Note from Brian
I have several articles in the hopper right now, and I’m nearly finished with the state agencies hub on Idaho Insider. I’m working on the commodities commissions now—you know, the Bean Commission, the Beef Council, etc. Nine of them exist statutorily under the farcical Department of Self-Governing Agencies, while several more seem to exist either completely independently or under the banner of the Department of Agriculture.
Our state bureaucracy is a Byzantine maze, one I’m doing my best to navigate so as to bring you as much information as I can. I’ll have a longer article sharing some of what I’ve learned about our state government in the next day or two. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, I published three guest op-eds at the Gem State Chronicle today, two of which relate to the race for House of Representatives in legislative district 6 between Republican Colton Bennett and Democrat Trish Carter-Goodheart:
Colton Bennett: Why you should request an absentee ballot
More than 10% of registered Democrats in Idaho have already requested an absentee ballot for the November election. Many of them will still end up voting in person on Election Day. So why do they request an absentee ballot?
Turns out the Democrats in our state long ago realized there are many good reasons to request an absentee ballot even if you prefer to vote in person. Republicans and Independents could learn a thing or two from them.
Here are five reasons why you should consider requesting an absentee ballot:
John Slagboom: A closer look at Trish Carter-Goodheart’s campaign finances
Trish Carter-Goodheart is the Democrat running for House Seat 6A against Republican nominee Colton Bennett. Her filings tell a clear story about whose money funds her campaign and where it goes.
Four checks totaling $2,050, filed under “Broadcast Advertising,” made out to the candidate personally. That is what you find when you read Trish Carter-Goodheart’s campaign finance reports line by line. I read all 28 of them, from her 2023 Annual Report through the August 2026 report her treasurer filed on September 6. Every number below comes from her own filings on the state’s Sunshine portal, and any reader can pull the same records in a few minutes.
Let’s start with where her money comes from.
Brian Parsons: Prop 1 would be catastrophic for Idaho
Perhaps one of the most contentious words in the American political lexicon is the A word… Abortion. The word elicits strong emotions across the political spectrum, and perhaps that is because all sides of the debate are concerned with the preservation of life. Debating abortion in the public square often requires the debater to assume the worst of their opposition, and I’m not interested in that. One side will accuse the opposition of hating babies and wanting to eliminate them out of hedonistic convenience. The other side will accuse their opposition of hating women and wanting them to suffer or die in preservation of those who may never live beyond their first minutes outside of the womb.
Can I call a truce for the duration of this piece? I don’t believe that those who desire strict family planning are opposed to children and wish them eliminated from society. I also don’t believe that those who err on the side of life hate women and want to rule their bodies. I hope we can find common ground on the sanctity of humanity and not dismiss political opposition out of convenience, which makes it easier to demonize our opposition.
Press releases
Video of the day
John Doyle recently participated in a debate with influencers who believe that Donald Trump has betrayed the MAGA movement. Here’s his recap, along with his prediction for the future of the Republican Party:
Have you been catching the Daily Minute? It’s an exclusive publication of the Gem State Chronicle summing up what you need to know. You can subscribe on YouTube, Facebook, X, and even TikTok!
As always, thank you to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and New Saint Andrews College. Thank you also to all the paid subscribers who make it possible for me to do what I do, as well as all the readers who are constantly encouraging me to keep it up. I appreciate you all!