When I boarded my flight from Boise to Norway in January 2010, I had very little idea what was in store for me. My best friend and I were about to study abroad at the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway’s southernmost city.

I had picked Norway almost at random.

My rationale — I wanted to study political science in English, at a place I could afford. My school had a direct-exchange program (I only had to pay BSU tuition) with two schools meeting this criteria: one in Wales and one in Norway. Norway seemed like the slightly more exotic option, so I went with that.

After…

Idaho is dominated by one political party.

The real contests in our state are within the Republican Party, between their moderate and extreme factions. Democrats have not been able to viably contest power in decades. This has been demoralizing for Democrats and Independents, and they don’t have a believable theory of change that brings them hope and reliably motivates them to action.

But, the most important distinction to make in Idaho state politics is the balance of power — Grassroots vs Big Money.

This situation is on clear display when our legislature focuses year after year on tax breaks, slashing…

Break ’Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money (Zephyr Teachout)

This book made a huge impression on me. I would have said I was pretty concerned about monopolies and corporate consolidation before, but after this book, I’m 5x more concerned. I heard about it because my friend Luke Mayville was reading it.

Ready Player Two (Earnest Cline)

I really enjoyed Ready Player One, so I was excited for the sequel. I didn’t even know how much it would delve into topics that have fascinated me for years, like brain computer interfaces (like Neuralink), artificial intelligence (Super Intelligence), and transhumanism. There was A LOT to think about.

Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor (Steven Greenhouse)

• I didn’t know that a big reason employers are…

My first “movement experience” came from Cole Valley Speaks. I caught the bug, and I knew I needed to continue being a part of these powerful expressions of injustice and demands for change. Later, I built on that foundation as a core member of Reclaim Idaho, and dabbled in climate activism with Sunrise Boise.

I’ve known for a long time that Idaho needs transformation political change, but I didn’t know how it could happen. I explored ideas in electoral politics and delved into different theories of change. I came to realize one of the biggest avenues for change, sustained movements…

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I’ve spent the last year thinking about ways to politically transform Idaho.

When I look at how our state decides how society should work, I see a scale symbolizing a balance of power. On one side is money, and on the other side are people. Money is winning. It’s not even close.

If we want more people power, we need to shift political identities.

In today’s world, it’s basically a given that Democrats and Independents align more with people power than Republicans. But Republicans are holding 80% of the seats in our Legislature.

The people are voting Republican. Based on their identities, not their interests.

Most Idahoans are poor and struggling financially. When they vote Republican, for their promises of limited government…

I grew up in Idaho, but it wasn’t until 2016 that I decided I wanted to make it my longterm home. I loved Boise, our public lands, our cost of living, and many aspects of our culture.

But I hated Idaho’s politics.

Ultimately, I decided that was a tradeoff I had to live with because it wasn’t going to change.

In 2018, it changed.

After a ragtag group of volunteers got Medicaid Expansion on the ballot, Idaho overwhelmingly supported it with 61% of the vote, defying our legislators who had ignored that crisis for 10 years.

I had hope.

That was a watershed event, and I knew it was possible to change…

The original blog post was published one year ago, today, on February 13, 2019.

This post commemorates the beginning of Cole Valley Speaks, and it kicks off the next phase of our movement.

Items Below —

• The first teaser trailer for our documentary, Let’s Pray About It
• Our online petition — Stop Stonewalling Your People, Cole Valley
• An invitation to our upcoming barbecue on Sunday, 2/23
• Personal reflections from organizers — Cameron Crow, Katherine Lucile Beck, Ryan Kinney, Apollo Annisen

Documentary Teaser Trailer

Check out our first teaser trailer for the upcoming documentary release!

Online Petition

Please sign our online petition telling Cole Valley to meet with…

Sandpoint — A day after the Federal Government approved Idaho’s State Medicaid Expansion Plan, BYU-Idaho dealt a second blow to students and families in Idaho’s second largest college. The Administration is rejecting Medicaid Expansion for its students just days after it rejected Medicaid coverage. Brigham Young University-Idaho students are required to have health insurance before they can enroll.

“The university is putting students and families at risk with these sudden and unexplained decisions. This was a bad week for the entire BYU-Idaho community,” said Luke Mayville, Reclaim Idaho Co-Founder. …