Government Taxes, Waste & Spending — So many Articles & Videos, So Little Time (posted 10/02/24; new info from Sen. Tammy Nichols)
Open the Books; Sen. Tammy Nichols; Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF) including Fred Birnbaum, Ron Nate, Niklas Kleinworth and Bryan Hyde; and Brian Almon recently published excellent articles and videos about government waste, government spending, and taxes.
ED NOTE
Your government taxes YOU and then redistributes its newfound wealth ELSEWHERE.
Let’s keep taxing under control by reining in spending, eliminating waste, AND reducing what we ask government to do.FEDERAL
→ BIDEN MAKING HISTORY: First to Oversee $1 Trillion in Improper Payments in a Single Term. A loss of over $7,500 tax dollars every SECOND in 2023! By OpenTheBooks (09/30/24): openthebooks.substack.c…
The Biden-Harris administration is on pace to admit to $1 TRILLION in improper payments during a single four-year term. This would be a nearly $200 billion increase in improper payments from President Trump’s administration, adjusted for inflation.
Key topics of this in-depth improper payments report include:
BACKGROUND
BIDEN VS. TRUMP
WHO’S LOSING MONEY?
CASE STUDY: THE EPA’S GREEN ENERGY CASH
BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES ADMIT A PROBLEM
CONCLUSION (excerpted below)
...President George W. Bush attracted negative media attention when he ... [sent] Congress a budget request exceeding $3 trillion dollars.
Ironically, since the middle of the Bush era, we’ve spent that much on improper payments alone!
Two decades later...we are about to cross another terrible benchmark: a trillion dollars worth of taxpayers’ money spent improperly in just a single, 4-year presidential term [Biden’s].
…Every public official and candidate must be asked what they plan to do about this crisis.
IDAHO
→ Embracing Self-Reliance: Idaho's Path to Independence from Federal Strings. By Nichols for Idaho / Tammy Nichols (10/02/24)
Sen. Nichols explains Idaho’s tradition of resilience and self-sufficiency and urges our state to rein in spending — especially of federal funds — in order to continue this tradition and strengthen our state. She also encourages people to study for and obtain their HAM (Amateur) radio licenses, providing a couple of resources to help you get started.
→ A Roadmap for Ending Property Taxes. By Fred Birnbaum (09/23/24): idahofreedom.org/a-road…
A recent press release from Governor Little claimed his administration cut Idaho taxes by $4.6 billion (cumulative through 2025) — including income tax cuts, property tax reductions, one-time rebates, an increase to the grocery credit, a childcare deduction, and a reduction in unemployment taxes.
But this press release doesn’t tell the full story. Tax collections still grew dramatically. Had tax revenue growth been limited to inflation plus population growth, Idaho could have eliminated property taxes over the past decade. Read article for more details and solutions.
→ Want Tax Cuts? Stop the Spending! By Ronald M. Nate (09/25/24): idahofreedom.org/want-t…
Government agencies always spend more money once the Legislature feeds their accounts with your tax dollars. Tax collections consistently outdid state analysts’ projections, primarily through more-than-expected income taxes, sales taxes, and local property taxes.
Main revenue sources for Idaho include sales taxes, income taxes, and federal dollars (including federal COVID relief spending that exceeded $9.3 billion in just over three years).
The Idaho Legislature has spent all the extra money instead of exercising restraint. What happened to Idaho’s budget? It expanded, and then it expanded some more…Read article for more details and solutions.
→ Nowhere To Hyde — Slowing Government Growth In Idaho. By Bryan Hyde (09/26/24, video 11:49, includes transcript): youtube.com/live/mq50eK…
How could Idaho have eliminated the need for property taxes? By exercising proper spending restraint. (A great video summary of the articles above.)
→ The End of Property Taxes? What would it take to eliminate this pernicious tax? By Brian Almon (09/26/24): gemstate.substack.com/p…
Almon analyzes Fred Birnbaum’s article in some detail, concluding with:
…Birnbaum’s article lays out a logical path toward eliminating perhaps the most unfair tax of them all. Read the whole thing and ask your legislators to read it too.
→ Fiscal Fridays: “Mismanagement” Creates $16 Million Budget Hole. By Niklas Kleinworth (09/27/24, video 05:44, includes transcript): youtube.com/watch?v=puk…
The Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is facing a massive $16 million deficit after years of mismanagement. Despite agency promises of reform, lawmakers now have to fix this. How did this agency get here? What are some solutions? Should this agency should even continue to exist?
Show notes include several related links, including this one to sign up for IFF’s Pork Report on government waste:
