You're familiar with the saying, 'you know you're over the target when you start getting a lot of flak,' and indeed, I'm receiving quite a bit of it. The significant sums they're investing in TV, radio, mailers, and social media ads serve as undeniable evidence that I pose a threat to their agenda. What might that agenda entail? Could it be linked to my involvement in exposing the misallocation of tax dollars, initially $10 million and now ballooned to $71 million, within Health and Welfare? Or perhaps it's due to my disclosure of Idaho Power's principal stockholders being BlackRock and Vanguard? Maybe it's my persistent efforts to alert Idahoans to our increasing federal dependency and the encroachment of federal influence on our lands, farms, water, education, health, and transportation, driven by federal subsidies, grants, and ARPA funds. It could also stem from my steadfast belief that illegal immigration remains illegal, regardless of any perceived need for additional workers.
It was around mid-February when I had a conversation with a lobbyist who asked me what I had done to end up at the top of Idaho Power's list for removal from the Senate. Later, someone in leadership mentioned that Governor Little was motivated to remove 5 senators, including myself, and that the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI) was prepared to provide $100K to all of our challengers, whether through contributions or by running ads via PACs (Political Action Committees). Allow me to provide an example.
While many are familiar with the Idaho Freedom Foundation Legislative Scorecard, few realize that several other organizations also undertake similar assessments, such as the Farm Bureau Federation, Idaho Association of Cities, and IACI. My focus will be on IACI, and I intend to illustrate this by sharing images from their website.
Here are our scores according to IACI. The methodology, ^
Vote in line with IACI position = +1 point
Vote out of line with IACI position = -1 point
Bills IACI is monitoring or maintains a neutral position = 0 points
Some of the bills they support of oppose. ^
Now we will follow the money. ^
The Idaho Prosperity Fund is the PAC that IACI uses to endorse candidates who align with their ideals. I would argue against the notion that IACI stands for a 'free-market society, believes in individual rights, and is committed to preserving the free enterprise system.' If they were genuinely committed to these principles, they wouldn't endorse legislation that expands government or increases spending. Nor would they seek assistance from taxpayer funds to train their workforce or expand their corporation through grants and subsidies. Again, this is simply my opinion.
^ No matter how you spin it, the Idaho Prosperity Fund, Friends of Brad Little, Idaho Victory Fund, and Idaho Liberty PAC all seem to have an agenda: to advance their special interests and global interests over individual rights. Is that why they are targeting those who stand up against them?
^ A big pet peeve of mine: Why is Idaho Power able to contribute? There's nothing quite like paying my power bill, knowing it's helping fund my challenger's campaign. How much could we lower our power bills if they weren't allowed to contribute to political campaigns or PACs?
^ Who truly is my challenger? Is it Alex Caval or IACI?
I will always stand 100 percent in support of individual rights for Idahoans! I am committed to protecting our most precious commodity in Idaho: its people. Without you, there is no Idaho!
Please vote on May 21st in person, if possible. That's how valuable our votes are!
If you can contribute to this campaign journey, whether financially, through prayer, or by physically knocking on doors, please reach out to me. If I am to continue being the 'People's Senator,' we need all hands on deck!
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Well stated! Nicely done. I don’t know how we can break the IACI big-business stranglehold, but we must try.
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To anyone who is interested, I’ve put together a frequently-updated voting guide to help people find information like that Glenneda Z included in this article. I hope this guide will be helpful to all (except IACI and its candidates).
🔖BOOKMARK & SHARE THE VOTING GUIDE (short URL): https://tinyurl.com/yh8jhppm
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: NONE. I get ZERO money or other perks for my efforts. I just want to help voters learn what I had to learn piece by piece when we came to Idaho in late 2021. Please do your research, ignore the lies, and vote on May 21, 2024.