GRANGEVILLE — Ed Humphreys, one of four Republicans running for Idaho governor, spoke about his goals for Idaho with the Idaho County Commissioners during their regular Nov. 30 meeting.
“Idaho is a state where we can celebrate American values and family values,” declared Humphreys. He said he opposes mandates, particularly unfunded mandates that the counties need to figure out how to fund. “I would like to give more autonomy to counties,” he said. “If I was blessed to become governor, I would veto any legislation that does not provide funding.”
Humphreys is concerned we are growing more used to central planning in Idaho, without acknowledging the differences in the varied counties. He noted that although population growth is an issue in much of the state, there are nine counties that are shrinking in population. Commissioner Skip Brandt explained that dealing with growth was a top focus in Idaho County.
Humphreys said law enforcement is his number one issue. Idaho is a safe place to live, according to Humphreys, and is a state that is tough on crime. He opposes efforts in Idaho to decriminalize marijuana. “That is a hill I will die on.” He added, “How is that working in Washington, Oregon and California?”
Humphreys believes the department of corrections has been underfunded for many years with no talk of new facilities. Humphreys said he would like to see the state build two new prisons in Idaho, one for men and one for women. If we don’t invest in new facilities, we will start to let criminals out and reduce penalties for crimes, he said.
Commissioner Skip Brandt acknowledged Idaho County’s own challenges with the county jail. He said with an increase in crime coupled with population growth, the commissioners are looking at expanding or replacing the jail.
Eliminating the state income tax is an important goal for Humphreys. He believes the state budget is grossly mismanaged. The budgeting process does not rely on zero-based budgeting, according to Humphreys, but just looks at adjusting what each program had the previous year. Humphreys wants Idaho’s budget process to “focus on necessary and reasonable services of the state.”
“Maybe we’re not going to offer $5,000 for woke poetry,” said Humphreys. He believes our state tax dollars are going to support the transgender agenda and abortion agenda by providing funds to support various nonprofits.
“How can the state operate without (income tax) revenue?” asked Commissioner Ted Lindsley. Humphreys explained that Idaho’s state income tax generates $2 billion per year, but we are sitting on $6 billion per year. He would like the state to spend down the balances. He also expects an uptick in economic activity due to tax cuts. Humphreys believes that over three to four years the lost revenues will be made up in sales taxes and use taxes. Referencing Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, he said “every time we shrink government and cut taxes, our economy grows.”
In education, Humphreys supports systems where parents and families choose what is best for their children. He would encourage school choice. He wants to divorce education in Idaho from the federal government and federal funding that comes with strings attached, saying, “These people don’t know what bathrooms to use.”
