Whenever possible, it is nice to see the private sector and/or religious community step up to help people down on their luck, rather than expect government (in other words taxpayers) to fill that need. St. Vincent de Paul is already gearing up for to provide turkeys and food boxes to […]
Uncategorized
We spent five hours today hearing appeals on medical indigency cases. Per Idaho law, the counties are responsible for paying medical bills for people who are found to be medically indigent. The county pays these medical bills at the Medicaid rate, up to $11 thousand per person, per year. This […]
Socialized Medicine and Unfunded Mandates
This blog allows me to communicate the real stories of Ada County government directly to the public, while circumventing the sometimes inaccurate media. Some recent examples point out the need for me to continue to do so. Correcting the Media, Part I The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny got it wrong […]
Correcting the Media
There has been a considerable amount of coverage lately regarding Ada County’s ambulance district and the Boise Fire Department’s apparent desire to get into the emergency medical transport business. I am the Board liaison to our Ada County Paramedics (ACP) Department. I volunteered for this assignment because I am passionate […]
Ada County Paramedics in the News
Things have been busy and I haven’t posted on here for a little while but I will try to get caught up here, or you can catch me out at the Western Idaho Fair. The fair is in full swing. Attendance is up. At the halfway mark, we have seen […]
Fine Fare for Fair Fans
I am frequently asked what an Ada County commissioner does. County commissioners in all 44 counties around the state do pretty much the same thing – we just do it 44 different ways. For a county the size of ours, with 408,000 residents, this position is full-time and then some. […]
Days ‘N’ Nights
• Several people who are contemplating running for office have contacted me recently, seeking advice on how to win an election. The best advice I have to give them is to get involved, stay involved and become informed. There you have it in a nutshell. • Along the same lines, […]
Bits ‘N’ Bytes
Yesterday, we officially adopted a $171 million budget for the upcoming 2009-2010 fiscal year that begins on October 1. We cut 11.4 percent, or $22 million, from the previous year’s $193 million budget. It was the first time I ever voted in favor of an Ada County budget. Although I […]
What We Wouldn’t Cut
Ada County’s Indigent Services medical payments budget is increasing by a half a million dollars, from $2.9 million to $3.4 million, this coming fiscal year. Sadly, that increase might not be enough. According to state law, County property taxpayers are required to pay the necessary medical expenses for people whose […]
County Indigent Program Costs Increase
As I have mentioned previously, I believe the decision about whether to immunize our children should be left in the hands of parents, not the government. I believe that as parents we must take it upon ourselves to research the issue and decide for ourselves whether our children are better […]