The Wyoming Legislature groaned to a halt last week, after passing 165 bills that we'll all have to start obeying soon.
You might not have thought we needed 165 new laws, but it could be a lot worse. Hundreds of bills were proposed.
Our lawmakers only consumed 37 of their constitutionally-allowed 40 days for a regular session.
Former Senate President Ogden Driskill summed up the session for Cowboy State Daily with this gushing praise:
The controversial Freedom Caucus – in control for the first time in the Wyoming House - didn't do “a horrible job,” and actually exceeded Driskill's expectations. But they were fixated on national issues, which he sees as a negative.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams told Cowboy State that the group did a good job, putting over a dozen bills on the governor's desk, but that the biased media and the good-old boys will no doubt disagree.
Before the session started, a reader sent me an e-mail, hoping the Freedom Caucus would not bite off more than it could chew in this first go-round, make good on some campaign promises, and show voters they didn't make a mistake putting them in charge in the House.
Looks like they succeeded in doing those things, and come 2026 they could gain support, particularly in the Wyoming Senate – where the Freedom Caucus is currently less of a factor. But the Senate killed the supplementary budget, which was kind of a radical, upset-the-apple-cart, Freedom Caucus-y thing to do. Who done it, and why, remains a mystery.
Last week, as we stood on our porches in Cheyenne and waved goodbye to exhausted lawmakers from around the state, we were reminded of the words of American lawyer, editor and politician Judge Gideon Tucker from 1866:
“No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”
- Meanwhile:
A loyal reader in Texas responded to my column two weeks ago, in which I wrote that my wife – laid up after a total knee replacement – is “working me like a pack mule” doing all the stuff she normally does around the house.
The night after her surgery, I said,“Does this mean you're not going to take the garbage tote out to the end of the driveway” (it's about 60 yards) “like you usually do?”
Here's what my Texas reader wrote:
“My wife had her right knee replaced a few months ago and I was the pack mule. I worked from home for over a month until she was released to drive. I did the cooking, the cleaning, the running the kid all over God's creation, taking her to PT and related follow-up appointments. At the end of the day I found the whole experience to be quite educational for me.
“A month into the rehabilitation, my wife hobbled over to sit by me on the couch, looked me in the eye and said in all sincerity, 'Thank you for taking such good care of me through all this.' In that moment I learned that, 'No problem honey, it's kinda nice to have the whole house clean and running smoothly for a change' is probably not the best response.
“My wife has a great sense of humor, but I don't think it was turned on that day.”
- And lastly:
Cowboy State Daily Writer Renee Jean wrote a terrific feature on one of my favorite haunts in Casper, Frosty's Lounge, and a unique drink they serve there that reportedly tastes like old socks and misery.
Frosty's was a favorite hangout of Star-Tribuners back in the 1980s. We celebrated promotions, holidays, and surviving another week in the crazy news biz down at Frosty's. We consumed plenty of delicious pitchers of Coors and cheap cheeseburger / potato chip specials. A friend and I planned my cabin at Frosty's.
They had “Cattle Call” by Eddy Arnold on the jukebox, in which Arnold yodels. At one point in the yodeling, everyone in the bar would yell “WHOOP” along with Arnold.
It felt so wonderfully western. Sometimes, when someone played “Cattle Call,” we stood and placed our hands over our hearts.
I loved Frosty's.
If it wasn't 180 miles from Cheyenne, I'd probably still be a Saturday night regular.
Dave Simpson can be reached at: DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com
