Something is rotten in the state of America
By Ben OlsonReader Staff In the Jan. 22 edition of the Reader, I used my Bouquets and Barb column to wonder about the seemingly incongruous nature of the Republican party since President Donald Trump’s...
Tagged: idaho politics
Idaho deserves a BLM chief who won’t sell public lands, access to lakes and waterways
By John RobisonReader Contributor The jewel thieves at the Louvre captured international attention for their brazenness in stealing some of France’s most treasured possessions. In terms of national treasures in the U.S., we don’t...
GOP House member’s new bill would shield public officials when communicating with legislators
By Zach HagadoneReader Staff The same day that the Idaho Capital Sun reported on Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s memorandum establishing “executive branch protocols” for the session — focused on communications both inside and outside...
Little’s budget protects giveaways while families pay the price
By Lauren NecocheaReader Contributor Gov. Brad Little just laid out his budget proposal for the year ahead. It shows what he’s willing to invest in and what services he wants to take away. It...
Idaho can help level the political playing field
By Susan DrumhellerReader Contributor Back in 1990, the average U.S. House of Representative candidate spent about $400,000 ($900,000 in 2024 dollars) to run for office. That amount became $3 million in 2022, according to...
Echoes of justice: Three legacies, one call
Where action, thought and memory meet By Kari SaccomannoReader Contributor Social justice is not an ideal we inherit — it is a world we build. It demands courage, clarity and a willingness to stand...
Music hath charms to soothe a savage beast
By Tim HenneyReader Contributor The last era in which our beloved 250-year-old democracy was faced with extinction, as it is today, was the early 1940s, when we of the free world (Allies) defended ourselves...
The ‘carrot-and-stick’ method of legislating in Boise and how to change it
By Kathryn LarsonReader Contributor Our legislative session kicked off in Idaho this week. Buckle up. Last year, more than 1,000 bills were written, 789 bills published, about 350 voted on, 322 became law and...
Legislative update
Looking ahead to the 2026 session By Rep. Mark Sauter, R-SandpointReader Contributor Greetings, Monday, Jan. 12 is the start of the 2026 Idaho legislative session. However, a more than usual amount of legislative activity...
2026 year in preview
What could be in the coming year By Reader Staff While it may be a fool’s errand to predict the future, we’ve been doing it at the Reader every year since 2020 — getting...
