Economy
Boise Budget Grows 8 Times Faster Than Population
A big shout out to the STATESMAN and reporter Cynthia Sewell for once again doing lots of digging through census, budget, and other records prior to the annual Chamber of Commerce “Live Aid” speech Wednesday by the Mayor Dave Bieter which grosses up to $45,000 for the private special interest lobbying group. We have been […]
CCDC Chief To Get $114,000 Retirement Bonus
CCDC Pays Arid Club Dues March 14, 2007 A recent tip to the GUARDIAN confirms our worst fears about Boise City’s urban renewal agency operating without oversight or accountability to the citizens. The CCDC (Capitol City Development Corp.) is funded by property taxes and income from publicly owned parking facilities in the downtown area […]
PERSI Scam Not Mentioned In CDA Press
The COEUR d’ALENE PRESS ran a Saturday story that looks to us like it was planted by someone within the Idaho state government aimed at getting government worker retirement raised–or to draw attention away from the political abuse of the system. The GUARDIAN doesn’t know where this story came from, but it is a self […]
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 […]
Media Perks Questioned At Legislature
By DAVID R. FRAZIER GUARDIAN editor I have been a beneficiary of media perks for more than 50 years. It started in the 1960’s when I carried Speed Graphic cameras and film holders for my newspaperman father at Michigan State sports events in East Lansing, Michigan. The free meals, donuts, and soft drinks at Spartan […]
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 […]
Crouch Needs A Covered Bridge, Not Super Span
Folks in the tiny mountain hamlet of Crouch probably have a legitimate beef with the Boise County Commishes when it comes to construction of a new bridge across the Middle Fork of the Payette River. Some residents call it overkill, according to quotes in a KTVB story Tuesday. The ancient single lane span has outlived […]
Meridian Teachers Violate District Mail Policy (Again)
Despite continued admonitions from the administration, Meridian teachers continue to use the official school e-mail for political union activities. District Super Dr. Linda Clark got a copy of a union political e-mail leaked to the office of State Super Tom Luna Tuesday which is causing a bit of a stir. (We can only assume Super […]
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 […]
“Bloody Monday” Set For Garden Valley School Staffers
It looks like a Monday Night Massacre is set for the regular meeting of the Garden Valley School District. A GUARDIAN reader sent us the agenda and said “the majority” of staff–including teachers–will lose jobs if the measures on the agenda are passed. An insider tells the GUARDIAN it breaks down like this: “There are […]
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 […]
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 […]
Urban Renewal Bills Moving Along
In a comprehensive look at current legislation, Idaho Statesman reporter Cynthia Sewell explains the issues surrounding urban renewal in Idaho. Check out her piece, it is worth the read on an important issue for any who cherish the right to vote and shape their surroundings.
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 […]
Students To Be Exploited For Revenue?
(8) The state board of education shall promulgate rules authorizing local boards of trustees to sell advertising space on school buses. Such rules shall provide for the safe placement of such advertising and shall provide for reasonable restrictions on advertising content. Idaho’s Senate passed a bill (S1111) Tuesday that will allow advertising on school buses. […]
GUARDIAN Supports Urban Renewal Reform
AT LEAST HALF A DOZEN BILLS ARE CURRENTLY BEFORE THE IDAHO LEGISLATURE AIMED AT CUTTING AUTHORITY OF URBAN RENEWAL AGENCIES AND CREATING CITIZEN OVERSIGHT OF ACTIVITIES. NEWSPAPERS THROUGHOUT THE STATE (NOTE IN BOISE HOWEVER) HAVE REPORTED ON THE ISSUE. MOST HAVE LEANED TOWARD THE VIEW OF LOCAL POLITICOS, BUT WITHOUT FACTUAL DETAILS ABOUT WHAT HAS […]
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