Joan Barron
Latest from Joan Barron
Joan Barron: It’s “Save Weston County” Time
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "What colors this development is the support of the whole idea by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. This is the group gaining power in Wyoming. That’s why I think it’s too early to dismiss this as sheer folly by a bunch of wackos."
Joan BarronOctober 13, 2024
Joan Barron: Wyoming's Gaming Growth Resembles Other Economic Booms
Joan Barron writes, "You could compare the explosion of the gaming industry to the development of coal mining in the Powder River Basin in the 1970s."
Joan BarronOctober 05, 2024
Joan Barron: That Hemp Prosecution Was A Mess
Joan Barron writes, "If you lived in Cheyenne and Laramie County and listened to the chattering on the streets when felony charges were filed —particularly among the young crowd—you knew the Palm-Egle case could be a prosecution disaster that would be thrown out of court."
Joan BarronSeptember 29, 2024
Joan Barron: Media Credentials Don't Mean Anything Anymore
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "What do media credentials from the Legislature Service Office get you? Well, not much anymore. In short, they have about the same status as a lobbyist or a bus driver from Greybull."
Joan BarronSeptember 21, 2024
Joan Barron: The Saga Of State Sen. Cal 'Fast Lane' Taggart
Columnist Joan Barron writes about the Wyoming Legislature’s fight against the 55 mph speed limit that drew the national news media to Cheyenne. And state Sen. Cal 'Fast Lane' Taggart led the way.
Joan BarronSeptember 14, 2024
Joan Barron: A Year Before College Well Spent
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "I’ll bet your average plumber makes more money than a regular English graduate. And that may be one reason more people than ever are questioning whether college is worth the time and expense."
Joan BarronSeptember 07, 2024
Joan Barron: Interim Committee Work Dampened By The Prospect Of New Legislative Leadership
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Freedom Caucus has openly stated its status as anti-government, anti-tax, anti-spending and other antis as well. All these antis can have a paralyzing influence on legislative business."
Joan BarronSeptember 01, 2024
Joan Barron: The Two Party Solution
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Wyoming Republican Party’s party’s center — the moderates, the traditionalists — is in danger of becoming irrelevant. Their power is being siphoned away by the party’s hard right wing."
Joan BarronAugust 24, 2024
Joan Barron: No More Ballots In Shoeboxes, Please
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "It appears Wyoming voters will not be confronted with hand-counted ballots this year. That fate was a possibility for a spell there when Republicans of the hard right variety questioned the validity of pre-election balloting tests..."
Joan BarronAugust 17, 2024
Joan Barron: A Vietnam War Protestor’s Trial in Cheyenne
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Vietnam War protestor Randy Kehler died late last month at age 80 at his home in Massachusetts. His obituary in the New York Times makes no mention of the Wyoming federal court case or of his residence in Encampment."
Joan BarronAugust 10, 2024
Joan Barron: Radical Tax Reform Bill Could Be A Legislative Hammer
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The state is always bumping up against the constitutional dictate of equal and uniform whether it’s taxes or schools. How can you have a uniform and equal form of taxation that affects Teton, Laramie and Niobrara Counties the same?"
Joan BarronAugust 04, 2024
Joan Barron: Don’t Expect A 1968 Democratic Repeat
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Pundits recently pointed out similarities of the 2024 Democratic party shakeups and what happened in 1968. True, there are some eerie resemblances to the violent upheaval that surrounded the August 1968 convention."
Joan BarronJuly 27, 2024