Be honest now. What's not to like about the biggest property tax cut in Wyoming history?
Property taxes on our place near Cheyenne had crept up significantly as the valuation increased, so last year's 25-percent cut, added onto another 25 percent for long-time Wyoming homeowners, provided much-appreciated relief.
But, you hardly ever hear about that tax cut. What's the deal with that?
Are our memories that short?
In fact, as next week's primary election looms, what you often hear is that Freedom Caucus leadership in the Wyoming House of Representatives is about to come to an end.
Real anger is expressed by many voters toward the very people who shepherded that tax cut into law.
Beats me why the Freedom Caucus raises hackles the way it does. We appreciated the tax cut. And we know on whose watch it happened.
And it was the Freedom Caucus setting the agenda in the House when that bill banning boys playing girls sports became law, after disappearing in the House the year before.
Maybe you don't care about that, but I've got two granddaughters.
And the thought of some guy parading around naked in the girls locker room, then unfairly dominating play on the floor, repulses this protective grandpa.
But, once again, the Freedom Caucus gets little credit for their role in helping get that bill over the top.
Same with repealing gun-free zones, increasing the possibility that there will be a good guy with a gun on hand when a mass shooting occurs, as was the case in Idaho just last week.
Same with passing universal school choice, strengthening home school freedom, defending parents' rights, getting illegal aliens off our highways, and showing fiscal responsibility.
And showing an ID to vote.
Some folks, yearning for the return of traditional control of the Legislature, can't wait to be rid of the Freedom Caucus. For them, it's clearly more about control than results.
We hear that four House candidates in Hot Springs County promise that they won't join the Freedom Caucus if elected.
What isn't said is that legislators aren't INVITED to join the Freedom Caucus until they serve a term and demonstrate that they actually VOTE like a conservative.
In all too many cases, candidates realize that in the state that consistently voted over 70 percent for Donald Trump, you have to be a Republican to stand a chance of being elected.
But some of those candidates, once elected, vote much more like Wyoming's few remaining Democrats than Republicans.
It's never been easier to find out how your legislator is voting, with the proliferation of web sites tracking their votes.
Some are Democrats in Disguise, and sites like my favorite, Evidence Based Wyoming, make it crystal clear who they are.
It's more important than ever to not just vote for a name you recognize. Check your office holder's voting record.
Wyoming has been called “the bluest red state,” thanks to our Democrats in Disguise.
And yet most of what you hear in the news and from the experts is that we have to rid Wyoming of the Freedom Caucus.
Given the depth of this animosity, and the loss of some reliable conservatives seeking Wyoming Senate seats or other higher office, it's quite possible that Freedom Caucus leadership in the House may end.
You hear almost nothing these days about continuing the record of success in the House.
The folks who want to regain control have shown a real talent for vilifying the Freedom Caucus.
In 2020, the great, late Charlie Kirk told a group of conservatives here that, “You guys are six years from making this a blue state,” because of lawmakers getting elected as Republicans, but voting like Democrats.
He cited newly-blue states like Colorado and Nevada as examples of what can happen.
He was premature – we're not there yet - but we keep hearing that this primary may be the most important in Wyoming history.
If we throw out the people who actually vote like conservatives, and return control to those who often vote more like Democrats, a big step toward what Charlie Kirk warned of will be taken.
I appreciate what the Freedom Caucus has accomplished, despite the slings and arrows from the Democrats in Disguise and their friends in the media.
If Wyoming throws Freedom Caucus members out of office, we will deserve the bluer, more liberal state we become.
Dave Simpson can be contacted at DaveSimpson145@hotmail.com
