By Robert L. Webster

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for the people of a nation to demand a return to the fundamental principles of liberty which were established by their founding fathers, and to eliminate the changes which have weakened and deformed it from the intent of the original charter, a decent respect to the opinions of its citizens, civilized nations and of all mankind, requires that they should declare the causes which compel them to this action.

We, the people of the United States of America, hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are born free, in that they are endowed at birth by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are the right to life, liberty, property and the freedom of choice – that to secure these rights, men may institute a government, delegating to it those specifically enumerated and limited powers necessary to the security and felicity of the governed, and that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right and duty of the people to alter or abolish it, and in its place to either restore the original, or institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as shall seem to them most likely to secure their national safety and happiness.

Prudence dictates that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, and history has shown that men are naturally inclined to suffer abuses of government, while abuses are tolerable, than to correct them by abolishing the traditional form of government to which they are accustomed. But when a long and significant string of abuses has been experienced, and appears to be designed to destroy the Constitutional form and revert back to the despotic forms of history, this people reasserts its God-given right and duty to throw off such abuses, and to restore again the principles and safeguards provided by the Founders in the inspired original system, the Constitution of the United States of America.

The citizens of this Democratic Republic have suffered enough abuses of government power over its brief bi-centennial existence. The history of the second century in particular is replete with injuries and usurpations, in an apparent design to convert and subjugate this land of abundant resources, industrious people and “common-law” liberty back under the control of the ancient systems of “rulers law.” As testimony, let the sobering facts be submitted openly before God, and to a candid world of witnesses:

Religious persecution has been allowed to persist without just redress or protection by the national or State governments, at times occurring even under government orders.

The issue of “separation of church and state” has been grossly distorted to the point of separation of religion from government and from everyday life. This is a national disgrace, and a reversal of the wholesome relationship intended by the Founders as essential to national well being.

The sixteenth amendment of 1913 has violated the Founder’s principles by authorizing the federal government to collect direct income taxes from the people. It has been a primary cause of centralization of power to the central government, and must be repealed.

The seventeenth amendment of 1913 has helped to destroy States’ rights and the delicate checks and balances system by making the election of US Senators by popular vote, instead of by the State Legislatures, thus increasing the influence of

The twenty third amendment attempts to create a State out of a city – Washinton DC – in violation of the Founders wisdom. It must be repealed, allowing the residents to vote as citizens of the State of Maryland.

The twenty fifth amendment violates the Founders’ principles by allowing a President to appoint a Vice President, which, under manipulated conditions of sedition and murder could result in a president never elected to office; it must be repealed.

The twenty sixth amendment dangerously advanced “democracy” beyond a healthy balance by allowing eighteen-year-olds to vote. They lack maturity; it should be repealed.

MONEY IS POWER, and the enemies of America have taken control of America’s wealth. The Federal Reserve System of 1913 is unconstitutional and must be replaced immediately by the Constitutional Monetary System as prescribed by the Founders – the economic system of prosperity which has never yet been instituted!

America’s Constitutionally prescribed gold and silver money standard has been unconstitutionally removed, and must be restored, under Congressional control. With the value of the dollar and the money supply tied to within 5% of the measured Gross National Product, and limiting all interest rates to a maximum of 10%, for no longer than ten years credit; prosperity would be unprecedented and secured.

The Congress has consistently spent beyond its budget; a balanced biennial budget must be required, under penalty of automatic dismissal from office for all who vote to cause budget excesses.

The Congress has voted to increase its pay while still in its current term of office; these current increases must be repealed and all future increases outlawed; each one voting for it should be recalled by their respective States. The States alone must decide Congressional salaries.

The Congressional seniority system has stagnated progress and corrupted the legislature. Amend the constitution to limit all federal elected legislative, executive and judicial terms to a lifetime total of twelve years in any one office or position.

The total tax burden of the people, including federal, State, local, sales and hidden taxes, is now 50% or more of the average individual wage earner’s income, a level so oppressive that it approaches complete subjugation. It is destroying the lives of America’s people! Not even Almighty God taxes beyond 10%! Amend the Constitution to limit the TOTAL maximum individual taxable burden to 10%, with the States to collect it and apportion revenues to various levels of government – State, Local, and Federal – for only constitutionally authorized activities. Exclude all churches, inheritances and all people under age 21 from any form of taxation. The people must be free to profit and prosper from their own enterprise and initiative, and free to keep and use their earnings as they choose. The result will be a more prosperous nation and government.

Property ownership has been eliminated unconstitutionally by property taxation. Reestablish property ownership to include all surface and subsurface rights, and never may be forfeited or lost due to failure to pay taxes of any kind, and that property may be inherited or granted free from any inheritance tax.

The Congress has violated the individual freedom and income of the people with the oppressive and ineffective Social Security System. Phase it out in ten years and replace it with voluntary, private, annuity-type savings and investment programs for retirement. Leave welfare to the generosity of the local people, who (when not over-taxed by government) will provide for the needy directly.

There is no Constitutional authority for federal involvement to be in business enterprises of any kind. Liquidate all federal businesses and properties into private enterprise hands in ten years.

There is no Constitutional authority for federal ownership or management of lands and resources beyond the constitutional prescription, viz. Washington DC, ports and arsenals, needful government buildings and legitimate US territories; yet the federal has withheld lands and resources within state boundaries, rightfully belonging to those States created out of public domain. Restore all lands and resources immediately to the respective States.

There is no Constitutional authority for federal involvement in education, except to encourage it within the States, as explained in the Northwest Ordinance of 1897, viz. the teaching of religion, morality and knowledge. Promote education of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founders, but cease all direct involvement in education. It is exclusively a State issue.

There is no Constitutional authority for any level of government to give away (grant) any of the people’s property (money) as AID to anyone for any purpose; this includes aid to education, welfare and foreign banks or interests. Cease all grants. Leave the solution of all such matters to the States and the people. Experience has clearly demonstrated that such aid does not buy friends, but is counterproductive. Export American constitutional freedom and prosperity by example, not by financial grants.

The Supreme Court has usurped legislative power: Congress must strike out all decisions which conflict with the Founders’ intent. Limit federal court jurisdiction to matters of life, liberty and national citizenship. No person born in the USA of non-citizen parents has a right to US citizenship. No foreigner or criminal has US citizen rights beyond liberty and life, while staying here.

The court system has obstructed justice and has not provided the right to a speedy and just trial. Eliminate plea bargaining. Require capital punishment within six months for capital crimes.

Inadequate checks exist to prevent or correct constitutional abuses of power by the Supreme Court. Authorize by amendment an elected Regional Court of Constitutional Appeal, which can judge and overturn or reverse any decisions of the Supreme Court which may be judged by the elected Regional Court of Constitutional Appeal to be unconstitutional.

The federal government has entangled America in foreign alliances contrary to the Founders’ intent. Through NATO, the UN, Nafta, Gatt and other “alliances,” the federal has combined with other unelected entities to subject America to jurisdictions foreign to our Constitution and not acknowledged by our laws, giving unauthorized consent to their acts of pretended legislation and concepts of so-called “international law.” No unelected body has power to make any law binding on any people! Cancel US involvement in the United Nations Charter; we are not bound by it. Cancel US funding of the UN, and restrict UN activity to a discussion forum of only those nations operating as constitutional republics.

There is no constitutional authority for the Executive branch to create law, yet the President issues Executive Orders having the effect and force of law, and the executive branches issue regulations which have the force of law but not passed by the legislature. Repeal all such, and establish a paid ten-member Federal/ State/ Citizen Checks and Balances Committee to watchdog all Federal and State branches for usurpations of power.

The federal has involved the nation in undeclared “no win” wars in violation of the constitution, transporting large armies to many foreign places in defense of international power schemes aimed at one-world government dominion. Amend the constitution to provide that 2/3 of the States legislatures may override any Congressional declaration of war. No so-called “police action” or international “peacekeeping” military force will be permitted. Any deployment of US military forces must be committed to protect America’s constitutional values, and to WIN – to end the conflict and restore peace as quickly as possible.

National leaders often have had no constitutional training prior to office; require all elected and appointed officials to pass a national constitutional examination in the intent of the Founders, based on the Constitution itself and the Federalist Papers, as a pre-requisite for federal elective offices and judgeships. Publish a semi-annual constitutional voting and decisionmaking index for all such federal officers.

The executive branch has created a multitude of new offices, and has sent forth a swarm of agents who harass the people. Not the least of these is the IRS, which has been unconstitutionally empowered to function as all three branches of government combined – creating laws, administering them, judging their compliance, prescribing the penalties and enforcing them, often unjustly. This is tyranny!

Repeated petitions for redress of grievances have been ignored or become cause for REPEATED INJURIES TO THE PEACE AND CONFIDENCE OF THE PEOPLE. The federal seems deaf to the voice of constitutional principles, continually seeking to expand its jurisdiction and power, increasing it’s inequitable system of taxes, increasing its spending without prudent budget limitations, seeking primarily for re-election and party status, while subjugating the States, local governments and the people.

The Founders’ worst fears of concentration of power into political parties (Faction) have become realized. The system of political parties has entrenched itself by gradual tradition into the very fabric of all levels of government to control legislation, positions of power, and even provide government-financed primary elections of private political parties, which exclude independents and new parties. Require that no person may be a candidate for or hold any public office, federal or state, who is sponsored by any political party, and that no position in any level of government may be held by anyone who is a member of a political party.

Therefore, WE THE PEOPLE have determined that we as citizens, deprived of our liberties under our current government, much as were our Founders under the hands of an oppressive king, unitedly denounce the above-noted offending actions of our government as being UNCONSTITUTIONAL, employing first those constitutional means at our disposal to remove the offenders and the offences, restoring the Constitution to the original intent of the Framers. In those cases when peaceful means have proven inadequate, we reserve the right of liberty under God, as stated in the original Declaration of Independence, to effect the necessary restorations by force – political, economic or military.

It is left to us of this generation of Americans to preserve, defend and restore the greatest charter of human liberty in history, for ourselves and for all mankind, the original Constitution of the United States of America.

With a firm reliance on the guidance and protection of the Almighty, who inspired our Founders to create the establishment of the original Constitution, we the undersigned herein do mutually pledge to God, to each other and to our posterity, our fortunes, our sacred honor and even our very lives if necessary, to the restoration of the Constitution of The United States of America.

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Be sure to tune in to Halli & Friends Thursday at 8am for an interesting conversation with Senator Darrel Deide, chairman of Idahoans for Choice in Education. Sen. Deide has a unique perspective on the laws governing education in Idaho, and will discuss ways to increase choice for parents seeking alternatives to traditional government schools.

All Halli & Friends episodes can also be heard on demand at BlogTalkRadio.com/IdahoTalk, while the most recent can be heard on the player on this page.

During Monday’s Halli & Friends radio program, House Idaho Education Chairman Rep. Bob Nonini made some remarkably candid remarks about Idaho public education, while discussing upcoming education legislation.

Captain Steve Lucks also described the ways Islamic law is influencing every day life in the US.

Hear both interviews on demand using the player on this page.

Yes, you knew it was just a matter of time before I found a way to share my views with Idaho and the world once again! And the internet has provided the means – “Halli & Friends” is now available online at BlogTalkRadio.com/IdahoTalk. The show is live at 1pm MST, weekdays, and available on-demand any time, day or night! Several great episodes are already available on the website.

It’s easy to listen on line. Just go to the website and click on today’s show. A new page will open and you’ll need to click the “play” button to listen in live. Be sure to call in with comments, too, at 917-889-3946. Or, you can “click to talk” from the page, using a microphone-headphone headset with your computer.

The show will also be carried on Minuteman Radio 1610, heard on the east side of Idaho Falls.

Listen to past episodes on-demand by clicking on the show title, and the show should begin to play.

Upcoming guests will include legislators, lobbyists, constitutional scholars, and many, many more. Be sure to call in to join the conversation!

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By Richard Larsen

In April, President Obama declared that “the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.” But actions in Washington over the past few weeks prove that ideology is sitting firmly in the front of the class, and science may have been kicked out of the room, as Congress narrowly passed their massive tax on energy (cap and trade bill), and the Obama administration has tried to silence a dissenter on global warming in the EPA.

In March, Alan Carlin, a senior research analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency, asked agency officials to distribute his analysis on the health effects of greenhouse gases, carbon emissions, and anthropogenic global warming. He called for the agency to look at the science behind the arguments which he accurately claimed had “gaping scientific holes” in them. With such an honest assessment of the science, the new administration, with its profound respect for science over ideology, would certainly welcome the report which was replete with peer-reviewed research. Apparently not. Carlin’s director, Al McGartland, forbade him from having “any direct communication” with anyone outside his office about his study. He said, “There should be no meetings, e-mails, written statements, phone calls, etc.” In other words, he was censored.
It’s easy to see why, since his report didn’t jive with the ideology already heavily invested in by the administration. Carlin states in his opening remarks, “The issue is whether the GHG/CO2/AGW hypothesis meets the ultimate scientific test—conformance with real world data. What these comments show is that it is this ultimate test that the hypothesis fails; this is why EPA needs to carefully reexamine the science behind global warming before proposing an endangerment finding.” He continues, that the AGW argument,“is currently an invalid hypothesis from a scientific viewpoint because it fails a number of critical comparisons with available observable data. Any one of these failings should be enough to invalidate the hypothesis; the breadth of these failings leaves no other possible conclusion based on current data. As Feynman (1975) has said failure to conform to real world data makes it necessary from a scientific viewpoint to revise the hypothesis or abandon it. Unfortunately this has not happened in the global warming debate, but needs to.”

The data Carlin is referring to, is actual, not computer modeled, global temperatures which have remained flat over the past decade, and even cooled slightly. In fact, just five months ago, all four major global temperature tracking outlets released their 2008 data showing that temperatures have dropped significantly over the last year. California meteorologist Anthony Watts says the amount of cooling ranges from 65-hundredths of a degree Centigrade to 75-hundreds of a degree. In other words, the drop in global temperatures last year alone, in spite of increasing amounts of carbon emissions concentrations over the past ten years, was enough to erase all of the global warming recorded over the past 100 years. The tracking agencies indicate that it was the single fastest temperature change ever recorded, either up or down. To my knowledge, not everyone quit driving cars last year, or quit exhaling, neither did all the coal-fired plants discontinue operations last year, and thermostats were not set uniformly to something other than 72 degrees.

Since the actual empirical science does not support the Jeremiads of the global warming doomsayers, their conviction in their pseudo-science is reduced to, gasp, a matter of faith. The ardent believers are many, and most are those who mock Christians and other people of faith. How’s that for an amusing dichotomy? Even Norway’s Ivar Giaever, Nobel Prize winner for physics, decries it as the “new religion.”

The backlash against the “consensus” is growing, as the scientific community is finally speaking up about the evidence. Joanne Simpson, recently retired Ph.D. in meteorology expressed relief that she is now able to speak frankly about the fraudulence of the AGW alarmists. Dr. Kiminori Itoh, a Japanese environmental physical chemist who participated on the UNs IPCC climate committee claims that man-made warming is “the worst scientific scandal in history,” and a group of 54 noted physicists, led by Princeton’s Will Happer, is demanding that the American Physical Society revise its position that the science is “settled,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

It looks more and more like this administration doesn’t respect science, but respects the pseudo-science that will provide justification for their ideological objectives, including the asinine assault on our economy called “cap and trade.” And they’re doubling down with a new G8 accord to reduce our carbon output to 1910 levels, committing, as the Investor’s Business Daily puts it, “economic suicide.” Somehow I don’t think this level of respect for science is the “change” we “hoped” for.

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By Representative Tom Loertscher, R-31

As we were waiting for the Senate to send one last budget bill to us so that we could finish our business and put a final end to this session, I couldn’t help but think that this was not the ending any of us had in mind. So now that it is over we all have to ask ourselves what we have to show for seventeen weeks in Boise? There is quite a bit actually, and even some things that you may not read anywhere else.

One very significant issue was the passage of election consolidation. This bill will put all elections on no more than four dates per year, all to be conducted by the county clerks. Polling places will be consistent for all elections and the hope is that it will increase voter turnout and eliminate some of the confusion that has surrounded where to vote particularly for school elections.

Another issue that occupied a great deal of time was the Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan that has put in place a framework for recharging these underground reservoirs. It also provides for a prudent method of financing the efforts that after some compromising should be fair to all water users. I still have some concerns about the process, and only time will tell how much we are able to achieve. And while this first effort is in the Snake River Plain, it will eventually be used in Bear River Basin as well.

Another matter that will have a long term affect on Bear Lake and other lakes and streams is the program that was enacted to keep Quaga and Zebra muscles from getting a start here. These little critters are very destructive to irrigation systems, electrical generation turbines and to the general health of bodies of water.

We were able to keep fuel tax and registration fees from increasing, which is a good thing given the state of the economy and the record number of dollars available to ITD over the next two years. In our rural corner of Idaho fuel tax increases have a very different effect than they have on urban areas.

I wish I could say that we did not increase any taxes, but that was not to be. Counties will have to pay more for indigent claims because of the increase in deductable for the Catastrophic fund and a new layer of bureaucracy at Health and Welfare. This will cause about a million and a half dollars of property tax increases state wide. I was unable to convince my colleagues that this was not a good idea.

Funding for schools was shorted for what some say is the first time ever. In light of current circumstances it may be the best we could have done, but nonetheless it is quite painful. We did however provide some flexibility to local districts that should make them better able to meet their needs. Another area of concern is that services to the mentally ill and the disabled were also cut. Long term shifting some of these expenses to counties and institutional settings could end up costing more.

And how would I score this session? It is hard to say, for that is in the eye of the beholder. But one thing is for certain, it was most difficult. In tough times thing never are simple and as we look forward – it probably won’t be any easier next year. And that is the optimistic view.

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By Representative Tom Loertscher, R-31

There are times when a task seems so overwhelming or intimidating that
you would rather not be anywhere in the area. That happened to me this
week when the Idaho Education Association had a meeting in Boise and
they invited all members of the legislature to attend their
“hearing.”

JFAC does not provide a method for the public to be heard during the
budgeting process and with that in mind the IEA had this meeting so we
could “hear” their concerns. It was most interesting and in spite of
my trepidations about going, and the complaints voiced, I learned some
things. Teachers have the feeling that they are not appreciated for what
they do. Testing always comes up in these forums and I tend to agree
that testing as we have been doing it takes a lot of time away from
teaching. They favor the idea that school districts should be
consolidated. They desire that we should use our reserve funds to keep
them whole.

One of the things I really enjoy at these kinds of events is the
meeting after the meeting. Representative Ken Andrus and I talked at
length with a couple of teachers from our part of the state and it was
interesting. At first it was difficult to talk to them, because of the
pent up anger about the level of funding for schools that has come from
JFAC. We explained the consequence of using our reserves for ongoing
expenses. Those moneys can only be spent once and then in these types of
situations there is no means with which to replenish the fund. After a
few minutes of discussion they were still not happy, but at least I
think they had a better understanding about how difficult this budget
year is for the legislature. I was glad that I attended.

Another topic that has caused some turmoil is the way salaries for
state employees are being lowered. The arguments center around the
amount of the reduction and how to administer it. The technical issues
are a little complicated but the principle is if we were to approve a
lower reduction for employees than for teachers, and if we are going to
use reserve funds to make up any differences, then to be consistent I
would say that we should dip into those reserves for teachers as well.
It is not right to be willing to use those funds for one and not the
other, no matter what the consequences might be.

Another bill (S1158) making its way to the House floor is one to
partially shift medically indigent expenses from the state to the
counties and cause a property tax increase for all of the counties. This
falls in the category of an unfunded mandate, and by the way it also
will create a new level of bureaucracy in the Department of Health and
Welfare. All of this is in the name of balancing the budget. Two new
state employees to do what the counties already do. And by the way
again, this new layer of review will be paid one hundred percent by the
counties, (property taxes) no matter what it costs. I’m not making
this up, that’s what the bill says. I’m sure glad we will not be
raising taxes to balance our budget, but not so glad we will be raising
property taxes to balance the counties’ budgets.

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By Andi Elliott

As a student of history, a former history teacher, and an avid follower of politics, I’m amazed at the “ostrich position” assumed willingly by many people. It’s easier to have someone else do your thinking for you. But, a free people MUST be free thinking. Oh wait, but we’re not a free country anymore, are we?

Recently I read a political analysis published by a non-partisan group. This watchdog agency publishes an annual list of the top ten “most corrupt” politicians. It was rather evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. I was astounded to see that three of our newly elected/appointed officials made this list: Hiliary Clinton (Sec of State who was ineligible to become so until special circumstances were created for her), Barack Hussein Obama (who, by the way, could not even qualify for a security clearance), and our newly appointed Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, who is shrouded in “ethical questions”.

Have you heard about these issues in the media? Not hardly. Do you think “they” want a “thinking” public that would actually ask questions and demand answers and accountability and refuse to be caught up in the winds of “change”? How much more difficult would it be to control a politically educated public? Ask China…they have solved that problem. As I recall, it was that country’s teachers that were some of the first to be sent to the fields for “reeducation”. Couldn’t have teachers teaching the truth, could they?

It was with mixed feelings that I recently canceled my subscription to the Post Register. I eagerly looked forward to the spirited debate that took place in the editorials. I had made friends with some of these “editorialists”, both liberals and conservatives, and we would correspond by phone and personal emails and letters. But now some have been told that our opinions will no longer be published. And when Dean Miller was fired, that was the last straw. Is there any wonder that the PR is having to downsize its paper?

History dictates that governments who control the flow of information (Clinton News Network, Already Been Censored, Never Been Clear) control the minds of the people. It’s called totalitarianism. Look it up and you’ll see how closely we’ve come to this type of governing system. Control the minds of the people and you control the people. And now you know why our children have little idea of the concepts of socialism, communism, and fascism. It’s a hard lesson, but guess they’ll have to learn firsthand.

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Idaho Values Alliance

House Education chairman Bob Nonini (below right) introduced two bills yesterday that, if passed, will be good for Idaho’s school-age children and their parents and will make education more nimble in Idaho.

One bill would eliminate teacher contracts of more than one year, which will give school principals greater freedom to select staff who can get the job done in the classroom. Rolling contracts, of the kind used by Boise and Meridian school districts, tie the hands of principals and force them, in some cases, to employ teachers who are simply not hitting the mark in delivery of content.

One of the quickest ways to improve education in Idaho is to give principals the authority they need to put their best team on the field.

The other bill would allow school districts to reduce salaries or contract days, which is essential to give districts the flexibility they need to weather economic downturns, and which, by the way, would save jobs in the process. (The only other alternative would be to fire enough teachers to close the gap between revenue and expenses.)

House Speaker Lawerence Denney is a co-sponsor of the bills, as is Senate pro-tem Bob Geddes, and State Superintendent Tom Luna supports the bill.

One of the surest indicators the bill is on the mark is that it has already met fierce opposition from the Idaho Education Association, which frankly seems to care more about teachers than education, and probably should, for the sake of accuracy, be called the Idaho Teachers Association.

But the purpose of our public school system is student education, not teacher security. If we put the educational needs of students at the top of our priority list, then ending tenure for teachers is a good move.

The Statesman’s headline is illuminating, since it just as easily could have read, “House Education Committee moves forward with plans to improve quality of classroom teachers.” Instead, the chosen phrase is “targeting teacher contracts,” which turns Bob Nonini into a conscienceless big game hunter and creates sympathy for underperforming teachers by turning them into innocent, unsuspecting prey.

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By Representative Tom Loertscher, R-31

This will probably go down as a year of firsts in the Idaho
Legislature. Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of things that are
routine in nature and every session produces its own flavor. This one
seems to have something new almost daily that at least in recent memory
has not happened before.

We got tangled up in the State Affairs Committee the other day over
some rules that had been put in place by the Lottery Commission. One was
to prohibit a business from doing charitable work for a charitable bingo
organization. That one was laid to rest by the committee. Another that
was voted down would have allowed the Lottery to charge a fee for the
use of debit cards for ticket purchases through one of those little
green machines you see in retail businesses. The first in this instance
was that the Lottery Commission did not realize that under current law
they have to gain full approval of the legislature in order for their
rules to become permanent.

The Association of Counties was in town this past week working on what
they view as important issues that will soon be put into legislation. I
got a chance to visit with several county officials from all five
counties in our district. The biggest concern they have is that the
state might decide to balance the budget by placing more financial
burden on them. Every time Health and Welfare cuts a Medicaid program
the potential exists for the counties to pick up the services through
the indigent fund. I walked in on a conversation early one morning last
week that was occurring around my desk about the necessity of reducing
benefits in Medicaid. I quickly reminded my colleagues that if in fact
we should do that, counties and the property tax payers would bear the
brunt of the cuts. It was another first to get agreement that we would
have to make other changes so as not to cause a shift of financial
responsibility.

Just prior to State Affairs one morning I visited a few moments with
one of the State Tax Commissioners. I know him well and I just quickly
asked him, “How bad is it?” (meaning January revenue numbers.) He
answered, “You don’t want to know.” I responded, “Well, maybe I
don’t want to, but I have to.” This is the first time in the years I
have known him that he was not been upbeat about state revenues.

Superintendent Luna proposed a budget for education last week, that if
approved would be substantially below what was appropriated last year.
You’ve probably heard of some of the ideas of the Governor on the
matter and legislators are hearing from educators daily about ways they
see to save money and to get as much to the classroom as possible. One
of the things we have not ever quite achieved in Idaho was a better way
to have the funding follow the kids. Representative Gibbs told me the
other day that the House Education Committee had a lesson on how the
funding formula works. To those new around here it is almost
incomprehensible. This is certain to be the first year ever that less
money will be appropriated to education than the previous year. To keep
the funding to the classroom as high as possible, even the “C”
(consolidation) word is being bantered about by some. That would require
another first.

As we progress through the session his year, there are bound to be more
firsts come up along the way. I have been asked several times what my
predictions for the session are. I give this answer. This will be the
first session of the legislature in the history of the state that will
be completely successful. Everyone will be unhappy with us.

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