Just when we thought the Idaho Senate couldn’t get any more left-of-center, two actions on Monday make us reconsider. One has to do with illegal immigration, and the other has the state funding abortions, transgender “medicine,” and social justice.
First, immigration: Last Friday, when most in the Idaho Legislature took time off to honor the life of former Governor Phil Batt, a handful of legislators pushed through a resolution calling for amnesty for illegal immigrants!
Sens. Treg Bernt, Linda Hartgen, Chuck Winder, and Reps. Judy Boyle, Chenele Dixon, Rod Furniss, Stephanie Mickelsen, Jack Nelson, and Jerald Raymond co-sponsored Senate Joint Memorial 101, which calls for the federal government to reform our immigration system. SJM 101 includes an explicit call for amnesty of illegal aliens currently working in the United States.
Rather than holding a public hearing on the measure, Senate leadership sent the proposal straight to the floor for a vote. On Monday, conservative senators moved to send it back to a committee where it belonged so that the public could weigh in. But the motion was voted down. Not only that, but Sen. Winder chastised them for daring to do such a thing!
Does Sen. Winder — the President Pro Tempore of the Idaho Senate — represent legal citizens or illegal migrants? Does he answer to the people of Idaho or to the big businesses who want to import a servant class of cheap labor? Does he care at all about the flood of fentanyl, other drugs, and human trafficking across our borders? Border security should be the priority.
Senate leadership is afraid to allow SJM 101 to get a committee hearing because they’re afraid of what the public has to say. They want to rush this memorial through without any feedback from you!
Second, funding for abortions, transgenderism, and other social justice issues: The Idaho Senate passed Senate Bill 1147 to fund abortion education and transgender medicine at Idaho’s only publicly-funded medical school. The Idaho WWAMI program is a program that allows the University of Washington to operate a medical school on the University of Idaho campus. The program teaches all medical students how to perform abortions and to provide transgender health care as a basic part of becoming your next family doctor.
Sen. Scott Herndon attempted to send Senate Bill 1147 back to the Joint Finance - Appropriations Committee, but this proposal was shot down. The fact that this budget literally violates state law did not seem to matter.
These two issues demonstrate why party affiliation is a distraction. It doesn’t matter what politicians say on the campaign trail — what matters is how they vote. That is why the Freedom Index is such an important tool. It is a consistent, objective metric that exposes the leftists who pretend to be conservative.
Check out the Index today, and see where your representatives stand on the issues.
