When I was in second grade, one of the neighbor girls used to shout, “I’m the boss of you. You have to do what I say.” Made me mad, then.
That phrase remained in my distant memory until the action of the majority of this session’sWyoming House of Representatives brought back the memory, vividly.
Here are five of many examples of how the Freedom Caucus is less about freedom, and more about “being the boss of you.”
In January, Rep. Chris Knapp, R-Gillette, and Rep. Scott Heiner R-Green River, issued a proposed energy policy which suggested development of coal, oil, gas, wind solar geothermal energy, nuclear power and environmental stewardship including carbon sequestration and utilization for enhanced oil recovery.
Their plan included partnerships, tax strategies, grants and loans.
Sounded like a great idea.
But Wyoming has already implemented that plan. Wyoming currently has an energy-matching funds program which does everything they suggested, and more.
The state has leveraged $90.6 million for a return commitment of $260 million, for four coal projects, one helium project, one rare earth mineral project, one hydrogen project, one nuclear project and one renewable energy project.
The program we already have is working well and bringing generational wealth to Wyoming. You’d think responsible legislators would praise the success of the project. The Freedom Caucus does not.
The Freedom Caucus calls the existing, successful project the AOC Green New Deal program.
Why would they disparage the successful program with political buzz words aimed at scuttling it when they are proposing essentially the same thing?
Control.
The Freedom Caucus folks want to be the people in charge of the purse strings, so companies come begging to them for any dollars from the state.
Another example of control is the bill that requires monitoring your sewage. Of all the big-government solutions proposed this session, this one is the most frightening.
The Freedom Caucus proposes to monitor your sewage for the presence of abortion drugs. If they are successful, don’t think they will stop there.
Pretty soon, your sewage will be monitored for prescription drugs, sugar, alcohol, nicotine or whatever other substance they desire to regulate. Sewage monitoring equals big-government control, and it should be nipped in the bud.
The next concerning control issue is the desire to control all the lands in the state. By demanding the federal government turn over all the lands to the state, the legislature becomes the entity controlling access to public lands.
And if someone wants to use the public lands, to whom do they have to go begging? The legislature of course. The move is all about control.
One frightening example of the level of control the Freedom Caucus seeks happened late this week. On Wednesday, Rep. Rob Geringer, R-Cheyenne, brought an amendment to SF 69 – a residential property-tax exemption bill.
The amendment would provide backfill to local governments for the reduction in property tax revenues caused by the legislature’s tax cuts – which would spare law enforcement and other local agencies from imminent downsizing.
The Freedom Caucus defeated the amendment.
Then on Thursday, the Freedom Caucus brought essentially the same amendment back to the floor and adopted it.
Is the defeat and re-proposal of essentially the same amendment about control – or perhaps taking credit for the work of someone not in lock step with the Freedom Caucus?
Friday, another concerning situation reared its ugly head. The political arm of the Freedom Caucus began a texting barrage to the members of the Senate demanding the Senate adopt the Freedom Caucus’ nickel and dime plan. The conduct is a clear violation of the rules governing the operation of the legislature.
Mason’s Legislative Manual, Sec. 760.2 says, “The member or officers of one house have no right to attempt to direct the members or officer of the other house . . . “
Rule 760.5 instructs, “It is a breach of order in debate to notice what has been said on the same subject in the other house, or the particular votes or majorities there, because the opinion of each house should be independent and not be influenced by the proceeding of the other, and the quoting of them might cause reflections leading to a misunderstanding between the two houses.”
Debates in each house should be independent. The rules are clear.
The Freedom Caucus is trying to boss everyone.
We all should shout what was shouted so long ago, “You are not the boss of me! Stop it.”
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 - 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
