The Hoff Time Report
By Idaho Freedom Foundation
The Hoff Time ReportAug 24, 2022
Ask me anything session with IFF President Wayne Hoffman
Hey, it's been a while since I've done a livestream, so please join me for a bit. I'll ramble about what's going on in Idaho OR you can ask questions that I will answer.
Jerry Gibbs talks school levies
Wayne Hoffman sat down with Jerry Gibbs, taxpayer and education activist, to discuss his work in defeating the massive West Ada School District plant levy this spring. Jerry also shares what he has learned about how West Ada promoted their levy. Support IFF's mission of public transparency: https://idahofreedom.org/donations/donate-now/
Idaho school bus driver fired for backing student who said there are only two genders
Dakota Mailloux was waving an American flag at a protest rally in support of Travis Lohr. Hear Dakota's story. h/t Idaho Tribune
Idaho H.S. student punished for saying there are only two genders
A north Idaho student named Travis Lohr says his public school punished him for saying there are only two genders, and now he might not be allowed to walk in his graduation from Kellogg High School.
Eagle Mayor Jason Pierce
Wayne Hoffman sat down with Jason Pierce, mayor of the city of Eagle, to discuss how conservative philosophies guide the way he leads the city, and how city leadership must balance the demands for amenities with the need to maintain individual freedom. Support IFF's mission of personal liberty: https://idahofreedom.org/donations/donate-now/
Alli Megal on Nutrition
Wayne Hoffman sits down with IFF's Development and Operations Director Alli Megal once more to discuss how modern nutrition, or lack thereof, has led to a society of sick people. Support IFF's mission of freeing families from government and corporate oppression: https://idahofreedom.org/donations/donate-now/
Alli Megal on Childbirth
Wayne Hoffman sits down with IFF's Development and Operations Director Alli Megal who brings her experience as a doula to explore how modern society has turned the process of childbearing into an industrial, money-driven process.
Rep. Ilana Rubel
Wayne sits down with Rep. Ilana Rubel, the Idaho State House Minority Leader, for a wide ranging discussion of politics, issues, and the priorities of the 2023 legislative session.
Chloe Cole
Chloe Cole, the young woman who identified as a boy and then detransitioned, joins Wayne to tell her story and discuss how to protect other children from going through what she endured.
Sen. Ben Toews
Senator Ben Toews of the Senate Education Committee joins Wayne Hoffman to talk about the new session, woke nonsense in public schools, and ideas for true school choice in Idaho.
Maria Nate
Maria Nate, Idaho Director of State Freedom Caucus Network joins Wayne to explain how her new group will promote liberty and limited government in the statehouse this year.
State of the State
Join IFF's Wayne Hoffman and Ron Nate as they discuss Governor Brad Little's State of the State Address in January 2023.
Rep. Tammy Nichols & Sen.-elect Brian Lenney discuss special session
Gov. Brad Little called a special session for September 1. Two principled conservatives, Rep. Tammy Nichols and Sen.-elect Brian Lenney, join Wayne to discuss Little's desired legislation.
Rep. Tammy Nichols & Sen.-elect Brian Lenney discuss special session
Gov. Brad Little called a special session for September 1. Two principled conservatives, Rep. Tammy Nichols and Sen.-elect Brian Lenney, join Wayne to discuss Little's desired legislation.
Detailing Little's surrender to socialists
In a weak attempt to appease Idaho leftists on Tuesday, Gov. Brad Little called for a special legislative session to provide modest tax cuts and dump buckets of new money into Idaho’s broken government school system.
At the press conference, Little urged action to help Idaho’s families deal with the effects of inflation. That’s a noble aim, but the governor’s proposal falls woefully short. He and lawmakers should return to the drawing board and come up with some far better solutions for families.
Little’s plan, the only bill lawmakers can consider at the September 1 special session, represents a full and complete surrender to Luke Mayville and his socialist activists at Reclaim Idaho. Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin joins IFF President to break it down.
Brad Little's full surrender to Reclaim Idaho
Gov. Brad Little has surrendered his power to Luke Mayville, the leader of Reclaim Idaho. Wayne talks about the governor's special session, and explains why it will be a total disaster.
The media lies about Prop 1's $570 million tax
Media types are already carrying water for Reclaim Idaho, the liberal extremists behind Prop 1's half-a-billion-dollar tax hike. On Sunday, Idaho's chief propagandist, Betsy Russell, spread fake news about the expensive proposition. IFF President Wayne Hoffman debunks Russell's nonsense and explains why she is wrong.
Don't let the media fool you, your friends, and your neighbors.
Idaho can LEAD: A new tool to help families make education decisions.
This morning, IFF rolled out its Liberty in Education and Academic Development Map to the world. This project, months in the works, shows how schools fail and indoctrinates students. The map allows families to enter their home address and found out the local district’s test scores, as well as any social justice incidents in the district. IFF researcher Kaitlyn Shepherd talks to Wayne about the map and details how parents can use it to educate themselves about local school districts.
Plus, there’s a reporting form that allows students, teachers, and aides to blow the whistle on leftist indoctrination.
Idaho is barreling toward a massive discussion about government school finances, as liberals try to raise taxes by more than half-a-billion dollars to fund schools. Niklas Kleinsworth joins the show to preview a new report he's working on that will expose just how much schools waste already.
Sign up to get on the waitlist for that report at IdahoFreedom.org/Wastedreport.
Hoff Time Report: Winner winner, chicken dinner
Liberal reporters want you to believe moderates rolled conservatives at the polls. It's just not true. Wayne and Dustin tell the truth about what happened in Idaho's 2022 primary election.
The clap back: Wayne and Dustin respond to the worst hit pieces in human history
KTVB thought it had something on IFF. It didn't. Dustin and Wayne hang out and discuss the worst hit pieces ever published. Don't miss this one!
Rep. Priscilla Giddings talks election integrity, grocery tax, and the legislative oligarchy.
Rep. Priscilla Giddings stops by the show to talk election integrity legislation, grocery tax, and the legislative oligarchy that's blocking conservative bills.
Taxation is theft . . . most of the time with Rep. Ben Adams
Rep. Ben Adams stops by The Hoff Time Report to talk taxation, Russia-Ukraine, grocery tax, and public television. Adams is a a freshman Republican from Nampa who sits on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, among others.
Free the food: Wayne and Ron Nate talk grocery tax repeal
Fresh of his latest attempt to repeal Idaho's silly grocery tax, Rep. Ron Nate joins the show to discuss taxes, the legislative oligarchy, and Little's big budget requests.
Hoff Time Report: The glacial pace of education reform with Sen. Steven Thayn
Education in America needs to change. Schools are failing. Students can't read or write. Leftist teachers want to indoctrinate students. Reform is desperately needed. Yet, real reform happens at a snail's pace. Why? Sen. Steven Thayn and IFF President Wayne Hoffman discuss it on tonight's episode.
Hoff Time Report: Rep. Tammy Nichols talks taxes, spending, and more
Rep. Tammy Nichols, a conservative lawmaker from Middleton, is so over leadership's grip on the legislative process. She and Wayne talk about how leaders like Scott Bedke stifle debate and eliminate the arena of ideas. She also talks grocery tax, property taxes, and more.
Rep. Jim Addis says more tax relief in store for 2022
House member Jim Addis, vice chair of the House tax committee, dropped by the Hoff Time Report to talk taxes, budgets, and critical race theory. Addis says there are more tax relief bills ahead in the 2022 legislative session.
The Hoff Time Report with Rep. Greg Chaney
Rep. Greg Chaney and Wayne Hoffman talk tax relief, legislative process, medical marijuana, Mike Moyle's lockdown on property tax bills, and more on this hilarious episode of The Hoff Time Report!
Left-leaning state Supreme Court gets initiative wrong, endangering Idaho
It’s not surprising that the Idaho Supreme Court ruled against a new law requiring more uniform collection of petition signatures in order for an initiative to qualify for the ballot. What is shocking is how badly the court twisted itself into knots to justify its decision to the satisfaction of the state’s leftists.
Contrary to what the court said, the true story of the state’s constitutional amendment allowing for direct democracy starts in 1911. This is when the Legislature took up, in earnest, the “progressive” era’s goal to let the people propose and pass laws at the ballot box. But lawmakers got stuck on two key details: how many signatures should be required to put a question before voters, and what threshold should be required for passage. Lawmakers even contemplated an 80% threshold for passage.
Read the rest here: https://IDFree.us/CourtA
Education officials plot COVID-19 tests while showing little concern for academic performance
If you have a youngster in Idaho’s government-run schools, now would be a good time to either start demanding answers from state and local education officials or reconsider your schooling options.
The latest in a long string of disappointments comes in the form of Gov. Brad Little’s decision to sidestep the Legislature and order $30 million for COVID-19 testing for the state’s public schools.
Read Wayne's weekly column here!
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Don't forget to help Wayne crown a Statist of the Quarter! Vote here to pick the biggest statist of the second quarter in 2021. Happy voting!
Vaccine mandate should be viewed as assault, invasion of privacy
The Idaho lawmakers defending Big Medicine’s decision to impose vaccine mandates on their employees, contractors, and volunteers are trying to make it out as if they’re unable to intervene in an employer-employee relations question. I’ve already explained why such arguments are disingenuous (Hint: lawmakers regulate businesses all the time) but it’s important to remind people that this is not an employment matter.
It’s about assault, and it’s about medical privacy.
No one should have the power to force another human being to undergo any kind of medical procedure unless that procedure is freely agreed to. This has been the standard since the adoption of the Nuremberg Code of 1947, which established that voluntary consent for any medical procedure is essential.
Socialism will be 2022's defining issue
Idaho has a supermajority Republican Legislature, with Democrats comprising less than 20% of the seats in the House and Senate. Republicans have held the state’s top executive positions for a quarter century, yet Idaho has had a penchant for embracing socialism, government control, and special interest collectivist causes.
This is at the heart of what I expect will shape conversations and debates leading up to the 2022 elections, especially for the Republican primary; it’s already shaping up to be the case in the nascent contests for governor and lieutenant governor. Expect that to be true in many legislative races.
BSU law firm report is more media ploy than investigation into indoctrination
It should be obvious that Boise State University’s “independent” investigation into problems with the school’s mandatory racism and intolerance class known as University Foundations 200 was just a public relations ploy.
Launching the investigation got lawmakers temporarily off BSU’s back while the school’s budget was under review. Releasing a summary of the investigation’s findings last week was just clever enough for an inept state press corps to conclude that BSU is doing nothing relative to critical race theory and social justice indoctrination. In that regard, it was more than BSU President Marlene Tromp and her team could have hoped for.
If Tromp won't listen to lawmakers on social justice, she needs to work elsewhere
It appears that Boise State University President Marlene Tromp still has not gotten the message that Idahoans are tired of the school’s indoctrinating social justice programs. In public and in private, Tromp has recently struck a tone that suggests little will change at BSU despite the Legislature’s restrictions on critical race theory (CRT) and $1.5 million in cuts aimed at the school’s social justice programs.
During an online meeting with faculty and staff, also attended by Democrat Sen. Melissa Wintow, Tromp’s team could be heard plotting ways to allow professors to keep shoveling historically-bogus CRT into students’ brains without getting sideways with a new anti-CRT law. When a faculty member claimed Tromp was the victim of “sexist, racist, personal attack(s),” she validated the belief by saying that the University of Idaho had been spared scrutiny because the school is run by a man who happens to be from Idaho.
The fight to fix Idaho education continues this summer and fall
Yes, the legislative session is over, but the fight to fix what’s gone wrong with the government education system is not. That work is just getting warmed up.
Right away, the State Board of Education needs to get its house in order. The board added to the state teacher certification standards a requirement that educators rely on so-called culturally responsive teaching. This is just another example of critical race theory being put into practice in our state’s K-12 education system. The board should vote this summer to eliminate that requirement.
Conservatives win big on education during the 2021 Idaho legislative session
If there’s one thing to remember from the 2021 legislative session, it’s that the Idaho Legislature became the first legislative body in the country to successfully push back against the Marxist indoctrination happening in primary, secondary, and higher education.
The Legislature rejected a $6 million federal grant for pre-kindergarten, a grant that would have given the Biden administration direct control over the education of babies and toddlers. It also would have given significant power to the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children and its openly leftist national umbrella organization, the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
The Legislature also passed a bill, signed grudgingly by Gov. Brad Little, to prevent teachers in our K-12 and university system from “compelling students to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere” to racist programs and ideologies that divide students and adults into victims and oppressors according to race and gender. Idaho became the first state in the country to take a stand against the hate mongering that is central to “critical race theory.”
Teachers, parents, and kids need Idaho lawmakers to put an end to public school indoctrination
Idaho education officials are being dishonest when they say there’s no evidence of leftist indoctrination in our public schools and universities. They’re also being dishonest when they claim that the newly-signed House Bill 377 prevents critical race theory from being taught.
The legislation is certainly helpful. It says that students can no longer be compelled to “personally affirm, adopt, or adhere” to a doctrine of hate that is embodied in critical race theory. Despite media reports to the contrary, the new law does not ban teaching CRT, nor does it ban teachers from being trained in how to treat some students as victims of systemic racism.
House keeps its conservative promises, faces left-leaning Senate
Idaho has the most conservative House of Representatives it has ever seen. That is not the doing of House Speaker Scott Bedke. Bedke hasn’t changed at all, clocking in at 66 percent right now on the Idaho Freedom Index.
What’s different is the makeup of the rest of the Republicans serving in the state House of Representatives, which is behaving exactly as I predicted following the May 2020 primary. My expectation then was that Idahoans had elected the most conservative House of Representatives in the state’s entire history. When given an option, voters tended to select the candidate who promised to be more conservative than their opposition.
Episode 42: About that federal grant that would allow lefties to push social justice on toddlers
Read Anna K. Miller's analysis of this federal grant here: https://IDFree.us/racistbabies
Here's the vote count on House Bill 226: https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2021/legislation/H0226/
Ep. 41: Idaho can stand up for America with vote on higher ed budget
Throughout the country, leftist activists have successfully infiltrated all aspects of government, media, and business with claims that America is irredeemably racist, and such racism is baked into our political and economic systems. These extremists believe that to combat this “systemic” racism, American systems and ideals must be scrutinized and dismantled.
This dismantling includes the elimination of private property, capitalism, and the curtailment of freedom of speech. It means replacing our free society with socialism. Of course, the radical Left and their allies in the media don’t portray it this way; they instead rant and rave about “diversity and inclusion,” believing somewhat accurately that it’s hard to argue with such happy sounding words.
Episode 40: Big City Coffee tort claim against BSU shows lawmakers aren't doing enough
Everyone in Idaho – especially lawmakers, the governor, and members of the State Board of Education – should read Sarah Jo Fendley’s damning $10 million tort claim against Boise State University, which she filed Thursday.
Members of the House of Representatives should certainly read Fendley’s complaint before they vote on a budget for Idaho’s colleges and universities, which would pluck a measly $409,000 from BSU’s budget as punishment for its continued institutionalized bigotry.
Episode 39: Idaho senators side with special interests against parents and students
Special interest groups including big labor unions like the Idaho Education Association seem to be winning the day at the state Legislature, thanks to liberal Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Education Committee.
First, members of the committee rejected a simple House-approved measure to let school boards opt-out of collective bargaining. House Bill 174 would have given locally-elected school boards the ability to decide whether they wanted to negotiate with labor unions. If a union behaves badly, as happened last year when the West Ada Education Association staged a sick-out, the school board would not be compelled to sit at the bargaining table with them, as they are presently under Idaho law.
Episode 38: Could acceptance of federal money derail tax relief?
That’s because buried in the horrid $2 trillion print-money-until-you-can’t-see-the-sun-anymore bill is a provision that says states are expressly prohibited from using the funds to directly or indirectly offset a reduction in net tax revenue from March 1, 2021 to the end of 2024. Basically, that means the law that congressional Democrats rammed through and President Joe Biden signed attempts to prevent states from both lowering their taxes and taking in money from the federal government at the same time.
Click here to read the rest.
Episode 37: Higher education budget is political theater that would allow indoctrination to continue
Idaho’s legislative budget writers are being dishonest when they say a proposed higher education budget combats the leftist indoctrination happening on college and university campuses. It does not. Not even close.
It is true that the Legislature’s budget committee voted to restrict the use of state funds for social justice. But that prohibition does not preclude the schools from accessing other pools of public money to keep funding such programs, rendering the restriction wholly meaningless.
Episode 36: Wayne Hoffman and Rep. Greg Chaney talk targeted picketing
Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, joins The Hoff Time Report to discuss his targeted picketing bill, which aims to curb at-home harassment of public officials.
Episode 35: Idaho lawmakers may ponder gas tax hike this year
It’s hard to believe this, but several lawmakers have confirmed for me that there’s a plan to raise gas taxes on Idahoans during this legislative session. The word is that the proposal is to raise the tax by as much as 10 percent on the state’s already-high assessment of 32 cents per gallon.
The good news though, is that raising gas taxes has never been particularly popular at the Legislature. An effort to raise fuel taxes in 2009 failed so spectacularly, it took another six years for lawmakers or the governor to bring the issue up again. When it did come up, lawmakers wound up passing the bill in the dead of night. The optics for a tax increase this year are not so fantastic given all the other promises lawmakers have made and haven’t been able to follow through on.
Episode 34: Lawmakers have a duty to defund leftist extremism on Idaho's college campuses
Idaho lawmakers have only one job each and every year: deciding how much money to take out of the economy to run whatever government program they decide to fund. Media distractions to the contrary, this is the job, and lawmakers aren’t very good at it. They’re focused on evading responsibility so they upset no one – or at least, none of their donors. So when public money is spent against Idahoans’ interests, lawmakers can claim plausible deniability and say they’re not responsible.
Case in point: Idahoans are deeply concerned that they’re the ones funding the instrument of our country’s demise. We are the ones on the hook because we’re paying taxes and fees to indoctrinate young minds at Idaho’s public colleges and universities. But chairmen of the House and Senate education committees didn’t bring up the issue when they met recently with the Legislature’s budget panel, JFAC.
Episode 33: Wayne & Sen. Carl Crabtree talk education, social justice on campus, and more
Sen. Carl Crabtree of District 7 sits on the Senate Education Committee, which gives him considerable power over education-related legislation. What will he do with his power? Wayne and the senator discuss all things education, from reading to funding and beyond.
Episode 32: Wayne & Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Meridian, talk 2021 legislative priorities
Be sure to sign up for IFF's email list to ensure you stay up to date on all of the legislative action and excitement. Subscribe here: IdahoFreedom.org/email
Episode 31: GOP head honchos run oligarchy, keep conservative ideas at bay
Also, C. Scott Grow wins Statist of the Week for his awful anti-drug constitutional amendment.
Read Wayne Hoffman's full column on the GOP oligarchy's unwillingness to hear conservative bills: https://idahofreedom.org/gop-head-honchos-run-oligarchy-keep-conservative-ideas-at-bay/
Episode 30: Understanding the budget with Rep. Priscilla Giddings
Idaho lawmakers have one job each year: To set a budget for the next fiscal year. It's an incredibly complicated task, and getting lost in the budgetary weeds isn't hard. In this episode, Rep. Priscilla Giddings, who sits on the budget-setting committee, and IFF's Legislative Affairs Director Fred Birnbaum, IFF's go-to guy for numbers, break down the budget for you.