OPINION: Fraudulent 'Freedom:' The IFF Files, Part 1

The Idaho Freedom Foundation started back in 2009 with the noble intention of helping beleaguered legislators who have little staff and even less time to research issues. IFF offered information, ideas and support.

In following years, as they increased influence and control over compliant elected officials, the focus of IFF changed. They began analyzing proposed bills. Then they stepped even further and began “scoring” bills with a plus or minus number. And in a major move to gain control, they started giving letter grades to legislators. If you don’t obey the IFF, and vote on bills the way they tell you, you’ll be treated like a middle school student: “She got a B+, so she must be great, but he got a C-, so he must be a bad legislator!” Is that what you want for your elected officials? And, if so, isn’t it important to know who is grading and how they do it?

Please know that when IFF “analyzes” proposed legislation, it is only from the bill itself, right after it is printed. They use a short checklist based on their quasi-Libertarian beliefs of no government, no taxes, no public schools. This method does not include a reasonable cost-benefit method that is typical in business decisions and factors in future impacts. If the bill spends $100, it gets a negative score from IFF, even if the bill saves the state $100,000 down the road.

So let’s go behind the scenes: About five years ago, I invited IFF’s CEO, Wayne Hoffman, and the Chair of IFF’s Board, Brent Regan, to have coffee with me. I had known them for years already. Originally a supporter of the organization, I was concerned as I saw it sliding down the slippery slope of power and corruption during my years in the legislature, and wanted to hear their thoughts.

As we sat in a little coffee shop here in Coeur d'Alene, and I looked across the table at these two men, I told them very sincerely, “IFF is losing credibility.” I went on to explain why: “You have someone sitting with a pen, your short checklist and a stack of printed bills. They read the bill and check boxes as needed. There’s no real life context. You don’t hear the feedback we legislators do. You don’t factor in committee hearings where citizens step forward to tell us how the bill helps or hurts their family, business or community. We legislators can then ask questions to clarify and understand the impacts. But you are almost never there. You also don’t include floor sessions where the bill is open for debate by all members of the House or Senate, and legislators explain the consequences of the bill on their area of the state.”

I asked Brent and Wayne to include committee and floor information before they score the bills. Wayne quickly said, “No, we don’t have enough people, it would cost too much.” So I asked them to consider cutting back on the number of bills they analyze, like the American Conservative Union does. “No,” Wayne responded.

Wayne and Brent want more power and control, not more accurate information. This is a bold statement, I know, but look at their actions and their process, it speaks volumes: IFF typically scores their targeted, printed bills before the actual legislative process in committee and on the floor, so the score of the bill influences the votes of the legislators. And IFF’s obedient legislators have a list of the bills and scores with them in their committees and on the floor. I have seen this list taped to the desk of some legislators in the House — no need to think for yourself and your district, just vote the way you are told.

Please remember that Idaho has 35 legislative districts, each with one senator and two House members. Every district has different issues, problems and priorities that should influence the votes of those legislators representing their citizens. There is rarely just one correct vote for all of the 35 areas of our state, but IFF believes they have the only answers.

I have a revealing story from another IFF official, who shared it with me after he had imbibed in “a few.” He was giddy about their quest for total control. I’ll tell you next time. Please stay tuned for Part 2 of the IFF Files, coming soon. There’s so much more to expose!

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Mary Souza, a Coeur d'Alene Republican, represented District 4 in the Idaho Senate for eight years from 2014 to 2022.

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