Dear Editor:
I generally try to avoid reading articles that make me mad. Life’s too short, and most of them are somebody’s opinion anyway. But I read the article about Joe Ricketts and Bondurant because I know the area and some of the people involved.
It has always interested me that people will move into a place because they love it, then immediately set about changing it. I also recognize successful people are that way because they have an inner fire to build and create. The history of the west is made up of just such folks.
But what upset me, is when Joe played the grandkid card. I’ve watched lots of ranchers try to expand their business by adding recreation or an enterprise to fit a niche market so their kids could stay close and keep a ranch that has taken the best years of multiple generations.
Joe Ricketts is saying hey, outside of 4.6 billion dollars I’m just like you. I can’t help but think his grandkids would see therapy as a better investment for grandpa’s insecurities than dumping a bunch of their inheritance into what looks like a money pit.
I remember going to Jackson as a kid and the whole business district was on the boardwalks. I still enjoy seeing the Tetons, the river, and the wildlife. I would also like to live there.
However, I’m not going to spend a bunch of money to try and bribe the local authorities into changing the name of my street to Jackson Hole Blvd. And you know what? I have the same view of the Tetons and the Snake River as they have on the Upper Hoback.
Sincerely
Brent Winter
Buffalo, WY
