Guest Posts on County 10 are provided by contributors and the opinions, thoughts, and comments within are their own and may not necessarily reflect those of County 10.
Fremont County was once a force in state politics. Roy Peck, Bob Peck, John Vinich, and Eli Bebout put our opinions on the state stage, and the other 22 counties paid attention. The old Fremont County Coalition as it was called, met each morning before the legislative session to discuss ideas pertinent to the county, and to present a unified front. They weren’t all Republicans or Democrats, each man had particular interests, specific political beliefs, and very different ways of looking at issues.
They had two things in common, the first was a devotion to the people of the county, and the second was established ties in their respective communities. These people and their families had deep roots in Fremont County.
I discussed issues openly with all of them. Even as a college student Roy and Bob were open to my questions, views and expressed their beliefs to me in clear, open terms.
I wish we could go back to those days.
We still have a handful of legislators who will listen to your concerns, and openly answer your questions, while upholding the things they stand for. Ember Oakley, Cale Case, and Lloyd Larson always have time to hear a constituent’s viewpoint. Ivan Posey hasn’t been elected yet, but he is also a man you can speak with and who is not afraid of defending his position.
I wish our other legislators and candidates had the same practice. They don’t.
The asinine boycott of open political debates held by the League of Women Voters on the palest of right-wing extremist positions that they are a “Liberal Organization” says a lot more about these weak-minded, feeble politicians than it does about an organization dedicated to informing voters.
If you want to hold office, and can’t or won’t defend your positions, you have no business representing anyone.
The late Gary Jennings was a friend. When he was a county commissioner and a state representative we often talked politics. Gary always started with the approach of explaining to me how I was wrong, but after I blew through that façade, we had great conversations. They were usually accompanied by a cup of coffee, or if we were at his place, a piece of delicious homemade pie at their kitchen table. That’s the kind of discourse Wyoming was once known for.
I knew Gale McGee, Teno Roncalio, Ed Herschler, Dave Freudenthal and Mike Sullivan on a professional level. Governor Ed was a duck hunting buddy. Rep. Roncalio nominated me for an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Brace yourself, they were all Democrats. (oh the horror!)
The late Craig Thomas was an amazing senator, a true representative of the people. While I didn’t always agree with him, I respected his logic. I did the same with Mike Enzi.
When Wyoming was a vibrant, growing state, we had men and women on both sides of the political spectrum representing us in Cheyenne and in Washington.
We still have a handful of thoughtful, intelligent, and informed representatives down at the state capitol, but friends who work in state government often ask me, “What the hell happened to Fremont County?”
They’re referring to those same people who refuse to debate, don’t have any original thoughts, and who simply parrot what they hear in the mainstream, right-wing media.
We deserve better in our elected representatives. A parrot could do what they do.
Here are a few questions these “wannabe leaders” need to answer since they’re afraid to debate.
- What is your stance on Medicare expansion in Wyoming?
- What is your position on the Riverton Hospital project?
- Do you consider ambulance and EMT services essential?
- What is your opinion of the nuclear facility being built in Kemmerer?
- What is your view of solar and wind power?
- How will you lower property taxes while maintaining state revenue?
- What is your stance on private school vouchers?
Simple questions that address our woeful medical conditions in Fremont County, along with statewide energy and education issues. None of those hiding from debate have said anything about these. Cale, Ember, and Lloyd have statements on all of them. Thankfully I’m not alone in my concerns.
Here is an e-mail from a reader recently. She asked if I would run it and I told her no problem. She expresses humorously, the same questions the “Freedom Coalition” group is dodging.
SICK HUMOR? OH, SHE’S A DEAD SERIOUS FARMER’S WIFE!
I kept thinking about the WY legislature deeming ambulance service as nonessential.
It wouldn’t surprise me if a whole bunch of grandmas and grandpas have already made a pact: Since there’s no guarantee that the ambulance will respond to a 911 call, just wait a bit to make sure you want to die and don’t bother calling.
Since I can’t lift my 6′ 2″ husband to assist getting him into the pickup on a well day, how’s that going to work for a near death experience?
I ran this by my husband not too long ago:
If you feel like you are not going to make it, let’s get you in the back of my SUV. Since it’s low to the ground and it has 3 banks of seats. All but the front seats fold down to perhaps let you just kind of sorta fall and roll in from the back end.
Besides my SUV looks like a cross between a toaster with lights and an ambulance.
When you quit breathing, then I’ll drive you into town to the local funeral home carport area and wait.
Don’t worry. I’ll wait until the funeral home opens and let them know who you are… er, who you were.
This plan won’t work, of course, for several reasons:
Bad press.
Nationwide headlines and articles would surface about how the Wyoming legislature and all Wyoming county commissioners have the adopted KAP, the Kevorkian Ambulance Plan.
Lawsuits.
Several lawsuits will be filed about how the 988 hotline and 911 hotline are at odds with each other in Wyoming because the state laws conflict with each other big time. Plus, all WY legislators who voted for the ambulance service to be classified as non-essential will be named in a variety of different lawsuits as well.
Divorce rates will increase.
Honey, when I said, “I’m ready!”, I meant I’m ready to go out to dinner, not the ‘I’m ready’ which means I want to wait in the SUV until I quit breathing instead of futilely calling 911. My ‘I’m ready’ means you don’t have to wait in the recliner anymore and we can get in the pickup and head for the drive-up window of Mickey Dees.
Perhaps one good outcome of the Kevorkian Ambulance Plan (KAP) could be quality communication between couples might increase.
Make sure your significant other knows that you want to live.
She brings up excellent points, and yes, it’s true. Your county commissioners and those “Freedom From Original Thought Folks” don’t consider ambulance service essential.
Lest you think I’m a communist, a Democrat, or worse yet “a Rino, I’ll give you my opinion on the greatest governor Wyoming has ever had and the greatest president of the 20th century.
No one did more for Wyoming and our state’s future than Stan Hathaway. The man saw the future, developed a plan and now we all benefit from it. Stan was a Republican, a true conservative. He’d be thrown out of the Wyoming GOP today as a liberal.
I’ll vacillate on the best president, if you’re one of those hiding from debate, vacillate means to waver when reaching a decision.
Dwight Eisenhower gets the top position, with Theodore Roosevelt a very close second.
I can’t abide the alphabet soup crowd of the far left either. Both extremes are insane.
Where are people of principle like these two in national politics today? You might find a few locally and thankfully, we have three, but they are an endangered species.