government
Library Ballot Important
With a $38 million library bond election approaching, it is important to have some citizen input BEFORE the ballot is printed. The City Council is set to approve the ballot language Tuesday. It is confusing, lengthy, and full of loopholes. Take a look: QUESTION: Shall the City of Boise City, Idaho, be authorized to issue […]
Hide the Statehouse?
A social engineering project is underway for Boise’s downtown in the form of a welfare housing project atop the trendy Piper Pub and Grill at 8th and Main. It is complicated bunch of tax credits and public financing, but the bottom line is people who can’t afford to pay market rates for rent are slated […]
Kudos to Kemp
State Rep. Jana Kemp stood up for the people last week when she “kept her seat” in a committee room while her fellow Republicans legislators retired to caucus behind closed doors. The issue at hand was about changing the overall structure of state employee’s pay system–important stuff. With the overwhelming Republican majority, a party discussion […]
Business Briefs
Business news makes you proud to live in Idaho! MICRON Statesman headline says “Samsung pleads guilty in price-fixing” and a sub head proclaims “Micron says it is cooperating with justice officials.” All true, but Micron gets immunity from prosecution because they turned state’s evidence. The feds claimed Micron conspired to fix prices of its products…same […]
Low Pay, Politics, Haunt City Workers
Another one of those dandy “we are doing it right” surveys from Boise City. Results vary depending on how you view them. GUARDIAN sees : –57% of workers say politics strongly factors into everyday decision making process –61% feel they are underpaid for their level of responsibility –65% are unsatisfied with their raises –77% say […]
Boise, GROWING with Bieter
In a front page display by reporter Brad Hem, the IDAHO STATESMAN offered a retrospective of Mayor Dave Bieter’s first 21 months in office and the conclusion was “mixed reviews.” In typical mainstream media style, the newest link in the Knight-Ridder chain offered a near perfect blend of cheers and jeers. Bottom line in Hem’s […]
Common Sense 11, Emotion 410
The GUARDIAN endorses common sense and logic rather than political dogma and emotions. Congressman Butch Otter deserves a pat on his tight jeans for voting “no” on the hurricane relief bill. He was among only 11 lawmakers who stood up for not tossing away more money into an emotional quagmire. Everyone in the USA wants […]
Surprise! Micron Expands in Singapore
Those IDAHO tax breaks granted to Micron have really paid off–the company was able to pump $250 million into expansion of a 265,000 square foot production facility in SINGAPORE. The Idaho Statesman barely noted the irony with a business story shorter than this blog entry. The good news is we won’t have to feed, house, […]
Seriously Silly Stinky
Ustick Road has the potential of being a skunk with more stripes than a zebra–but it will still stink, thanks to a “compromise” between the Boise City Council and the Ada County Highway District. Regarding road improvements Boise thinks , “If you don’t build it they won’t come,”. ACHD wants to build their standard 5 […]
Official Yzaguirre Rehash
Ada County Commissioner Rick Yzaguirre has maintained a pretty low profile after his reelection campaign, but not low enough to escape some pot shots from former Commissioner Sharon Ullman and the BOISE WEEKLY. The WEEKLY ran a piece called “Taxing The Public Trust” which was pretty much a rehash of Yzaguirre’s financial problems with the […]
Meridian School Bond Battle
The taxpayer snipers have their sights trained on the upcoming Meridian School Bond battle and early indications show the District’s volunteer army may not be as experienced as their tax foe adversaries. The first skirmish had kids used as innocent couriers for a pro bond post card that crowds the line of propriety with a […]
Heart Attack on Live TV
Cable TV channel 11 put some real drama in the Wednesday night special City Council meeting when a member of the audience suffered an apparent heart attack on camera. It happened shortly after midnight after about 50 people from the Depot Bench neighborhood had offered testimony against the proposed four story apartment condo project. At […]
Appearance Really Matters
In its ongoing quest to garner public confidence and support, the Boise city council offers this little gem in the agenda for the Tuesday August 30 meeting: “FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD READING OF AN ORDINANCE FIXING THE SALARY COMPENSATION FOR BOISE CITY MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS; PROVIDING FOR A WAIVER OF THE READING RULES; AND […]
For You Library Types
The Boise public library is making history by offering the citizens of our fair city a chance to actually VOTE on how their tax dollars are spent. The last bond election was at least 10 years ago when a park bond failed. After that failed attempt, the city switched to a strategy of asking judges […]
Letter to Boise
ON THE ROAD AGAIN– The GUARDIAN editor is on the road making pictures during the last days of summer. Here are some random observations which may or may not be of interest. –You don’t know HUMID until you hit the midwest on these “90/90 days” of 90% humidity and 90 degrees. –The Capitol building and […]
Correction on Community House
We ran this little brief last week about homeless problems: COMMUNITY HOUSE The Boise city council turned down a non-cash “equity bid” of $250,000 from Community House Inc. as down payment on the City owned homeless shelter. The council then turned around and GAVE them $206,000 to pay the bills at the privately operated facility. […]
Commissioners Salaries Total $256,470
Ada county commissioners voted themselves a 3% pay hike, bringing each one an annual paycheck of $85,490. County commissioners are among the few if not only elected officials able to vote themselves a raise between elections. The raises go into effect in October and the combined total for the executives will be $256,470. The commissioners […]
Low Cost Flight To Real Estate Heaven
Like the bankrupt airlines, Idaho government keeps looking for more passengers (residents). Just like the airlines, we have plenty of crowded flights (subdivisions) that don’t pay their way. Just like the airlines it’s good for the aircraft (housing) industry. Never mind the comfortable flights we once knew in the form of great service, real meals, […]
Ethics, What’s That?
UPDATED 7/25/05 Boise’s new ethics panel recently told City Treasurer Kent Rock it was OK to ask for money from the banks and brokers he deals with as long as he does it on behalf of a professional group and not the City. Duh! He heads the group BECAUSE he is Boise’s treasurer. At issue […]
Idaho Flim Flams Feds For Funds
We have to admit the following is based on a STATESMAN piece by business writer Melissa McGrath and we have to figure she got her facts right. However, the spin of the story and the headline “GRANT WILL HELP EX-HP WORKERS” misses the whole point. The real story is, “IDAHO FLIM FLAMS FEDS FOR FUNDS.” […]
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