By Dave Simpson, Columnist
Now that the dust has settled and our lawmakers have packed up and gone home (whew), it’s time to catch up on some items of interest here in Downstate Wyoming (anywhere east of Buford and south of Chugwater).
Let’s touch some bases:
– According to a guest column in Cowboy State Daily, members of the Wyoming House Leadership think members of the Wyoming House Leadership did a great job this year. And they scolded 25 members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
House Leadership praised themselves for the great new spending they approved, despite opposition from the frugal Freedom Caucus members. Meanwhile, bills banning mandatory vaccines, banning trans-gender surgery on teenagers, and banning sex talk with grade school kids failed to pass.
At 25 feisty members now, however, and the real possibility of more in the future, the day may come when a Freedom Caucus member decides what bills get stuck in the dreaded drawer.
Imagine that.
Just Say No To Apps
– “Will you be using your mobile app today?” the person at McDonalds asks me every afternoon at the drive-up lane.
“No!” I reply.
I’m getting a cup of coffee. Why would I need an app?
But I didn’t want to be one of those people who hold up the drive-through line asking questions. (At a McDonalds in Michigan years ago, the lady in front of me wanted to know what’s in a Big Mac. The ingredients are so well known that most of us could sing them to her – “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame-seed bun.”)
“Why do I need an app to buy a cup of coffee?” I finally asked.
“Because I have to ask,” she replied, in a tone that told me she was tired of the question.
Turns out if you use the app, you can get coupons for free stuff, she explained. But you’d probably have to use your phone to get your free stuff, so I’m against that too.
At the place I used to get my hair cut they have an app so you can check in on-line, then jump ahead of poor schmoes like me who just show up for a haircut. I don’t go there anymore.
And at my favorite restaurant in Bill (the only restaurant in Bill) they told me they don’t have a menu anymore, but I could take a picture of a squiggly little box and a menu would appear on my phone.
(Not gonna happen.)
“I’ll just take a Penny’s Burger and fries,” I replied. (You can’t go wrong with a Penny’s Burger. Trust me on this. And the fries are awesome.)
This app thing is getting out of hand. Take a cue from Nancy Reagan and “just say no to apps.”
– Maybe it’s the dad in me, but I find myself worrying that Vice President Kamala Harris is crying herself to sleep every night.
She’s even more unpopular than her boss. There’s open speculation about dumping her from the ticket if Very Old Joe (a not-very merry old soul) runs again (which 80 percent of Americans hope won’t happen). She dropped the ball as Border Czar. Whenever she speaks, it’s fodder for comedy shows. And there’s that insane giggle.
But, last weekend there was Kamala on TV, whooping it up with movie stars, celebrating International Women’s Month. So I guess she’s not crying herself to sleep at night.
Nevermind.
Stolen Election
– If this isn’t slam-dunk, case-closed, stick-a-fork-in-us evidence of the decline of a once-great country, I don’t know what is.
According to a story last week by Wendy Corr in Cowboy State Daily, the French Bulldog has displaced the venerable Labrador Retriever – winner for virtually decades – as the most popular dog in America.
As a life-long aficionado of black Labs (Cecil, Cleo, Jake, Woody, Jack, Sam, Mitch), I’m reminded of the words of President George H.W. Bush when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait:
“This will not stand.”
If ever there was clear indication of voter fraud and a stolen election – I suspect vote harvesting, mail-in-voter irregularities, random skulduggery, and mysterious midnight ballot dumps in Milwaukee and Detroit – this is surely it.
I smell a rat.
