Speaker Bedke for Sale

“Our votes are not for sale,” House Speaker Scott Bedke assured his fellow Republicans during a Southern Idaho Republican Women’s Lt. Governor’s Forum. On October 25, 2021 in Twin Falls, Idaho, Bedke made this promise in response to the following question:

Bedke delivers his promise to “not be bought”

“Doing spreadsheets on your contributions — and some more than others —  have a lot of corporate donations. How can you reassure your constituents that you will protect our individual rights over corporate agendas?” 

I advise our liberty-minded readers to never take any politician’s word for it, but to do your own fact checking. For my own research, I started by asking the following:

• Do my legislators’ words — or their corporate contributors, for that matter — match the way they vote on bills?
• Do my legislators’ words match the way they appoint Committee Chairs?
• Why, when they become Chairs to a Committee, do they table citizen bills?
• Would these corporations give contributions to candidates without vetting to see if they will vote in favor or against bills that benefit them?  

In researching Speaker Bedke’s corporate contributors from 2018 to current, I discovered that he receives more corporate, lobbyist and PAC money than most other candidates.  If we look at 2020 when Bedke did not have a challenger for his seat, we find that he received an estimated $75,000.00 from an approximately 107 different corporations and PACs. PACs such as Blue Cross, PhRma, Regence, K12 Management, Idaho Bankers Assoc,  Idaho Realtors PAC, Pfizer, and Idaho Power, just to name a few.

Many of these corporations are members of Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry (IACI). To grasp IACI’s ability to influence both Republicans In Name Only (RINOs) and Democrats, I urge you to read “How IACI isTurning Idaho Blue” on our website here. IACI is an “…influential force in Idaho politics representing every facet of business and industry in the state.”  Indeed, through its Idaho Prosperity Fund (IPF), money is poured into “…candidates for Statewide, Legislative, and Local office”, who they determine believe in a free market society, rights of the individual, and are committed to preserving the free enterprise system. 

IACI does not promote free markets, rights, or free enterprise.  It promotes the goals and objectives of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Great Reset Initiative and the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).  Through IACI’s influence over politicians and subsequent policy and legislation, these two organizations are integrating global agendas into the lives of Idaho citizens.  Both the WEF and UN partner with global corporations but it is primarily the WEF that is more powerful in executing these objectives through corporate participation and influence.

The above facts beg new questions: Why would all these corporations donate to a race that does not have a challenger?  And why do corporations only give to certain elected officials?  And would they continue to give if they voted against bills that would benefit their corporations? 

As I was researching all of this, I came across another interesting find. Out of the $75,000, Bedke contributed an estimated $27,000 to certain Republican candidates, like Jason Monks, Barbara Ehardt, Megan Blanksma, Judy Boyle, Caroline Troy, Greg Chaney, Julie Yamamoto and Sage Dixon — to name just a few.

If, like Bedke, Republicans are promising “Our votes are not for sale”, then why are only certain legislators given such contributions, and why do they turn around and contribute to certain fellow House Representatives? For a deep-dive on exactly why, see my detailed spreadsheet here.

Can we afford to continue to blindly trust politicians hiding behind the “R” after their names, who accept contributions from globalist corporate funds, to truly protect our individual rights and Idaho’s state sovereignty?  I think not. Perhaps that’s why Magic Valley RINOs don’t answer my emails or phone calls any more. No corporate-owned sponsored politician wants to be confronted by an informed citizen, armed with the facts. But don’t take my word for it (or your legislator’s “R” on the ballot, or Bedke’s promise, for that matter). As a liberty-minded, freedom-loving citizen, it is incumbent upon you and me — WE THE PEOPLE — to do our own homework.

CALL TO ACTION: 

• Fact-check your legislator for yourself by going to the Idaho Secretary of State Campaign Portal here. 
• Watch our instructional video on how to find and view Sunshine Reports here.
• Hold your legislator accountable by informing them of your findings, that you are sharing your info with others, that you will actively support liberty-minded candidates.
• Share this article.
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