Joan Barron
Latest from Joan Barron
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
Joan Barron: “Don’t Be a Patsy”
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "This is the time to be skeptical as we enter what promises to be a tumultuous election year. One where we will encounter lots of political news, including misinformation, false information and the occasional new wacko conspiracy theory.
Joan BarronJuly 20, 2024
Joan Barron: Gambling -- We’re In The Big Time Now
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "[The Freedom Caucus] probably would oppose creating a professional Gaming Commission. The hard right folks would rather we be another Vegas. Elections have consequences."
Joan BarronJuly 13, 2024
Joan Barron: It's Official, Esther Hobart Morris Will Stay In The Basement
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The movement [to move the statue of Esther Hobart Morris back out in front of the Capitol] apparently ended when the governor and the four other elected state officials agreed that Esther should be inside."
Joan BarronJuly 06, 2024
Joan Barron: The Worst Job In State Government
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "As Denver school finance consultant John Augenblick once said: 'School finance is like a Russian novel. It’s long, it’s boring and in the end everyone gets killed.'"
Joan BarronJune 29, 2024
Joan Barron: No Middle Ground On School Vouchers
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "It is reasonable to expect a move next year to expand the preschool subsidy program for low income children. I doubt if it will be successful given the newness of the 2023 law that authorized Education Savings Accounts. But eventually it will happen."
Joan BarronJune 22, 2024
Joan Barron: Snippets From A Reporter's Notebook
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Democrats were a wild bunch during the session in 1958. They carted the shaggy stuffed buffalo from the capitol rotunda to the lawn outside and began riding it. Some were bucked off."
Joan BarronJune 17, 2024
Joan Barron: A Timely Tribute to a Beleaguered Politician
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Wyoming’s Lester Hunt, who died 70 years ago June 19, is getting a lot of attention this year. Presentations and panels in Lander, where Hunt lived, with more to come in Cheyenne."
Joan BarronJune 09, 2024
Joan Barron: It’s Time To Lure The Tourists
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "You know it’s summer travel time season when you find big magazine ads from state tourism organizations. Having precious little to brag about in a state that is long, flat and brown mostly, the Nebraska crew decided self- mockery was the key."
Joan BarronJune 01, 2024