Idaho Teacher Pay, Flock Cameras, and 2026 Primary Elections
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate examine three issues heading into Idaho's 2026 primary elections. They unpack the governor's Teacher Appreciation Week claim of "sustained investment" in teacher pay, revealing that while K-12 spending rose 70% since 2019, teacher pay rose only 21% — and nearly 100% of teachers receive top performance ratings regardless of outcomes. They explore the spread of flock cameras across the Treasure Valley and debate the surveillance tradeoff, then turn to the Republican Party's internal split between corporate-establishment and constitutional-conservative wings and what it means for primary voters.
Idaho Budget Surplus: $1.5 Billion in Hidden Reserve Funds
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate expose $1.5 billion in Idaho reserve and stabilization funds sitting above the state's $5.5 billion general fund budget — roughly $784 per resident that Nate argues should be returned to taxpayers. They dismantle the property tax exemption myth, showing how exemptions for veterans or seniors don't reduce total collections but shift the burden to remaining homeowners, and trace property tax growth from $800 million to over $2.1 billion in 25 years. Nate outlines a path to eliminating property taxes on primary residences without raising other taxes.
Idaho Freedom Index 2026: Legislative Scores and Big Spenders
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate break down the 2026 Idaho Freedom Index, revealing that only 12 legislators scored 90% or above on freedom votes — down from 16 last year — while 42 members landed in the "Big Spender Caucus," voting for increased spending more than 84% of the time. Nate names the all-stars and the worst offenders, explains how election-year politics and lobbyist pressure erode conservative voting, and identifies key 2026 primary races where 10 of the 12 top-rated legislators face challengers.
Idaho Primary: Big Dairy Bullying and Vetting Candidates
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate expose Big Dairy's retaliation against Senator Glenita Zeiderweld's family — pulling 85% of her husband's business over her immigration votes — and lay out the essential questions every Idaho voter should ask candidates before the May primary, from defining what conservative actually means beyond pro-life and pro-gun to whether legislators would overturn a citizen abortion initiative.
Idaho Freedom Index 2026: Legislative Scores and Big Spenders
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate break down the 2026 Idaho Freedom Index, revealing that only 12 legislators scored 90% or above on freedom votes — down from 16 last year — while 42 members landed in the "Big Spender Caucus," voting for increased spending more than 84% of the time. Nate names the all-stars and the worst offenders, explains how election-year politics and lobbyist pressure erode conservative voting, and identifies key 2026 primary races where 10 of the 12 top-rated legislators face challengers.
Idaho Legislature Vetoes, PAC Funding, and the Middle East
Bob Neugebauer and Dylan Stocker dissect Idaho's 2025 legislative session, exposing how Governor Little's post-adjournment vetoes — including the Medical Freedom Act — align with pharmaceutical and healthcare PAC donations. They trace IACI donor money to policy outcomes, detail the power structure controlling committee appointments, and urge listeners to research candidates at sunshine.voteIdaho.gov. The conversation shifts to Middle East military strategy, Strait of Hormuz control, and Idaho troop deployments.
Idaho 2026 Legislature Recap: Failures, Wins, and the Drawer
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, dissect the 2026 Idaho legislative session — exposing how committee chairmen's bill drawers killed immigration reform, teachers' union payroll legislation, CPS due process protections, and a Medicaid expansion repeal, while the state budget grew $352 million in a year lawmakers claimed was about cutting spending.
Idaho DOJ Voter Roll Lawsuit and GOP Corruption Exposed
Bob Neugebauer and Dylan Stocker break down the DOJ suing Idaho over voter rolls, revealing how Big Ag's dependence on illegal labor explains why Idaho's Republican leadership blocks immigration reform, resists Trump's agenda, and systematically defunds county sheriffs — with Stocker warning Idaho is 10 years from becoming Colorado if citizens don't engage now.
Legislative Session Wrap: Spending, Shenanigans & Shifting Politics
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate of the Idaho Freedom Foundation deliver a final-week 2026 session verdict: the $800 million in promised spending cuts have been swallowed by enhancements, pushing the budget to $14.2 billion with more possibly coming. Zero tax relief passed. Key conservative bills — grocery tax repeal, Medicaid repeal, CPS reform, medical freedom — are buried in committee drawers while rat abatement and kratom bills move freely. And a 5,000-person "No Kings" rally signals an organized left that conservatives are not currently matching.
Idaho’s Governor Race, Big Ag Machine & Budget Reality
Bob Neugebauer and Dylan Stocker deliver a wide-ranging indictment of Idaho's political establishment: a governor's race with no debates and a 16-to-1 campaign funding gap, a Big Ag machine that has run Idaho under both party names for decades, state spending approaching California's per-capita rate while rural EMS runs on fumes, a $70 million corporate-controlled Launch program, political lawfare against reform candidates, and an education system that labels 13-year-olds by party affiliation. The real conservatives are organizing — but time is short.
Idaho Legislature Exposed: Budget Fails, Bills Buried
Bob Neugebauer and Ron Nate of the Idaho Freedom Foundation tear through the final weeks of Idaho's 2026 legislative session: a $14.1 billion budget hemorrhaging through agency enhancements, conservative bills buried in Senate committee drawers, only 13 of 105 legislators scoring an A on the Freedom Index, Big Ag thuggery targeting a senator's family business, and a Firearms and Freedom Dinner celebrating 10 years of constitutional carry in Idaho.
Idaho Legislature vs. Sheriffs: Budget Crisis in Rural Idaho
Bob Neugebauer and Dylan Stocker tear into Idaho's legislature as session wraps, exposing a stark budget imbalance: a $14.2 billion state budget versus $800 million for all 44 counties combined. Stocker reveals sheriffs have been blocked from the statehouse for years, unfunded mandates are piling on, rural EMS runs on fumes, and House Bill 659 attempts to conscript sheriffs into ICE enforcement with zero additional funding. The state is hoarding revenue while property taxpayers foot the bill.