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CSD Staff

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Guest Column: Let Judges Do Their Jobs

Guest columnists Alaina Stedillie and Grant Lawson write: "Judges should be allowed to do their jobs, which is to apply the facts of each case to the governing law. This is the only way the system can work the way our Founders so wisely designed it."

CSD StaffMay 01, 2025

Guest Column: An Assessment Of The First 100 Days Of Trump’s Second Term

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes, "Trump’s most visible success has been in the field of illegal immigration belying the Biden Administration’s falsehood that he could do nothing to stem the flow of illegals without Congress passing legislation."

CSD StaffApril 29, 2025

Guest Column: Trump’s First 100 Days Are A Vast Improvement Over Biden

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman writes, "If you want proof that the Trump administration is a vast improvement over Joe Biden’s presidency, we need only look to our Southern Border [where] daily border encounters are down by 93 percent and migrant crossings are down a whopping 99.99 percent."

CSD StaffApril 28, 2025

Guest Column: Don't Hand Your County Clerk's Duties To Someone In Cheyenne

Columnist Gail Symons writes: "Believe the county clerk who lives in your town, not the politician in Cheyenne making headlines by spreading distrust and disinformation."

CSD StaffApril 27, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for Dr. Mehmet Oz as Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator in the Oval Office at the White House on April 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Guest Column: President Trump’s Bold Postal Reforms Must Meet Wyoming’s Needs

Frontiers of Freedom President George Landrith writes, "The solution is not perpetual taxpayer-funded bailouts. Instead, the Postal Service should adopt a hybrid model that preserves its essential functions while allowing private industry to handle the rest."

CSD StaffApril 22, 2025

Rep. Steve Johnson (left), Rep. Ken Pendergraft (right)

Guest Column: Entitlement and Nobility: Results Matter More than Roots.

Rep. Ken Pendergraft and Rep. Steve Johnson write, "The Wyoming Freedom Caucus doesn’t care how many generations you’ve been here — we care whether you’ll stand up for liberty, fiscal responsibility, and the Constitution."

CSD StaffApril 21, 2025

Guest Column: Stop And Be Curious About Those Older Folks

Gail Symons writes: "My dad and his siblings sat in our living room. In their early 80s, they made fun of each other and laughed about youthful escapades. That day, they were rambunctious. But I didn’t write anything down, and now it's too late."

CSD StaffApril 20, 2025

Guest Column: Social Security Customer Service Crisis Puts Spotlight on New Social Security Commissioner

AARP Wyoming State Director Sam Shumway writes, "SSA scrapped a service change last week that would have forced many Wyomingites to have to go in-person to a Social Security office for routine services that have been handled over the phone."

CSD StaffApril 17, 2025

Guest Column: Americans Elected Donald Trump - Not Liberal Judges

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis writes, "When Democrats fail at the ballot box, they turn to the courts to accomplish their goals. They used the Justice Department to go after President Trump during the last four years - and they are now using unelected federal judges to block what they can’t stop in the executive or legislative branch."

CSD StaffApril 17, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming’s Mental Health Crisis Deserves an Honest Conversation

Former Speaker of the House Albert Sommers writes, "After the Wyoming Freedom Caucus’s actions over the last 3 years of voting against nearly every effort to support mental health solutions, I was dumbfounded to read Cassie Craven’s opinion piece, 'It's Time For Elementary School Counselors In Wyoming.'"

CSD StaffApril 14, 2025

Guest Column: Maybe The Freedom Caucus Should Read The Good Samaritan

Guest Columnist Gail Symons writes: “You can’t claim to ‘protect life’ while voting against suicide prevention. Or say you value families while blocking hospice funding. And you certainly can’t promote ‘truth’ while spreading falsehoods about your colleagues and state institutions.”

CSD StaffApril 13, 2025

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray

Guest Column: Wyoming Deserves Common-Sense Election Integrity

Guest columnists Harriet Hageman and Chuck Gray write, “Passage of the SAVE Act in the Senate is critical to ensure that every state requires proof of United States citizenship to vote, thereby preserving the integrity and security of our elections. Common sense, and the people of Wyoming, demand no less.”

CSD StaffApril 10, 2025

More from our columnists

Guest Column: Drafters of Legal Letter Chose Political Advocacy Rather Than Non-Partisanship

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes, "After the banner headline, 'The Rule of Law Matter,' the letter disappoints. In tone and substance, it is a political screed that assigns blame, but not to all who are guilty of intemperate remarks. Progressives get a pass."

CSD StaffApril 07, 2025

Guest Column: You Bet I Signed That Letter In Defense Of The Judiciary

Guest Columnist Susan Stubson writes: "Are there bad judges? No question. But the way to get rid of them is not to inflame the electorate with evidence-free claims and make threats to judges’ personal safety. There are mechanisms already in place to weed out rogues from within."

CSD StaffApril 04, 2025

Guest Column: The US — And Wyoming — Can Easily Fall Behind China With AI

Cheyenne attorney and former state GOP chairman writes, “If China continues to innovate at the pace they’re currently moving, and we allow infrastructure challenges to hold us back, they will win the AI race.”

CSD StaffApril 02, 2025

Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, March 20, 2025, to attend President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education.

Guest Column: Trump Is Right — It’s Time To Trust Parents And Local Communities

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder writes, “I fully support President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the federal Department of Education. … This is not about eliminating education — it’s about improving it.”

CSD StaffMarch 25, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Needs To Fund Schools - But Also Remember Why They're There

Guest columnist Gail Symons writes: When World War II broke out, boys accelerated their high school graduations then left to join the fight. People made sacrifices to provide them an excellent education, though their lives often ended in very real sacrifices."

CSD StaffMarch 23, 2025

Guest Column: Gun Free Zones Do Not Work

Former US Attorney Kip Crofts writes, "Have you ever heard of a case where a person who woke up prepared to go to a school and use his gun to kill people, has been deterred upon getting there and seeing a sign that says, 'Gun Free Zone.' So he turns away and goes for a latte’ instead?"

CSD StaffMarch 23, 2025

Guest Column: Steel-Toed Boots And Freedom -- How Wyoming Workers Are Saving Themselves

Marcie Kindred, executive director of the Wyoming State AFL-CIO, writes, "A trona miner had approached me days earlier about holding a rally to protect mine safety regulations from federal funding cuts. 'Without MSHA, miners die,' he said plainly."

CSD StaffMarch 21, 2025

Guest Column: Al Simpson -- "Be Honest And Do What Is Right For The People We Represent”

Don Hardy, author of 'The Life of Senator Al Simpson,' writes, "I was 16 years old when a tall attorney looked at me and smiled. 'You don’t know it, Don, but I do: you are a salvageable human being.' That didn’t seem likely since I had just landed on a two-year district court probation."

CSD StaffMarch 20, 2025

Former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (left) and former U.S. Sen. Al Simpson (right)

Guest Column: Senator Al Simpson. A Wyoming Treasure.

Former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead writes, "During this time of division it is a great loss to lose someone like Al who didn’t view people with opposing views as enemies or with hate. Al did not shun those with opposing views, but instead, he listened."

CSD StaffMarch 19, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Could Lead Nation With Election Integrity Reforms If Gordon Signs Bills

Secretary of State Chuck Gray writes, "Yesterday, at the White House, President Trump reiterated that proof of citizenship for registering to vote is one of the key election integrity priorities of his administration. Gov. Mark Gordon should listen to President Trump and sign HB156 into law."

CSD StaffMarch 17, 2025

Sen. Al Simpson (left), Mary Kay Hill (center), Sen. Ted Kennedy (right)

Guest Column: Al Simpson And The Press

Mary Kay Hill, Al Simpson's longtime press secretary writes, "Al had a relationship with the press. It was complicated. He experienced the highest peaks of media praise and suffered the valleys of media condemnation. He expected authenticity and he despised a double standard."

CSD StaffMarch 16, 2025

U.S. Sen. Al Simpson (left). Celia Wallace (center). Rob Wallace (right)

Rob Wallace: Al Simpson -- A Wyoming Kid Who Conquered The World

Guest columnist Rob Wallace writes of a photo in Al Simpson's room: "In the front row looking directly at Al were presidents Trump, Bush, Obama, Carter, and Clinton all laughing uncontrollably at something he had just said. It was the perfect memory of a kid from Wyoming who conquered the world."

CSD StaffMarch 14, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Senate Delivered Historic, Conservative Wins

Wyoming Senate President Bo Biteman writes, "We have all heard of the 'five and dime' plan, but I stand with the people of Wyoming who say 'not another dime' when it comes to growing government."

CSD StaffMarch 03, 2025

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Guest Column: The LGBT Folks Aren’t Trying To Force Their Lifestyle On Anyone

Guest columnist Tex McBride writes, "When you see the books they write in the library, or taking a cautious step into society, it isn’t because they're trying to recruit your child into the gay community. They're doing it in an effort to let your family member know they aren’t alone."

CSD StaffFebruary 26, 2025

Guest Column: SF 40 Addresses Unconstitutional Housing Mitigation Fees

Guest columnist Rebecca Bextel writes, "The Wyoming legislature needs to stop this practice now by passing SF40 before other counties are lured into financial jeopardy by following Teton County."

CSD StaffFebruary 26, 2025

Guest Column: We Have A Plan and We’re Sticking To It.

Rep. John Bear writes, "The Wyoming Freedom Caucus came to the 2025 session with a plan. We have executed that plan. Now we are waiting on our colleagues in the Senate to do the good work of the people and pass these common sense measures."

CSD StaffFebruary 23, 2025

Mandy Fabel: The Cost and Cure to Contempt

Columnist Mandy Fabel writes, "Are we even capable of open dialogue and relationships that span opinions beyond our own? I have seen the answer first-hand in my job of running Leadership Wyoming. And that answer is yes."

CSD StaffFebruary 23, 2025

Guest Column: Teton County’s Workforce Housing Regulations Are Unconstitutional

Guest columnist Austin Waisanen writes, "'Workforce housing' fees — a bad idea that drives up the cost of housing and unconstitutionally places the burden of other people’s housing on individual property owners — may soon run their course in Wyoming."

CSD StaffFebruary 20, 2025

Guest Column: Another Municipal View on Property Tax Relief

Star Valley Ranch Mayor Ruzena Rok writes, "In Lincoln County, locally assessed residential valuations have increased 122% over the past 5 years. For many families who want to stay and raise their children in Lincoln County they simply can no longer afford to do so."

CSD StaffFebruary 18, 2025

Guest Column: I'm Fighting For Moms And Ranchers. John Bear Says That Makes Me A "Lobbyist."

Rep. Karlee Provenza writes, "Last week in this publication, Rep. John Bear called me and some of his other non-Freedom Caucus colleagues in the Wyoming House 'lobbyist-legislators.'"

CSD StaffFebruary 15, 2025

Guest Column: A Perfect Storm on the Horizon

Upton Mayor Nick Trandahl writes, "The misconception that small Wyoming towns like Upton are sitting on any sort of fat whatsoever in our budgets is mind-blowing to me and, frankly, it's uninformed.

CSD StaffFebruary 13, 2025

Guest Column: A Testament to Wyoming’s Culture of Opportunity, Merit and Excellence

UW President Ed Seidel writes, "Since Josh Allen was crowned MVP last week, the university hasn’t been just celebrating. We also are reaffirming a powerful truth: Excellence is built where opportunity is given, merit is recognized and hard work is rewarded."

CSD StaffFebruary 11, 2025

Guest Column: Let's Repeal Gun Free Zones

State Sen. Cheri Steinmetz and John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, write, "By identifying and targeting gun-free zones, attackers can ensure they will be the only armed people present."

CSD StaffFebruary 06, 2025

Guest Column: Lobbyists on the House Floor Are Wasting Your Money

Rep. John Bear writes, "There are some skilled lobbyists who have found their way to the House floor, and they even cast votes on bills. These lobbyist-legislator hybrids have made it clear who they represent, and it’s not the people – it’s the government."

CSD StaffFebruary 06, 2025

Guest Column: Bringing Law And Order To Digital Wild West -- Protecting Our Children Online

Rep. Martha Lawley writes, "I have long been concerned about the safety of our children online. I want to make sure Wyoming is doing all that it can to protect children from online pornography."

CSD StaffFebruary 01, 2025

Rep Karlee Provenza D Laramie opposed Bitemans bill 8 8 23

Guest Column: The Freedom Caucus “Five And Dime” Plan Failed

Rep. Karlee Provenza writes, "For the Freedom Caucus to claim that it has somehow stopped 'woke' investments is dishonest. So is the claim that its Five and Dime plan was a success."

CSD StaffJanuary 31, 2025

Guest Columnist Ray Hunkins: The Whirling Dervish President

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes, "Donald Trump is off to the most incredible start of any president in my lifetime and unlike his first term, he knows what he is doing and how to do it."

CSD StaffJanuary 31, 2025

Guest Column: Protecting Private Property Rights -- A Core Wyoming Value

State Rep. Rob Geringer writes, "If a rancher, farmer, or homeowner decides that selling their land to the federal government is in their best interest, it is not the role of the state to stand in their way. That decision belongs to the property owner and the property owner alone."

CSD StaffJanuary 28, 2025

Guest Column: Saving Our Rangelands -- The Urgent Battle Against Invasive Grasses

"In his State of the State address, Gov. Gordon called cheatgrass 'as flammable as gasoline.' Last summer’s wildfires in Wyoming have proven how accurate that description is."

CSD StaffJanuary 28, 2025

Guest Column: A Wyoming Hunter's Call -- Uphold Our Heritage with the Clean Kill Bill

Guest columnist Josh Coursey writes, "The Clean Kill Bill respects the importance of predator management while drawing a hard line: If someone intentionally tortures and brutalizes an animal in Wyoming, they will face real consequences."

CSD StaffJanuary 24, 2025

Guest Column: American Coal Council Welcomes New Administration -- Renewed Commitment To Coal

Emily Arthun, CEO of the American Coal Council, writes, "As the nation moves forward under President Trump’s second term, the coal industry is poised for a resurgence."

CSD StaffJanuary 23, 2025

Guest Column: A Tale Of Two Funerals

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes, "So far this winter there have been two funerals of people who had an impact on my life, Jimmy Carter and Jack Finnerty. I attended their funerals, one in person and the other, virtually."

CSD StaffJanuary 23, 2025

Guest Column: Protecting Women’s Sports -- Pushing Back Against Males Competing with Our Girls

Harriett Hageman and Megan Degenfelder write, "When Ronald Reagan first proclaimed a National Women in Sports Day in 1987, he never imagined “feminists” would be advocating for males to play against women and girls in sports..."

CSD StaffJanuary 15, 2025

Guest Column: Our Greatest Challenge is Also Our Greatest Opportunity

Rob Creager, Executive Director of the Wyoming Energy Authority, writes: "From the world’s largest trona deposit and abundant coal, oil & gas reserves to the largest uranium deposit in the United States and significant rare earth elements critical to national security, Wyoming’s natural wealth is unparalleled."

CSD StaffJanuary 15, 2025

Guest Column: DEI -- Defunding Political Divisiveness and Discrimination

Sen. Cheri Steinmetz writes, "I am introducing legislation in 2025 to terminate and defund DEI programs, starting with the University of Wyoming and extending this effort to all public institutions across our state."

CSD StaffJanuary 13, 2025

Guest Column: Less Than 10% Of The State “Mandated” The Freedom Caucus

Rep. Karlee Provenza writes, "I keep hearing my colleagues who belong to the Wyoming Freedom Caucus say that they have a 'mandate' to make big changes to our state. That could not be further from the truth."

CSD StaffJanuary 13, 2025

Guest Column: How The University Of Wyoming Is Building Trust

UW Dean of Business Scott Beaulier and Professor Matt Burgess write, "Concern about the left-activism focus passed concern about costs to become the number-one trust issue for U.S. higher education in the past year. The two of us have been working for years to combat universities’ partisan turn."

CSD StaffJanuary 10, 2025

Guest Column: Keeping Wyoming Strong: Adapting to Secure Coal’s Future

Wyoming Rep. J.T. Larson writes, "The fight to save coal isn’t just about energy—it’s about preserving Wyoming’s future. The real question isn’t whether coal can survive without change, but whether we are willing to evolve to ensure it does."

CSD StaffJanuary 09, 2025

Guest Column: The People Have Spoken And We Have A Mandate

Rep. Bill Allemand writes, "The Freedom Caucus had huge wins in the last election, The people have spoken and given a mandate to fix our property tax problems, stop woke polices in Wyoming that are constantly being pushed by the left, and stop waste, fraud, and abuse in state spending."

CSD StaffJanuary 07, 2025

Guest Column: Rethinking Carbon Dioxide – Wyoming’s Bold Move

State Sen. Cheri Steinmetz writes, "The bill 'Make Carbon Dioxide Great Again' is not about denying science, it is about applying science, thoroughly reevaluating the ‘climate change’ scientific assumptions and advocating for policies grounded in common sense."

CSD StaffJanuary 06, 2025

Mark Miller: The Dimensions Of Wyoming

Guest columnist Mark Miller writes, "Every reader of Cowboy State Daily who ponders our diverse natural environment can marvel at its accomplishments revealed in the stones, sediments, and water that make up our Equality State, almost 100,000 square miles of undulating terrain."

CSD StaffDecember 31, 2024

Guest Column: Pushing Back Against Resource Management Plans

Rep. Harriet Hageman writes, "I am seeking to block both the Buffalo and Rock Springs RMPs and have introduced stand-alone legislation and amendments to House appropriations bills that were successfully included in an appropriations package."

CSD StaffDecember 30, 2024

Guest Column: China-Bustin’ Rare Earths In Wyoming -- Taking The Reins For America’s Future

Guest columnist Paul Hickey writes, "Today there is a new opportunity for our state to develop another natural resource, Rare Earth Elements. The Bear Lodge critical rare earth deposit in Crook County is a fully delineated world-class rare earth resource with some of the highest concentrations in the country."

CSD StaffDecember 05, 2024

Guest Column: Wyoming’s Legacy of Opportunity: Protecting Rights for Women and Girls

Rep. Martha Lawley writes, "I’m introducing two bills focused on safeguarding the rights of women and girls in Wyoming: one that protects the integrity of women’s sports and another that ensures privacy and safety in spaces where it matters most."

CSD StaffNovember 25, 2024

Letter To The Editor: Trump Won -- Now Let Him Govern

Dear editor: Republicans’ rush to judgment on President Trump’s cabinet nominees is astonishing, irresponsible and hypocritical, but typical of a party that can never rally behind its leadership and govern with collective focus and clear purpose.

CSD StaffNovember 16, 2024

Guest Column: Matt Gaetz Should Not Be Confirmed

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes, "The question is not whether Gaetz is guilty of any of the charges swirling around him. The question is whether the president and the American people deserve a better, untainted, qualified candidate for United States Attorney General."

CSD StaffNovember 15, 2024

A demonstration of how a radio frequency identification tag on cattel is scanned.

Marta Mossburg: Let’s Hope Trump Scraps The Electronic Cattle Tag Rule

Marta Mossburg writes, “Knowing exactly how many cattle ranchers own means the ability to tax cows based on their greenhouse gas emissions as has been enacted in Denmark, to start in 2030. It could also mean forced slaughter, for example.”

CSD StaffNovember 14, 2024

Guest Column: Why Donald Trump Won And Why Kamala Harris Lost

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes: The Harris campaign was built on two platforms – dislike of Trump and abortion. Trump on the other hand, addressed the issues people cared about: the economy, inflation and the border.

CSD StaffNovember 11, 2024

Guest Column: How Much Federal Land Is Too Much?

Rep. Harriet Hageman writes, "Although there are certain individuals who seem hell-bent on selling this invaluable property (Kelly Parcel) to the National Park Service for $100 million dollars, it is obvious by every metric that its value is significantly higher. It is also apparent that the NPS itself believes this parcel is worth substantially more than $100 million."

CSD StaffNovember 06, 2024

Ray Hunkins: Why I’m Voting For Donald J. Trump

Guest columnist Ray Hunkins writes, "For the most part, we know what the Trump policies will be in a second term because we know what they were in his first term. I can’t think of any policy of the first Trump administration with which I disagreed."

CSD StaffOctober 31, 2024

Guest Column: Maybe The Kelly Walsh Band's Performance Was Just A Show

Guest columnist Susan Stubson writes, "Let’s lower the temperature here and consider for a moment that perhaps Kelly Walsh was not trying to communicate any message other than musical and visual excellence."

CSD StaffOctober 30, 2024

Letter To The Editor: Maybe It's Time To Retire Some Counties

Dear editor: Doug Gerard’s letter of reluctant agreement with Tom Lubnau’s editorial opinion on Weston County’s insistence on having a State Senator is both funny and interesting.

CSD StaffOctober 24, 2024

Guest Column: Clarity On Cheyenne Schools

As Chairman of the Select Committee for School Facilities, it is my responsibility to provide a factual perspective on the recent comments circulating on social media regarding the Legislative branch's involvement in the contentious issue concerning Cheyenne’s Most Cost Effective Remedy study.

CSD StaffOctober 09, 2024

Guest Column: Exposing the Hypocrisy of ‘Environmental Justice’

Sen. Cynthia Lummis writes, "One of the more extreme, left-wing ideas you may have heard of is “environmental justice.” Contrary to its name, this buzzword is yet another effort by the Biden-Harris administration to block traditional energy and infrastructure projects."

CSD StaffOctober 09, 2024