Tighty-Whities Winder

By Karen Schumacher

Apparently Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder tighty-whities are in a wad.

Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld wrote a post that clearly, and accurately, revealed the truth about the sad state of affairs in our government by exposing the relationships of some government officials to the corporate world.  There isn’t one iota of misrepresentation in what she wrote.

In response, Mr. Winder has chosen to remove her as vice chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, claiming she was attacking people, defaming them, and was degrading and disrespectful to them.  How does stating the truth defame anyone?  Even a court of law would uphold her statements as being nothing more than factual.  He even included in his comments the possibility of future threats towards her.

It is no secret the deep ties that the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry (IACI) has with elected officials and legislative decisions being influenced based on those relationships.

Mr. Winder was probably lucky that Sen. Zuiderveld didn’t go farther in exposing how all of this is tied to the more global agendas, his tighty-whities might no longer have remained white.  Instead, his idea of being a responsible and ethical elected official is to punish those who address the truth and point fingers at other groups, just a mere tactic of distraction.  He has previously called these groups a “threat” to democracy, clearly not understanding we are a Republic.  Mr. Winder needs to quit projecting his own fears onto others, and abusing his role over them.  By removing Sen. Zuiderveld as vice chair, Mr. Winder has basically committed the same sin he has laid upon his accused by degrading, defaming, and being disrespectful to a member of the Senate body.

Maybe the truth is that Sen. Zuiderveld was getting a little too close to home by not exposing his own involvements with outside groups that are supported by huge global corporations, making decisions, along with all his other legislative minions, that are not representative of constituents but with other countries and states.  Or maybe he is too threatened in knowing he may get exposed for his activities that enmesh the government with corporations, advancing crony capitalism.

Who pays for these trips?  Mr. Winder’s corporate buddies?  Or the taxpayer?

Yes, Mr. Winder should be scared and his retaliatory actions are indicative of just that.  He fails to see his responsibility as an elected official to represent the people, and is more than guilty of the same offenses that were brought to light by Sen. Zuiderveld.  Maybe it would be helpful for him to have a come to Jesus moment where all of his transgressions are confessed, maybe that would turn the legislature around to a body that represents the people, not the corporate world.  One confession should be that he, himself, is an IACI pet as an endorsed candidate, and that his voting record shows his loyalty to IACI (pg 22).  IACI tracking elected officials is not any different from any other group that he points fingers at.

Mr.  Winder has clearly made himself look like a fool.  His actions are retaliatory and he doesn’t understand that he is acting like nothing more than a schoolyard bully standing up for his friends.  By doing so he has validated the very issue brought up by Sen. Zuiderveld.  Winder should exit his position and be voted out of office by his constituents as he is nothing more than a hypocritical leader.