This past week, I went through the process of trying to open a nonprofit bank account. Simple enough task, right? Wrong. I was hit with a mini-regulatory marathon—proof of existence, proof of authority, bylaws, minutes, EIN letters, and the blood of a virgin (just kidding, but barely). And all this just to deposit a few hundred bucks and serve my community.
Meanwhile, in Boise, our state government is hiding $3 billion in ongoing spending that never even saw the light of a vote on the House or Senate floor. Let me say that again for the folks in the back: Three. Billion. Dollars.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer. Regular citizens are subject to endless requirements, compliance checks, and red tape—while the very people we’ve elected to represent us are running what looks more like a backroom racket than a transparent republic.
🚨 The Hidden Budget, the Hidden Agenda
Over the last six years, Idaho’s government has grown by over 120%. That’s not a typo. That’s a disgrace.
The spending explosion didn’t just happen—it was driven by top-down decisions from the Governor’s office, the LSO (Legislative Services Office), and rubber-stamped by certain committee chairs and insiders. The full legislature? In many cases, they never even saw the bills or weren’t told the full cost.
Even members of the JFAC (Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee) have been denied information. Let that sink in: Legislators on the committee responsible for Idaho’s budget are being kept in the dark. Why? Because the leadership doesn’t think they need your approval—or theirs.
🧾 Grocery Tax Gimmicks While the Budget Bloats
At the Idaho GOP Summer Conference last weekend, many of our county parties, precinct committeemen, and grassroots conservatives showed up with solid fiscal principles. But it was also clear who’s been drinking the Kool-Aid.
Take Rep. Steve Miller. He’s still pushing the ridiculous idea that we have to keep the grocery tax (that’s $200 million a year out of your pockets) because otherwise we “can’t grow the budget.” The budget has already ballooned by billions—why do we need more?
Here’s the truth: They want to keep taxing your groceries so they can keep increasing their unaccountable spending. Senator Zuiderveld recently discovered just how deep this deception goes and has been fighting to sound the alarm.
🏦 Banks, Bureaucrats & Robo-Reality
Let’s loop back to the banks. After calling a supposedly “local” bank, I had to jump through hoops just to speak to a human being. Robo-answering systems, multiple transfers, no accountability, no urgency. And yet these are regulated financial institutions with the privilege of fractional reserve lending—meaning they can loan out far more than they actually have on deposit.
Banks are highly regulated. People are highly regulated. But government leaders? Apparently not.
They create mandates for you and me, while refusing to follow any of their own. The federal government does it with insider trading and deficit insanity. Idaho is just taking notes—and hiding the receipts.
🪓 What Needs to Happen Now: Cut the Budget by 25% Over Two Years
Enough is enough. It’s time for a real legislative priority:
Slash state spending by at least 25% over the next two years.
No more budget growth. No more excuses. No more backdoor deals.
We must:
Audit every agency and expose all off-the-books spending.
Defund departments operating under federal regulatory strings.
Eliminate the grocery tax, stop lying to constituents, and force leadership to justify every dollar.
Refuse hidden appropriations and insist that every dollar spent goes through the House and Senate—with full debate and recorded votes.
🧍♂️Who Can You Trust?
At this point, it’s fair to ask:
Can you trust your bank? Not really.
Can you trust the legislature? Some of them.
The Governor? LSO? Committee Chairs?
Only if you believe in unicorns.
Thankfully, there are good legislators—men and women fighting tooth and nail to pull back the curtain. But they are being stonewalled, isolated, and ignored by entrenched power. That only changes when we demand it.
⚠️ Final Thought
Idaho’s leadership has become a parody of the federal swamp—no accountability, no transparency, and an unholy addiction to growth.
Let me be clear: Government is not entitled to more of your money just because they want more control. Idaho doesn’t have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem, a secrecy problem, and a leadership crisis.
It’s time to cut the crap—and cut the budget.
Lyle4Idaho
(208)324-2234