Op-Ed: The Bottomless Bureaucracy
By Heather Scott • January 7, 2024
The Idaho Legislative Session Starts Monday, January 8th. Every year, it’s the same old story. On the first day of the session, the governor gives the State of the State for Idaho speech, sharing his plans for spending your tax dollars by addressing what he perceives is the best way to spend it. Favors to cronies and corporations are carefully packaged with clever names like the Idaho Launch Project and Re-Imagining the West Initiative. There is always a push for shiny new programs to help kids read better, stop cigarette smoking, or some other program for the global good. Citizens need to understand that many of the new and improved programs are really just an opportunity to grow the behemoth executive deep state, weaken the legislature, and justify taking more of your hard-earned dollars. Idaho now spends over $14 Billion a year, double what was spent just six years ago. Astonishingly, of that $14B, 72.1% goes to just two agencies — Health & Welfare and Education.
After Monday’s speech, the mainstream news media will go wild for the next several days, repeating the governor’s narrative so the uneducated voters will get it drilled into their heads. I imagine this process happens in every state, but in Idaho, it is most predictable because of the continued election of center-left governors. Idaho is addicted to your federal tax dollars and thus keeps us chained to destructive Washington, DC policies. Every “crisis” means a new federal grant and a new chain. Six billion dollars (42%!) of Idaho’s budget comes from the federal government. Every dollar Idaho takes from the feds comes with chains. Cooperating with the federal bureaucrats, sometimes called cooperative federalism, brings all kinds of garbage into Idaho, adding another link in the chain of bondage. From boys using girls’ bathrooms to common core and needle exchange programs, Idaho is forced to comply with more woke policies. These policies get enforced by bureaucrats onto regular people who just want to provide for their families, live their lives, and not be overburdened by more government.
Here are my predictions for the governor’s deep-state dog whistle speech (sarcasm intended).
More money for workforce development, the Launch Program, and housing projects because the executive branch believes a hand-out is superior to a hand-up. We will likely see projects that include benefits for large donor corporations and public/private partnerships. This is a great path for destroying capitalism completely.
More money for healthcare access programs and expanding Medicaid expansion to more people, especially for mental health. Because socialized healthcare works so well in countries like China, and who knows, there may be another pandemic just around the corner.
More money for education because public schools and colleges are doing such a good job of teaching our children about equity, diversity, and inclusion while promoting gender confusion to first graders. This will somehow be disguised as school choice, but the unions will benefit most.
More money for public safety preparation to prevent and protect against terrorist events, cyber-attacks, and other hazards. While this sounds noble, it will likely include infrastructure to consolidate personal data, collect and centralize information, and partner with the federal three-letter agencies. The DOJ, FBI, and DHS are doing such a “stellar” job at the border, and with the J6ers, why not team with them?
I am hoping to be wrong on this one, but after Govenor Little’s attendance at the Western Governors Association conference on Decarbonizing the West, I predict there will be some talk about sustainability, green initiatives, clean energy, carbon storage, and regional water pacts. (Hopefully, not climate change!) These are all code language for control over Idaho resources and property rights. The Idaho Association of Corporations and Industry needs more than control; they also need water!
Finally, the governor will likely talk about his 2-3% budget cut across the board because the economy is slowing down, and the projected income coming from taxpayers is almost 14% below what was predicted. He will say we all need to tighten our belts and cut back because he wants to appear fiscally responsible. Remember, the call for cutbacks is happening due to years of growing government agencies. He will probably fail to discuss why he doesn’t want to cut the full 14%, and I doubt he will mention shifting the hidden taxpayer surplus of millions.
When will the executive branch and deep state start promoting real Idaho issues to help the average, everyday individual citizens? When will they talk about ways to promote competition and let us keep more of our hard-earned money? When will they help small businesses instead of woke corporations?
What are your predictions for the State of State address?
In Liberty,
Rep. Heather Scott
This Op-Ed was submitted by Representative Heather Scott. Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.
Tags: Decarbonizing the West, Federal money, Idaho Association of Corporations and Industry, Idaho Department of Education, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Launch Project, Medicaid expansion, Re-Imagining the West Initiative, State of the State, Western Governors Association
Representative Scott, you are the leader here.
Please keep writing in to both educate and explain specifically how The People of the state of Idaho can be of help.
Thank you for all you do.
Heather Scott is the best of our legislators. We need more like her. If you would like to help her, file for legislature. All you need is 50 signatures or 30 dollars. You do not need money or time. You can be a GOP, Constitution, Libertarian party candidate or an Independent. The best thing you can do politically- run for office to make people accountable for hearing the truth.
I second that. Heather Scott is an extraordinary individual with principled ethics, and the bravery to uphold her beliefs with a calm and firm demeanor. She is a gift to Idaho.
Our politicians, government employed and the military are the enemy of the taxpayers never have we had so much of our income stolen by these groups. Idaho’s voters are some of most ignorant people on the planet.
Love Heather Scott. We need to work to throw Little overboard!
“Every dollar Idaho takes from the feds comes with chains.”
Something that needs to be drilled into every single American brain from birth…
EXCELLENT article.
It would be wise for all of us to take a step back and ask how, in a deep Red state like Idaho, we are continually dragged to the Left (just like the country at large).
It’s not an accident, and it isn’t because there is such an overwhelming majority of America-hating Leftists moving here (there aren’t and they aren’t). President Trump can and will address the infiltration and corruption in D.C., but the states must deal with their own infiltration and corruption.
Start with the state/county GOP’s, voter rolls, and machines.
If anyone is paying attention in Government they understand that Little has endorsed the California model of being a nanny state. Idaho voters needs to rethink “Programs” for the trap they are. The road to hell is paved with good intentions” (Bernard of Clairvaux?). California is truly an example of a man made living hell.
When you budget 20 million to straighten out curves in a one mile long stretch of highway and it turns into 60 million before it’s done, you can see why Idaho tax payers are on the hook for tax increases.
All this to slow down the drivers that pass on curves with solid double lines and end up in either in head on collisions or in the river. It didn’t work. They still fly through 25 mile an hour construction zones at 60 with zero consequence other than endangering other drivers and killing the wildlife.
Now they budget 100 million in Boise for infrastructure to accommodate all the liberals escaping the States they already destroyed? What could possibly go wrong? .
Liberals aren’t coming here. The people coming here are far to the right of the dumb Idaho voters who keep electing leftist Republicans
If you’re worried about waste, stop looking at the governor. The big money waste happens in every agency with governor appointees at the top
yep, nice job potato head voters.. and party line voters. bunch of sycophants..
It all boils down to the increasing lack of morality from the people, as those are where the elected come from … God Bless Rep. Scott.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. —John Adams
I go by the great republican principle, that the people will have the virtue and intelligence to select men of virtue and wisdom [to the offices of government].
—James Madison