Category Archives: Idaho

Idaho, Opinion

Idaho Governor Misleads on Higher Education Scholarship

Idaho Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter (R) has been running campaign ads touting a scholarship program that he takes credit for.  The problem is that the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship is turning out not to be what Governor Otter claims.

The fund was signed by Otter in March, 2007.  It’s partly funded through taxpayer refund donations.  As a sign of bad economic times, the contributions to the fund have not met expectations.  The scholarship is a last resort fund, which means students have to apply for other funding first.  The maximum amount of $3,000 is enough to cover tuition for two semesters at an Idaho Community College, but  not at an Idaho University.  Also, no new college students have be awarded the grant in the past two years.  In fact the number of current students getting the grant is 450, compared to 700 when the program started.

One Republican, and former Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jerry Evans, has announced that he is so upset with Gov. Otter, that he will vote for Keith Allred, Otter’s Democratic gubernatorial opponent.

Idaho

In time for Elections, Idaho cuts Medicaid by another $8 Million, more to come

15% of Idahoans, who rely on Medicaid, are going to be hit with yet more cuts, to the tune of $8 million, with more cuts on the way.

Already this year there have been about $22 million in state funding cuts, and $83 million in federal funding cuts.  The cuts to dental care are causing great confusion has hundreds of dentists were cut from the program, then told they were re-instated, but that no payments would be made for ‘over treatment’.  Many dentists say the state has not clarified what qualifies as ‘over treatment’.  Also, their contracts can be canceled without reason.

According to the Associated Press, the new $8 million in cuts are targeted at mentally ill adults, and children with disabilities.  And those wont be the last of the cuts; Idaho wants to cut a total of $57 million from the 2011 Medicaid budget.

Remember Idaho has already cut hundreds of mentally ill adults off medicaid, with the result of incidents of violent crime (like the recent random shooting in Pocatello).  Here’s what one concerned Idahoan had to say: “These kinds of changes aren’t going to save us any money in the long run,” said Kelly Keele, a board member for Human Supports of Idaho. “These people are going to get worse without those services and then we’re going to bear the brunt of that in our justice system and corrections.”

By the way, the Associated Press had to file a public records request in order to reveal that the state of Idaho was planing more cuts.  That means our elected officials are trying to keep their budget cuts a secret.  Makes you feel warm all over going into the end of year holiday season.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Proof that Congress is Above the Law: Insider Trading. Idaho Senator Crapo Involved

Ever wonder why our Federal government does little, or nothing, when it comes to finance reform, or investment reform?  Maybe it’s because they’re getting rich from insider trading.  And it’s legal for them, but not for us.

Members of Congress participate in a 9-11 remembrance ceremony on the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on September 15, 2010. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg Photo via Newscom

It is against the law to buy and sell stocks based on information that the general public is not privy too, unless you are a member of Congress, or a Congressional Staff member.  Can you say legalized corruption?  The Wall Street Journal recently reported that congressional staff members are making stock trades that are directly related to their jobs.  What a deal!  Your job is to create laws and policies, that regulate the investment industry, and as a result you to know all kinds of details that the public would never know and allows you to make trades based on that info!  And, you make it illegal for anyone else to do the same!

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 13: U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) listens during a hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill November 13, 2008 in Washington, DC. The hearing was focused on 'Oversight of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act: Examining Financial Institution Use of Funding Under the Capital Purchase Program.' (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Senator Mike Crapo (R), Idaho

A staffer, Karen Brown, working for Idaho’s Senator Mike Crapo (R), is reported to have made several trade deals with Bank of America (a leading home fore-closer bank), making her an investment gain of 43%.  When asked by the Wall Street Journal about it, Senator Crapo said the trades were made by Mrs. Brown’s husband, and that she would be amending her disclosure forms to show that.  The problem with that answer is that, as of October 23rd, Karen Brown’s latest disclosure forms shows her making additional Bank of America stock purchases.

This year, Represenative Brian Baird (D), of Washington, tried to get Congress to pass a bill that would make it illegal for them to do insider trading.  In the House of Representatives only 9 members endorsed the bill.  In the Senate no one endorsed it.  That should tell you that they all need to be fired!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello, Idaho, Could be Site of New Super VA Clinic

A little history:  When I was a student/employee at Idaho State University, in Pocatello, Idaho, there was hope that the State of Idaho would use the old hospital to create a much needed medical school.  After all, the local economy was going down, a new owner of the hospital was building a new hospital and vacating the old one, and, the United States is suffering from not enough medical personnel.  But, our wise state leaders basically said no (some of those leaders are currently campaigning for re-election).

On to plan B.  The owners of the Portneuf Medical Center (PMC) announced that they have been working to convince the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to turn the soon to be vacant old hospital (West Campus facility) into a Super VA Outpatient Specialty Clinic.

PMC West Campus, Pocatello, Idaho.

The new PMC hospital (East Campus facility) is complete, and they will be moving out of the old West Campus.  The new East Campus should be open by the middle of 2011.

PMC East Campus, Pocatello, Idaho.

Officials from the cities of Pocatello, and Chubbuck, as well as Bannock County officials, are working to help convince the VA to choose Pocatello.  What are the benefits?  Because of the War on Terror there is an increasing need for VA clinics and hospitals.  The old West Campus hospital would be ready made, no need to build a new facility, and, PMC says they will even leave medical equipment behind.  The location would mean that East Idaho, Montana and Wyoming veterans would not have to travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, for treatment.  Idaho State University, located right next to the West Campus, would be involved because they are already getting Department of Defense grants for several veterans programs.

A recent meeting with officials in Washington D.C. revealed that funding has become an issue, even with the fact that the VA wouldn’t have to build anything.  I think the residents of Idaho need to get behind this plan, especially since the Idaho National Guard (including members from Montana and Oregon) is currently serving another War on Terror tour of duty.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Beat the Food Crisis, Go Native. Free Seeds?

Our civilized society has taken too many things for granted, like where our food comes from.  Mass produced by big farms, using lots of chemicals, and even genetic modification.  Those chemicals and modifications are supposed to help our traditional crops produce more, and handle extreme weather.

Mother Nature already has plants that can do that, they’re called Native Plants, and you can eat them (not all of them, of course).  How do you know which native plants you can eat?  You can check your local bookstore, or public library, for local books on the subject.  You can check the internet, under native plants and whatever state you live in.

Can We Eat It? City Creek, Pocatello, Idaho.

In Idaho an organization has formed that is pushing for the use of native plants in landscaping (because they can save water and are fire resistant), and native plants you can eat.  The Boise based Idaho Native Plant Society even sponsors plant sales and seed exchanges.

Don’t think of snatching some native plants out of the wild, believe it or not, there is such a thing as plant poaching.

There’s a seed bank that has spent decades searching the world for food plants that do well in Idaho’s climate. They have lots of high altitude crops, Siberian Tomatoes, and Tomatoes developed by the University of Idaho (I think the company used to be in Idaho, but relocated to Arizona. You can still order the seeds).

Want to start a garden but don’t have the money?  Texas based The Dinner Garden gives away seeds.  They admit that they are backlogged trying to meet requests for seeds.  Their website says they have a partner in Kimberly, Idaho.

Idaho, U.S.

Beware Latest Scams Cops asking for Bail Money & Postal Delivery Notices

In East Idaho there are a couple of scams going around.  The first involves people calling you up and acting like cops trying to get bail money.  They tell you they’ve arrested one of your friends, or in the case of a local business, one of your employees, and they need bail money.  Sounds unbelievable, because bail is normally handled through the courts, but, amazingly several people, and a local Pocatello restaurant (Butterburr’s) have fallen for the scam.  One guy was even told he would end up getting his money back.  Do not wire money to anyone you do not know, even if they claim to be a police officer!

The warning for the other scam is coming from the United States Postal Service (USPS).  People are being sent email notices about a package they need to pick up.

WEST WINDSOR, NJ - AUGUST 21: Trucks are seen parked at a U.S. Postal facility August 21, 2002 in West Windsor, New Jersey. Samples will be collected to see if the anthrax found in a Princeton mailbox last week was spread through the network that transfers mail from Princeton. (Photo by Don Murray/Getty Images)

On Friday, October 22, I was in one of the Pocatello post offices and the lady in front of me asked for a package that she was told she had to pick up.  The Postal Clerk looked for some time, didn’t find anything, then asked for the pick up slip the Postal Carrier normally leaves.  The lady said she had gotten an email.  As far as I know the USPS does not send out email, or phone, notices that a package needs to be picked up.  It’s a good thing the lady didn’t click on the email link, ’cause that’s when they get you.  The USPS website has a warning about the scam.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Idaho part of Growing Concern over Unemployment Fraud commited by Employers, Or are they?

The use of third party administrators (law firms) by employers, to challenge unemployment claims, is not only on the rise, but,  just like the mortgage fiasco, is starting to look like many cases are fraudulent.

Early this year, the Idaho Department of Labor sent a letter of complaint to one of the biggest third party administrators (TPA), Talx.  Talx, a division of Equifax,  represents Walmart, Home Depot, Marriot, Best Buy, FedEx and even PBS.

It was a PBS program, called Need to Know, that reported the growing problem of TPAs working to deny unemployment benefits for those who qualify.  Unemployment benefits are paid out to people who are laid off (and continue to meet requirements to keep getting the benefits, until they find a new job), or to people who’ve gone through a legal process which proves the were fired unjustly.  What’s happening is that many unemployment  benefits are being denied because the employers are falsely claiming the employee was fired, when they were laid off.  Or, in the case of wrongful firings, the TPAs are appealing those cases, even when it is obviously the fault of the employer.

The resulting court cases are, of course, partly paid for by taxpayers.

Some states claim that Talx intentionally delays unemployment claims, floods courts with protest letters and lies about how an employee lost their job.  In May, the Idaho Department of Labor announced that agreements were made with Talx.  Those agreements seem weak to me:

  • Collaboration on training for Idaho employers on the state unemployment insurance system;
  • Modification of documents used by both TALX and the state in the unemployment claims process;
  • Development of performance expectations subject to ongoing review and analysis

These are things that should already be the norm.  Also, Idaho’s unemployment system, Idaho Job Service, is actually paid for by employers, and employers actually get money back for having low unemployment payouts (at least that’s how it was explained to me, by a Job Service employee who’s job it was to refund the employer’s money).

There was supposed to be a follow up meeting between Talx and the Idaho Dept. of Labor, in July, but I haven’t found any info on it.

Idaho

Pay for Local East Idaho County Officials a Rip Off

If pay for Pocatello and Chubbuck officials is a bargain, then we’re getting ripped off from Bannock County officials.

According to the League of Women Voters, Bannock County Commissioners, and Officers, make $60,000 + per year.  The one exception is the County Coroner who makes only $23,195 per year.

Let’s put that in perspective.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bannock County, Idaho, has a population of 80,812.  The majority of which live in the cities of Pocatello and Chubbuck.  When you combine the population numbers of those two cities, that totals 61,166, or 75% of the total population in Bannock County.  Now realize that the residents of those two cities get most, if not all, their services from their cities.  So why is pay for officials at the county level so high, compared to city officials?

Here’s another interesting piece of information; Bannock County has the highest tax rate in the whole state of Idaho (actual total dollar amount collected is not the highest in the state, there are several counties that collect much more than Bannock).  County officials point out that most of the taxes end up going towards the cities of Pocatello and Chubbuck, and School District 25.  If that’s the case, where is the county getting the money to pay the high salaries?

In a side issue; former Pocatello Mayor Roger Chase, in an interview he did as mayor, said that the top employers in Pocatello are not paying property taxes. Chase implied that those taxes are being passed on to everyone else who is paying property taxes.

Considering the population of Bannock County, and the fact that 75% of that population live in two cities that are providing their services, and the fact that most of those city’s elected officials make far less money than the county officials, I don’t see the justification for the higher county pay.  I’d like to see future candidates for county positions run on a pledge to lower their salaries.

The League of Women Voters of Idaho have their own website; lwvid.org.  The information about the pay of officials is published in a brochure.  For Bannock County, it is published by the League of Women Voters of Pocatello. It also contains cities of Chubbuck, and Pocatello, and state and federal official’s salaries.

Idaho

Pay for Local East Idaho City Officials a Bargain

My critical attitude towards local City officials was tempered, a little, after reading the amount of pay they get.

To make it clear what a bargain the officials of Chubbuck, Idaho, are, I’ll remind you that Allstate announced the planned opening of a call center here, with a starting annual salary of $27,000.

According to the Pocatello League of Women Voters, the Mayor of Chubbuck gets $45,000 per year.  Doesn’t seem bad for Chubbuck, but then the official population for the city is only 9,700.  It gets better with the city council. Chubbuck City Council members get $6,300 per year.

Obviously they’ve got to have income from elsewhere, and explains why most are business owners.  As local business owners it means, theoretically, that they are very concerned with the local economy.  This is another reason why your voting attention needs to be focused locally; your local officials have more impact than some fat cat in Washington D.C.

Pocatello, bigger than Chubbuck, with an official 2000 census population of 51,466, pays its officials more.  The mayor gets $74,268, but compare that to the city council.  They get paid $10,033 per year.

I hope local officials don’t push for an increase in their pay.  The local voters and taxpayers, of Chubbuck and Pocatello, are getting a real deal with current salaries.  The League of Women Voters of Idaho have their own website; lwvid.org.  The information about the pay of officials is published in a brochure.  For Pocatello and Chubbuck, it is published by the League of Women Voters of Pocatello. It also contains county, state and federal official’s salaries.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Bad Loans, Mortgage Notes, Foreclosures all part of possibly the biggest Scam in U.S. History

A mortgage Note is the document that proves who holds the mortgage on the home that’s being bought.  There’s more and more evidence that the big banks can’t find those notes.  That includes Notes on homes that have already been foreclosed.  Another problem is that, in states that require court involvement, the judges never asked for proof of the Note.

The program, Need to Know, on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), interviewed Michael Hudson, an author who revealed how the big banks were intentionally trapping people in bad home loans.  Hudson says The big banks are using the same tactics in foreclosing.  He also says that many of the foreclosures involve home buyers who were looking to refinance their loans to save money, instead they were set up to fail.

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 26: Homeowners wait to meet with Wells Fargo employees during a free workshop for customers who are facing mortgage payment challenges April 26, 2010 at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, California. Over 1,000 people who are in risk of slipping into foreclosure were scheduled to attend the mortgage workshop in hopes of getting loan modifications to avoid losing their homes. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The problem with the Notes is that the big banks quickly sold off the bad loans, and there doesn’t seem to be any record keeping regarding the Notes.  In many cases, mortgages were sold several times over to other banks, and as investment schemes.  Hudson says the push to foreclose is a way of making more money for the big banks.  In other words the bad loans, the reselling of mortgage loans, and now the foreclosures, are all part of a big money making scam by corporate America.

MIAMI - OCTOBER 01: A pre-foreclosure sign is displayed outside a home on October 1, 2009 in Miami, Florida. Declining home prices, low mortgages rates and government stimulus programs have helped push up the number of pending home sales according to the National Association of Realtors, as they rose by 6.4 per cent in August and were up by 12.4 per cent from a year ago. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Michael Hudson says the Federal government has done almost nothing about this probable crime against American home buyers.  It’s the states that have taken the most action.  But each state has their own foreclosure laws, which seem to be adding to the mess.  Hudson says that the reason why President Obama isn’t ordering a halt to foreclosures, is that he could be held politically responsible for any crash in the housing market.  That would suggest that the current housing market is actually being driven by the foreclosures.

LAS VEGAS - MARCH 21: Countrywide Home Loans home mortgage consultant Al Lizarralde (L) and RE/Max Central realtor Brenda Zablockis leave a bank-owned house during a RE/MAX Central bus tour of foreclosed homes March 21, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. RE/MAX Central of Las Vegas co-owner Ruth Ahlbrand said the Las Vegas area has been one of the top three worst foreclosure markets and one of the top three worst markets for slumping home prices in the United States since late 2007. Ahlbrand said the real estate group began giving tours for prospective buyers three times a week in February 2008, in an effort to clear inventory of foreclosed properties. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Another article, in the Executive Intelligence Review, says that this is all part of the dying last gasp of our country’s financial system.  For too long investments have been sold, that were on paper only, no real assets.  So the bad loan scandal was how the big banks set things up to grab some real assets, and the foreclosure scandal is how the big banks are cashing in those assets to pay off the investors.