Tom Lubnau
Latest from Tom Lubnau
Tom Lubnau: Short-Sighted Bills Have Us Barreling Toward A Wyoming Income Tax
Tom Lubnau writes, "The Legislature is looking at 'backfilling' property tax cuts with state savings and funds from taxpayers. The reason it's 'backfilling' is because some lawmakers do not want to bear the consequences of their decisions."
Tom LubnauJanuary 18, 2025
Tom Lubnau: Electing An Attorney General Is A Horrible Idea.
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "House Bill 102, sponsored by many members of the Freedom Caucus, proposes the attorney general become an elected official. This horrible piece of legislation should die an early death, never to be seen, again."
Tom LubnauJanuary 15, 2025
Tom Lubnau: Legislative Leaders Must Race The Clock To Pass Good Laws
Tom Lubnau writes, "Estimated at a conservative figure of 300 bills introduced, one gets a grand total of 18.6 minutes per bill of time available for debate on each bill. That is precious little time to consider multi-page laws that will be placed on our books affecting our individual rights."
Tom LubnauJanuary 08, 2025
Tom Lubnau: I Predict The Uprising Of Straw Villains In 2025
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "To retain their power, the new folks will have to cast themselves as heroes trying to vanquish some feigned evil. I predict 2025 is going to be the year of the imaginary straw man villain."
Tom LubnauJanuary 01, 2025
Tom Lubnau: Understanding Where Your Property Tax Dollars Go.
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "With property tax relief the centerpiece of political gamesmanship this year, we should all understand how the property tax system works."
Tom LubnauDecember 25, 2024
Tom Lubnau: An Amazing Secret Petroglyph Shows Summer Is Coming
At a secret spot in Wyoming at sunrise on the winter solstice an amazing thing happens. When the sun just crests over the horizon, the sunlight points to a spot on a native American petroglyph which shows the days will start getting longer.
Tom LubnauDecember 19, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Military Academy Candidate Interviews Were An Inspiration
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "Last weekend, I had the great pleasure of serving on the military academy interview committee. The committee interviewed 21 young people seeking to get a nomination to a military academy. Those 21 young adults were a true inspiration."
Tom LubnauDecember 11, 2024
Tom Lubnau: The Wyoming House Stalling Committee Appointments Is A Bad Idea
Tom Lubnau writes: "The Speaker of the House should appoint committees based on the strengths of his members, not some perceived fear of what the Senate might do. The Senate is going to do what the Senate does, and they don’t give a damn what the House thinks."
Tom LubnauDecember 05, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Wayne Newton, Up Close And Personal – An Evening Well Spent
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "I must admit that my reaction to the possibility of seeing Mr. Newton was a resounding 'Meh!' But that vanished within a minute of him taking the stage."
Tom LubnauNovember 27, 2024
Tom Lubnau: A Deeper Dive On The Wyoming Judge's Abortion Analysis
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "In a prior column, I examined the Wyoming district court abortion decision from a high level. Now I’ll look at it on a granular level."
Tom LubnauNovember 21, 2024
Tom Lubnau: The Wyoming Abortion Decision Explained
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "Without opining one way or another on the abortion issue itself, examination of the Court’s decision and the reasoning behind the 35-page decision is helpful to understanding this important decision."
Tom LubnauNovember 20, 2024
Tom Lubnau: A Statue Of A Barn Owl Sits On Law Books And the Bible in Cheyenne
Tom Lubnau writes: "The sculpture depicts a barn owl in flight, representing wisdom and the rural roots of these five legislators, the active role they played in Wyoming government, and their foundational belief in the Bible."
Tom LubnauNovember 14, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Unraveling The Mysterious Legislative Majority Leadership Selection Process
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "With recent shifts in Wyoming's political landscape, we may see experience powerful committee chairs replaced by new ones who are more ideologically aligned with the current majority, which could dramatically impact the legislative session."
Tom LubnauNovember 06, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Who Poses The Greatest Threat To Wyoming Jobs This Election?
Tom Lubnau writes, "The rallying-cry this campaign has been to cut the budget. Cutting the budget in Wyoming means cutting jobs. Dollars in Wyoming equal jobs. So, if the Legislature is serious about making meaningful cuts in the state budget, it is going to have to fire people."
Tom LubnauOctober 30, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Weston County Commissioners Can’t Ignore The U.S. Constitution
Tom Lubnau writes, "By demanding one representative and senator per county, Weston County is demanding 15 times the voting power for each of its citizens than they want to afford to the citizens of Laramie County. "
Tom LubnauOctober 22, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Sometimes Wyoming Urban Legends Are True
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said a few weeks ago, 'Yes, they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.' The Greene weather discussion prompted thoughts of Wyoming-based conspiracy theories. Of the many out there, three come to mind."
Tom LubnauOctober 16, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Wyoming Politics Has Been Californicated, And We Are Worse Off For It
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes, "The crystal ball of political future does not bode well for Wyoming politics being local. Chuck Gray and the Freedom Caucus proved high dollar out-of-state style politics wins elections in Wyoming."
Tom LubnauOctober 09, 2024
Tom Lubnau: A Celebration of the Life of Bruce Hauser and Sawmill Creek Band
Tom Lubnau writes, "We sought out Sawmill Creek in the Cowboy Saloon, Boot Hill, Cassie’s, the Sheridan Inn, the Beacon Club and the Fort. They played so often at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, if you put your ear up to pine knot in the bar, you heard a Sawmill Creek song."
Tom LubnauOctober 02, 2024
Tom Lubnau: How Sloppy Writing Cripples Wyoming’s New Abortion Law, Part 2
Tom Lubnau writes: "When these statutes reach the courts, as they already have, you will hear legislators claim it is 'activist judges' who are asking hard questions about these statutes. The truth is these legislators did not pass cogent laws."
Tom LubnauSeptember 25, 2024
Tom Lubnau: Regarding The New Abortion Law's Word Salads, Part One
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes: "While abortions are illegal in Wyoming, the statute contains eight or nine exceptions. But those are so messily worded it is hard for a doctor to interpret them. Which in real time, can have serious consequences."
Tom LubnauSeptember 18, 2024
Tom Lubnau: The Breakup Of The Mountain West Is A Symptom Of A Large Disease
Columnist Tom Lubnau writes: "While it is understandable these schools are jumping from the conference for a bigger payday, it is sad. With the worship of the dollar, we are seeing things more important than money start to vanish – competition, rivalry, loyalty and tradition. And we are worse off for it."
Tom LubnauSeptember 12, 2024