Dear editor:
In his enduring “A Time for Choosing” speech, Ronald Reagan said, “[A]nytime you and I question the schemes of the do-gooders, we’re denounced as being against their humanitarian goals.
They say we’re always “against” things – we’re never “for” anything.
Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”
The conservative majority in the Wyoming legislature has been petulantly labeled by Gov. Gordon as “Club No.”
The idea is that the conservative majority is always “against” things – they’re never “for” anything.
We well-remember the 2018 gubernatorial primary, wherein many Democrats switched parties to vote for “Republican” candidate Mark Gordon (some of the party-switching effort was financially backed by now-Rep. Liz Storer, Democrat).
This was a solid strategic move for Democrats. After all, why not secure the “Republican” candidate known to make sizable campaign donations to Democrats?
Mark Gordon was the most promising prospect for Wyoming Democrats.
So, it’s unsurprising to hear Gov. Gordon espousing the same sentiments about small-government Republicans that our liberal friends have trumpeted for decades.
The governor’s label for the conservative majority isn’t entirely wrong, however. “Club No” is against things – primarily, Club No is against an ever-expanding government.
The position that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is our problem” is a classic Republican principle. (Quoting Ronald Reagan, 1981 Inaugural Address).
The conservative majority has reviewed Wyoming’s budget through the lens of the appropriate role of government, not how much money they can possibly spend.
Principled Republicans have long-stood for limited government and fiscal responsibility, not a bigger-means-better budget mentality.
We haven’t seen an authentic Republican approach toward Wyoming’s budget prior to this conservative majority in the House, and as a result we’ve seen our state budget triple in fifteen years.
The conservative majority told us who they were when we elected them. They said they believe in the Wyoming Republican Party Platform. Section 11 of the Wyoming Republican Party Platform notably reads,
“…The free-market economy is the economic system most compatible with the requirements of personal freedom and constitutional government. Government’s undue influence in the market, as well as the fiscal irresponsibility of government, results in economic inequity. There exists no fundamental rights to the fruits of another person’s labor.”
As the conservative majority considers funding for Wyoming Business Council, the University, and Wyoming Public Media, please continue to question the appropriate role and size of government.
The conservative majority is working to say “no” to fiscal irresponsibility, and “yes” to smaller government, in line with the Wyoming Republican Party Platform.
If you are a registered Republican who disagrees with many of the House’s budget decisions, my amiable request is that you consider whether your values are more in line with the Wyoming Democratic Party’s Platform.
But if you agree that ballooning government should be corrected, please vote again for our conservative majority – those principled individuals not afraid to say “no.”
Sincerely,
Jan Loftus, Buffalo
