, and city electric utilities. We will add links to this page as we learn of coverage and invite […]
A Personal GUARDIAN Note
We have to admit to a bit of preoccupation with the campaign to preserve the right of Idaho voters to vote on debt at airports, public hospitals and city owned electric utilities. The GUARDIAN has won several court decisions against Boise as they attempted to skirt the constitution which has brought us to the Nov. […]
State Rep Joins Amendment Opposition
Another legislator has taken a public stand opposing the proposed constitutional amendents aimed at abolishing the right of voters to approve public debt at airports, public hospitals, and public electric utilities. In an Op-Ed piece in the Twin Falls TIMES-NEWS, Rep. Stephen Hartgen pointed out the pit falls in the proposed amendments and vowed to […]
Washington State Voters Seek 2/3 Approval On Spending
A common cry among proponents of the three proposed constitutional amendments claims Idaho and California are alone in their requirements for voter approval for certain public funding. While not an argument over “fees,” to finance debt, Washington State voters seek to limit the taxing authority of government without 2/3 voter approval. Idaho already has that […]
McCall Newspaper Endorses GUARDIAN Amendment Stance
By Tom Grote, Editor and Publisher The Star-News “Amendments an assault on voter’s rights” Three proposed amendments to the Idaho Constitution to be placed before voters on Nov. 2 would deprive citizens of their basic right to tell government what it can do and cannot do. This is an attempt by bureaucrats to wrest away […]
Valley Mayors Seek To Spend $738,000,000 With No Public Vote
Treasure Valley Mayors from Boise To Wilder signed a letter published in the IDAHO BUSINESS REVIEW Monday supporting passage of HJR5–the constitutional amendment seeking to abolish the constitutional rights of citizens to vote on public debt at airports. In their letter, the seven mayors said, “Our airports need the tools to finance the estimated $738 […]
Paper: IHA “Not Straight With Voters”
EDITORIAL OPINION FROM TWIN FALLS TIMES-NEWS raps Idaho Hospital Association. To its credit, the paper takes a swipe at Idaho Hospital Association even though it supports amendment that will abolish right of citizens to vote on public hospital debt. JEERS: Hyperbole abounds in election years, but the Idaho Hospital Association has gone too far this […]
Tax-Exempt Status In Campaign Finance Questioned
Idaho’s non-profit hospitals could face scrutiny from the I.R.S. if U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana gets his way. Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and wrote the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Tuesday expressing concerns that various organizations are abusing their tax-exempts status as improper conduits for campaign finances. In a NY TIMES […]
GUARDIAN Guest on Channel 4 Dialogue Show
GUARDIAN editor David R. Frazier will be on Idaho Public TV’s DIALOGUE show Thursday at 8:30 p.m. discussing the three constitutional amendments on the Nov. 2 ballot. State Senator Joe Stegner of Lewiston will also be featured on the show hosted by Marcia Franklin. We plan to discuss the importance–and what passage could mean–of HJR […]
Statesman Editorial Dumps On Boise PR Effort
Today’s Idaho Statesman has a damning EDITORIAL about Boise City’s ill advised $60,000 PR effort to “educate voters” about a constitutional amendment aimed at denying citizens their constitutional right to vote on airport debt. The GUARDIAN provides the truth in a series of CONSTITUTION stories posted in recent weeks…and we do it for FREE! As […]
Rep. Moyle Flips Over Airport Amendment
Idaho House majority leader Mike Moyle was one of the Representatives who approved the proposed constitutional amendment that would take away the existing right of voters to approve debt at airports, but yesterday he came out against the proposal. There will no doubt be more legislators who wished they had taken time to read HJR5 […]
Gov. Candidates Weigh In On Constitutional Issues
Both Repub Guv. Butch Otter and Dem opponent Keith Allred responded to a GUARDIAN question about the three proposed Idaho constitutional amendments on the November 2 ballot. In a nutshell the three proposals deal with the right of citizens to approve public debt at AIRPORTS, PUBLIC HOSPITALS, and CITY OWNED ELECTRICITY SYSTEMS. All three seek […]
Publicly Funded Website Gets “F” For Education
Using part of a $60,000 appropriation of public money from the Boise City Council, a new website claiming to be an “educational outreach” debuted recently in what can only be seen as a blatant campaign promotion to pass a constitutional amendment. Dubbed HJR5 Facts the one-sided website has a plethora of facts about airports in […]
White Paper Explains Constitutional Challenge To Voter Rights
This is the first in what we expect to be many discussions of three constitutional amendments before Idaho voters on November 2. The GUARDIAN will be crusading like an old time newspaper editor to preserve our voting rights, defending the Idaho constitution and the rights of citizens to hold the “power of the purse” when […]
Council On AutoPilot, Approves $60K To “Educate Voters”
The council wants to educate us so cleverly By spending 60K of our public money So I will take my truth To the ballot booth To oust Shealy, Clegg, Jordan and Eberle! –Poet Paul On a 4 to 1 vote Tuesday evening the Boise City Council approved a deal with a public relations firm to […]
Recent Comments