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Denounce Hate and Extremism

In the past several days our communities across the state have seen very ugly acts of extremism and hateful speech.  In my neighborhood in Boise, someone tore down pride flags that line Harrison Blvd. Thankfully, the community responded and an anonymous donor bought more flags and citizens banded together to replace them, sending the message that hate will not be tolerated in our community and we will stand against it in support of our LGBTQ neighbors. 

 


Then I saw an ugly story about a Boise Pastor spewing hateful anti-LGBTQ speech to his church calling for the "death penalty" for LGBTQ people. 

It’s this kind of hate speech, from a pulpit no less, that sends the message to people that they can ban books that have LGBTQ characters in them and try to erase human beings from existence.

It’s this kind of hate speech that gives extreme GOP legislators permission to draft legislation targeting trans youth and attacking their very freedoms and human rights to deny medical care approved by their parents.

It’s this kind of hate speech that creates an on-ramp for extremist violence. This UN-Christian speech fuels hateful actions, like those that were thankfully disrupted in CDA yesterday by police when they confronted extremists who intended to riot against a Pride function.

It is upon all of us to denounce hate speech, like the speech from this boise pastor, which leads to discrimination and oppression. We must all vocally and publicly say NO MORE. We must do all we can to surround our LGBTQ citizens and citizens of color w/ support & the rule of law to protect their rights. 

So take action and condemn these types of behaviors now. 
  • If you know of any organization who is hosting any type of speaker promoting hate, confront them, and publicly make others aware of it.
  • Publicly denounce racism, sexism, homophobia and any oppression.
  • If you attend a church where a "pastor" is spreading hate, let them know you disapprove and then go to another church. Speak with your fellow parishioners to support you and do the same.
  • Research candidates you vote for and be sure they are not supported by or are supporting hate mongering people. 
Chills when down my spine when I read about police arresting 31 members of that white nationalist organization in CDA "on a charge of conspiracy to riot. The men were packed into a U-Haul truck and detained a short distance away from the gathering, which was being held at public park." 

We cannot let this hate and violence infiltrate our state any longer.  I will be reaching out to my colleagues across the aisle to consult on ways that we can counter this very ugly and violent threat to our democracy. 

If you have concerns or questions, please email me at mwintrow@senate.idaho.gov.
 

As Property Taxes Rise, 
So Does Our Blood Pressure
 

If your property tax assessment is sending you through the roof, you can thank the Republican supermajority in the Statehouse. Idahoans have never been more clear about the burden of bloated property tax bills: Fix-the-problem! If you don’t, we can’t afford to live here anymore. Democrats were right there with you last legislative session; we tried our hardest to pass bills to help Idaho families, and at every turn we were blocked. Those politicians weren’t blocking us, they were blocking you. 
 
The solution is simple: increase the homeowner’s exemption so it actually makes a dent on your bottom line. That’s it. Simple, right? 
 
Wrong! Last session, my colleagues across the aisle turned their backs on the people again. They opted to heap even more income tax breaks onto the wealthy and well-connected which does nothing for elderly people on fixed incomes aging in their home nor middle income folks just trying to get by. 
 
In fact, the big tax break (for those who didn’t need it) was the first bill out of the gate and signed by Gov. Brad Little, who said, “I remember my mother telling me you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but we kind of are this year.” What he didn’t say was that we would be choking on our property taxes. There’s no amount of icing that sweetens that deal. 
 
For 81 long days, the supermajority in the House and Senate considered nearly 600 pieces of legislation and when it was all over, they did nothing on property tax relief. Let that sink in…Your tax dollars — not at work. 
 
Democrats fought for you. We fought for property tax relief. We fought for removing sales taxes on groceries. Now we’re fighting for a gas tax holiday — the kind of tax relief Idahoans want. Even though the majority party has ignored the majority of Idahoans, Democrats are listening; we are fighting for you; and we are committed to taking back Idaho for you!
 
Last session I passed a bill (that I have to fight tooth and nail to get) to provide a bit of property tax relief for in-home caregivers. While it’s a victory, it took me almost 3 years!  I fought and fought to finally get it through the Senate where it languished on the House calendar until, THE LAST DAY of the session as THE LAST BILL to be heard: Republican leadership finally let it come up for a vote...and it passed.  Helping people shouldn’t be that hard!  

In 2016 Rep Moyle and Rep Trujillo sponsored a bill to cap the Homeowner's exemption at $100K and removed the index on it to adjust for inflation. That bill made a huge shift from commercial property taxes to residential that we haven't made up for since. The problem keeps getting worse and my GOP colleagues continue to ignore the problem.
 
I hope that regardless of party affiliation, everyone will show up at the polls this fall and vote in their best interests and vote for Democrats who are raising hell over the rising cost of living.

I promise you that I will continue to fight for your best interests and for reasonable and common sense laws to help as many people as possible, INCLUDING meaningful property tax relief.  
 
Please Contribute to My Campaign 
 
If you are happy with the work I have been doing these years, please
click to contribute to my campaign for re-election.  

Consider a Monthly Donation to keep me Going Year Round.  

You can also send a check to 
Wintrow for Idaho Senate
1711 W Ridenbaugh St
Boise, ID 83702
Make Recovery the Epidemic
 
I traveled to Denver last week as an NCSL Opioid Policy Fellow representing the Idaho Senate. I have been a part of this group meeting on zoom for a few months, and we finally got to meet in person. We reviewed harm reduction practices and policies to address the opioid epidemic that has caused over 100,000 deaths this year annually. Idaho's Behavior Health Council has been doing great things in this area, and I will do all I can to bring this new knowledge to them to help Idahoans. 
 

GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
I joined Gemma Gaudette to talk about gun violence in our communities and some of the challenges facing our own state. 

"Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow listened to the stories of these students and worked with them for months to craft a resolution that would get the legislature to “encourage Idaho's residents and institutions to continue to educate, promote, and implement safety precautions for firearms access and storage.”

Senator Wintrow joins Idaho Matters to talk about what happened to this resolution and about some of the other gun safety bills she has introduced..."

I have introduced three bills in the past 4 years to deal with people who shouldn't have firearms (convicted domestic abusers and pedophiles) AND this resolution, which would merely encourage safe use and storage.  After working for months, the committee chair actually agreed to have a hearing on the bill, but once the gun lobby found out, the resolution was pulled. 

These students learned a lot and they won't give up. They will use the knowledge they gained to continue to work towards reasonable and meaningful legislation that acknowledges the 2nd amendment to the constitution while also addressing safety.  Those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive of each other.   

I also brought this subject up at a recent Legislative Council meeting requesting that we have a discussion about prohibiting firearms in the Statehouse.  I believe in time, place and manner when it comes to firearms, and there is no need for anyone to have a firearm in the Statehouse, with the exception of State Police. It is essential that people can come to their government free from the threat of violence. 

Below you can read the resolution I drafted with the high school students. Tell me what you think? 
Reasonable? Would you give it a hearing?

OUT AND ABOUT 
It was a pleasure to join Administrator Salazar, Boise Mayor McLean, City Council members, housing providers and developers for a round table to discuss housing challenges and innovative solutions to increase and stabilize the housing supply in the Treasure Valley. Today, HUD Secretary Fudge launched Our Way Home, a new initiative to boost the nation’s affordable housing supply, which will elevate how communities are using HUD and other federal, state, and local resources to build and preserve affordable homes. With Boise designated by many national surveys as having the highest cost of housing in the country, this conversation was imperative!
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Paid for by Wintrow for Idaho | Treasurer Anne Kunkel
1711 Ridenbaugh, Boise, ID - 83702

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Paid for by Wintrow for Idaho | Treasurer Anne Kunkel
1711 Ridenbaugh, Boise, ID - 83702

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You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.