Mr. Souder,
I have just had the opportunity to review a video
clip in which you are featured making a statement regarding
"whistleblowers." In this clip you are quoted as saying "I
don't see these 'whistleblowers' out there panning for food.....they are celebrities
in the media....." How ignorant are you? My
family has been destroyed as the direct result of a whistleblowing
incident. My husband attempted to turn over questionable documents to a
higher official WITHIN the government agency that he
was employed. These documents directly implicated upper management in
corrupt activity that directly violated government policy, and law. Would
you like to know what the result of that action was? Immediate
termination, and a FBI raid of our home. I have two small children, who,
at the time were 3 and 5 years old. Perhaps you would like to write them
a letter and explain to them why 8 men with guns barged into our home at 7:15am
in the morning. And, in that letter, maybe you could shed light
on how this incident improved our lives, and made their Daddy a
"celebrity." He was the only bread winner in our home, as
I stayed at home with my young children. We had a good life, and my
husband is good man, with a solid Christian beliefs, and with
morals that supersede most people's. He was doing the right thing,
and what the general public would want a government employee to
do. Primarily, the information that he was turning over demonstrated
fraud, waste, and abuse of government money--TAXPAYER MONEY.
It is painfully obvious to us, now, that government
agencies operate by threats and intimidation of their staff.
Any individual working for the agency that employed my husband will readily
admit that, at his former location, it is a hostile working
environment. They will also confirm that a member of upper management
announced loudly at a staff meeting "this is what happens to people who
write letters."
You see, my husband is not the only employee from that
location that was terminated for whistleblowing. Surely, since we are all
"celebrities" you already know our names, and our cases.
However, on the off chance that you do not, I will give you an
overview. Two training coordinators were terminated as a
direct result of making disclosures to upper management about severe
breeches that endanger the general public on a daily basis.
The former head of this agency, at that local station, was forced to
"resign in lieu of termination" after calling for an
investigation of a subordinate that he suspected to be engaging in activity
that was at the least against policy and possibly in violation of federal
law. For his action, this individual lost his home, has had to work
menial jobs paying $8.00/hour, and is currently unemployed. He has a wife
and three young children to support. But, I'm sure since he is a
"media celebrity" you know precisely who I am talking about. He
and his family have had no choice but to go onto government assistance; this
man, who, at one point was making $90,000/year. Sir, I'm sure you
make more than that, and I assume you have a family. Can you
conceive of having no means of employment, going on government assistance,
and having your only means of income be your wife's job, that she had to
get because you lost yours, that doesn't even amount to $30,000/year? I'm
sure you cannot imagine it, and more than likely will never have to,
but for some of us, it is a blatant reality that we have to
live with. You know, in between interviews on Larry King, and dining
with Hollywood Elite.
On the chance that you are wondering what happened to my
family as a result of my husband's "whistleblowing," we had to leave
our home, move to another state, my husband had to take a position
with a salary that pays only half of what he was making. I am a
conservative individual who intended to devote my life to my family and raising
my children. Instead, I now have to work full time, seeing my family
about 21/2 hours a night. I've cried countess tears for what we've lost,
and it has shaken us to the core. How does this happen to someone who is
doing the right thing? I'll tell you why, sir, it's because of people
like you. You continue to collect your ridiculously large paycheck, and
"claim" that you are representing the American people; people
like me. You have your own crooked political agendas, the exact thing you
claim motivates whistleblowers, and you are getting away with it, with
taxpayer's money, every day. You are completely diluted if you
actually believe what it is that you said. On the contrary, though, it is
more than likely the view of some very generous people lining
your pockets to shove their opinions down our throats. You should be
totally ashamed of what you said, and if nothing else, I hope that this letter
gives you pause, and that you consider that what you said is blatantly
ignorant and false. The day that we become ridiculously wealthy and
famous, perhaps I will take back some of what I said. However, even
if that were to happen, it couldn't give us back what we've lost, and
our lives will be forever changed as a result of the U.S.
Government. Thank you sir, for your devotion to people like
us. You disgust me, and I don't know how you can look at yourself in the
mirror everyday. If we have nothing else left, at least I know that the
man I love stood up for what is right, and I will always admire him
for what he did. It's a shame that you cannot say as much.
A very disappointed TAX PAYING AMERICAN WIFE AND
MOTHER