That’s all it takes to describe him. Two words. Ron. Paul. Unless you want to throw Doctor in front of it for good measure.

Every time I hear those words I think of a man who is principled, thoughtful, galvanized and consistent. Every time I hear them, I remember that a return to Constitutional principle would be a return to a nation where each individual had the opportunity for greatness based on their own willingness to work toward it. When I hear them, I think of a country where capitalism and free markets decide what the value of my dollar is, and not whichever bank or conglomerate the current batch of political appointees  is most loyal too.

Sadly, when I hear the words, Ron Paul, I also have to think about the people that have, over time, coalesced around and behind him. It takes a few more words to describe them. Granted, I have seen many people who were thoughtful, thorough, and clearheadedly came to the conclusion that Ron Paul was the candidate that they supported for President. They have considered all of the candidates, considered our country’s worsening financial situation, considered the state of international affairs, and considered the threats to our personal liberty that Americans face today, and they made the sound decision that Ron Paul would be the candidate of their choice to take up the helm of the Presidency and lead our nation out of crisis.

Millions of people across the country have gone through the same process and many of those have chosen to support Ron Paul. Many more have chosen to support other candidates though, and despite his positive qualities, Ron Paul has only managed to continually get about 10% of the popular vote among registered Republicans in local elections. Within that 10%, lies the problem.

Along with the thoughtful and careful supporters that Ron Paul deserves, his base seems to have been overwhelmed with delusional fanatics, disrespectful radicals, misguided hate mongers, and even blatant outright liars. What’s worse is that this element of his base seems to have taken over at least the most visible aspects of his grassroots presidential campaign, and they have done their absolute best to repel any chance of acceptance of Ron Paul into the main stream of the Republican Party. They’ve marginalized a good candidate, and relegated him to a permanent third string status, regardless of the qualities that he brings to the table.

A look around the tables that held my own county’s delegation at the Wyoming Republican State Convention gave me a hint as to the type of people that consider themselves Ron Paul supporters. When our junior United States Senator was introduced to the Convention, many of them couldn’t be bothered to rise out of their seats to welcome him. Same for when our senior United States Senator was introduced. Same for when our Congresswoman was introduced. It was especially true when our former Congressman, and former Vice President, Dick Cheney was introduced. The Secretary of State? The State Auditor? The Superintendent of Public Instruction? All were invited. All addressed the convention. All were ignored by these folks who couldn’t be bothered to show even a modicum of respect for their elected representatives and officials, all of which are Republicans, all of which have represented the State of Wyoming with dignity and resolve.  As far as I’m concerned, these “patriotic” Ron Paul supporters were an embarrassment to themselves and to the county that elected them to represent it at the Convention.

A brief look at the forums populated by Ron Paul supporters will give you a look at how many of them feel about their fellow Republicans, the volunteers — who dedicate countless hours and personal resources to make sure that Republicans are successful in the general elections and work to make sure the money necessary to operate the Republican Party is raised — and the elected officials that have dedicated themselves to representing the people who elect them. The forums are a constant barrage of charges of fraud, corruption, sleaziness, dishonesty. Every time Ron Paul loses a vote, the forums light up with stories about how their votes were disenfranchised, how their enemies played dirty, and how the “establishment” tried to shut them out.

I understand the heat of political battle. It is all-consuming, and you are entitled to your own opinions. Sometimes, though, those opinions just make you delusional. This is a perfect example:

It is pretty obvious we are winning. We have the true support. The media in this country is being used to carry out a big lie. Don’t get angry with the supporters of Romney, for they don’t know any better, they are basing their beliefs upon the information they have. Most get that from mainstream sources or Romney Sources.

As far as delegates. It is again obvious with very little research that the GOP is part of the machine, and literally make their own straw vote results. The cuacuses are not so easy, they are having to resort to the most dirty of tricks to win those.

Wyoming is a perfect example…the GOP hero Dick Cheney was at the Wyoming convention and turned it around for Romney. On the initial vote, Paul won, so the GOP leadership allowed Paul supporters to leave then declared the vote unacceptable and held it again. Treachery…by none other the mr. weapons of mass destruction himself, yes, the man without a heart, he who profited many many millions from war, former Halliburto employee….mr. cheney.

Cheney is NOT a hero, he is a criminal. He should be in a prison, not speaking at a political event. But for all of our supporters, we CAN win this. It is lies, deciet and injustice that are preventing it. Hold strong and do not let them railroad us again, so far in all three states to have finished their caucuses, the GOP has managed to railroad the democratic process. Put a stop to it immediately.

-DuaneK36, Daily Paul

First of all, there was no initial vote that Ron Paul won. That is an outright lie. No one “declared the vote unacceptable and held it again.” It simply never happened. It really is not “pretty obvious (they) are winning.” If it were “pretty obvious” that Ron Paul was winning, he would be ahead in the delegate count. I won’t even rehash the comments about Vice President Cheney. They’re idiotic and they are a common thread throughout the Ron Paul forums. The above post is pretty representative of the hate that exists in the Ron Paul support groups for both the Republican Party itself, and the elected officials that are endorsed by it.

During the Wyoming Convention, the Romney Campaign realized that the votes for the sheer number of nominated delegates that were declared for Romney would be watered down and result in the election of the more focused group of non Romney declared nominees, so the Romney Campaign did something that was utterly despicable, dishonest, and sleazy.  They *gasp* distributed a Romney endorsed slate of delegate nominees! Oh, the horror! How could they do something so vile?! Oh. Wait. Doesn’t the Paul campaign use preferred delegate slates? They do? Oh yeah, they just don’t put Ron Paul’s name on them. The candidates run as “undeclared” so all of them silly, corrupt, sleazy establishment Republicans won’t know who they are. Yeah. Great strategy. The use of a preferred slate by any campaign is an honest and acceptable and commonly used tactic, especially when the origin of the slate is clearly labeled, as the Romney endorsed slate was. A slate of “undeclared” candidates developed in a private locked door meeting protected by their ”6’7″ 300+lb bouncer?” Just as acceptable, right?

Of all the strategies of the Ron Paul supporters, this is the one I find to be most offensive. Do they really believe that the only way they can win is to trick unknowing state delegates into voting for them? I’ll be completely honest here. I would have voted for at least one of the Ron Paul supporters from my county — he is one of those thorough, thoughtful, and clearheaded Ron Paul supporters, and I would have been proud to know that he was in Tampa not only casting a vote for presidential nomination, but fighting for common sense platforms and resolutions to guide the National Republican Party — except he, along with most of the rest of the Ron Paul crowd, ran as “undeclared.” As far as I’m concerned, if he couldn’t be honest about his intent to vote for Ron Paul at the National Convention, he didn’t deserve my vote. The same goes for the rest of the “undeclared” delegates that were, and are, clearly Ron Paul supporters. The forums are ripe with claims that they won all fourteen alternate delegate seats, but most of those seats went to “undeclared” nominees, not people who declared for Ron Paul. Which begs the question: Were the delegate nominees lying about their declaration of support before the election, or are the Ron Paul supporters lying now about having won the seats? Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. What’s more, the reality is that only reason the Ron Paul supporters were able to claim the fourteen alternate positions is that convention participants could only vote for fourteen delegates, and the overwhelming majority of those votes went to a unified slate of candidates that had declared for Mitt Romney. That allowed the unified minority to claim the leftovers. I’d hardly think of that in terms of “how close we came to taking this state.”

The constant claims on the Ron Paul forums that the Romney Preferred Slate was “treachery”, “underhanded”, and a “dirty trick” makes them sound like four-month olds with full diapers. Same goes for their crying that Wyoming’s national elected representatives were allowed to make speeches, and dared to endorse Romney. Of course, the final betrayal by the Wyoming GOP was to allow Josh Romney to make a speech in support of his father! OH MY GOD! How could they let that happen? Too bad that the Paul campaign didn’t have an official representative at the Wyoming convention. Maybe he or she could have made a supporting speech themselves. Why didn’t this happen? Maybe this comment from a Paul supporter explains it:

The grassroots everywhere have to work so much harder to compensate for the lack of assistance from the national campaign. I understand why the campaign ignores places where they think they cannot win and doesn’t spend money in thoses places. But what does it cost for one of the “professionals” to find each state’s grassroots headquarters, pick up a phone or send someone to advise us novices?

While I find it very frustrating, I am heartened to see grassroots people working to get the job done. This is only giving us more individual and collective strength than perhaps we’d otherwise have.

We are in this for the long haul, with or without them.

Bump for Cheyenne WY State Convention grassroots assistance!

-Nonna, Daily Paul

If there had been an official representative from the Paul campaign at the convention, they would have been allowed to speak. Same for Gingrich. The fact is, as the the person clearly realizes in the above post, they just couldn’t be bothered.

The election had some real problems. In the delegate elections at the Wyoming State Convention, there were three ballots cast (out of an eligible 425) that shouldn’t have been. One each from the State Chairman, the National Committeeman, and the National Committeewoman. The Ron Paul forums are screaming about voter fraud, and they have every right to. Was it voter fraud? I don’t know. I don’t know all the details, but I do believe it was questionable and I intend to make sure it is addressed at the next State Central Committee Meeting. I know each of the people in question personally, and can’t imagine that any of them consciously sought to cast a vote that they weren’t entitled to. I find it more likely that it was done out of confusion in the moment, but I don’t know for sure. I won’t make excuses for them. What I do know is that those three improper ballots did not, in any possible mathematical way, have any effect on the final results of the national delegate election. Of course, the outcome was that the slate of candidates supported by the Romney campaign were overwhelmingly elected by a majority of the eligible voters at the convention to be national delegates.

It doesn’t matter though, because the Ron Paul supporters will hold on to that dark stain on the convention and tell everyone that it was the reason they lost.  That, and the underhanded speeches by elected officials, the sleazy candidate slates put out by the Romney campaign, the monstrous onstage conversation by the evil former Vice President and his daughter, and an underlying fear by the “establishment” of a poorly organized hodgepodge of people who start pretty much every conversation with that very same “establishment” with name calling, accusations, and outright hostility.

That may sum up a great portion of the real reason Ron Paul isn’t winning delegates. It’s not because there is a vast some-kind-of-wing conspiracy against him. It’s not because Ron Paul isn’t a great and gifted statesman, because he is. It’s because while Dr. Paul has been extremely effective at lighting a fire under people who believe in liberty and getting them involved and interested, and he has done an astounding job of educating a new generation about how they have been robbed of those liberties, he has also failed to organize a national campaign that could expound on his Constitutional principles in the national political arena, and has allowed his grassroots campaign mechanisms to be hijacked by a bunch of kooks that have about as much credibility as the free Mumia activists. It’s because the average Republican believes Dr. Paul’s followers when they declare that they won’t support the Republican nominee if it is anyone but Dr. Paul. It’s because the average member of the Republican Party doesn’t believe that the average Ron Paul supporter could care less about the future of the Republican party. It’s because while the rest of the Republican Party has spent the last year raising money for the Republican Party, volunteering for the Republican Party, and promoting the Republican Party, the Ron Paul supporters have spent the last year throwing rocks at them.

Mostly though, it’s because the majority of registered Republicans are voting for someone else.

But, you know, there is always their fall back strategy at the National Convention to get rid of all those pesky Romney delegates and replace them with all of those “undeclared” Paul alternates.

Offer them free coffee full of ex-lax the day of the convention. They will have to try and vote from the bathroom.

-namealreadyinuse, Daily Paul

Wow, I can’t believe these campaign strategies aren’t working.

Wisdom

One thing I do know from my experience as both a blogger, and a frequent commenter on various political forums, is that by publishing this 2500 word essay on this particular subject, I am begging to be flamed and trolled. I’m tempted to turn off the comments for this one, because frankly, I just don’t want to deal with the emotional outbursts that are likely to follow. But, alas, that isn’t my way. The comments are open (if you can get past the spam filters.) Just don’t expect me to come out and play if you insist on turning on the flamethrower. I’ll be busy, doing the real work of the Republican Party. Raising money. Recruiting candidates. Registering voters. Getting Republicans elected.

Which brings to mind one last issue I have with the typical Ron Paul supporter, but didn’t fit into the scope of the essay above. That I know of, there has been one, count ‘em, one, Ron Paul supporter that has been continuously active at the county party level in the last year. (Thumbs up to you YC!) The rest of the crew? The ones that so proudly “took over” the County Convention? Other than a couple of sporadic appearances, they haven’t done a thing in the last year to help the Republican Party in Sweetwater County. They haven’t come to meetings (Thumbs up to you, too, TB). They haven’t helped with the fundraiser. And they didn’t show up at the fundraiser (Except for you RZ and YC, more thumbs up.) Again, there are a couple of exceptions, but very few. There might have even been one or two “undeclared” Paul supporters helping out, I don’t know. I truly hope they will all change your mind and become active, and engaging, and stop looking at the rest of us as their enemy, but honestly? I’m not holding my breath. 

Private property is a cornerstone of the American way of life. The idea that the community has some extraneous right to derive economic benefit from real estate, beyond the property taxes that are already collected, is an insult to the people who actually own the property. This is especially true in our current harsh economic environment, and the proposed fines amount to a double hit on owners who could already be facing a loss of income from the inability to find paying occupants for their property.

The URA is promoting the belief that you don’t have the right to “not” use your property. James Madison once said, “It is not a just government, nor is property secure under it, where arbitrary restrictions deny to part of its citizens that free use of their faculties.”  I argue that “not” using your own property is a protected “free use” of that property and punishing you for leaving your property vacant is a blatant violation of your private property rights. This is nothing more than a veiled attempt to usurp the right of private owners to determine for themselves the best way to manage their own private property.

Even more disturbing, this ordinance could be used as a weapon to force owners to release property into the market that they would otherwise be unwilling to sell. A property owner, who might able to afford their annual property taxes while they wait for a more favorable real estate market, might not be able to afford the additional tax burden that this ordinance would impose, and be forced to sell the property. A perfect opportunity for a URA that has shown themselves to be more than willing to buy up prime real estate and enter into competition with private business.

This should be a wake up call to property owners in Rock Springs that the URA does not have their interests at heart. Rather than focusing on their original intent, to be a tool and a resource for local businesses and to promote development in downtown Rock Springs, they have become just another bureaucracy exerting themselves over the people who really create economic development. They are permanently tying up valuable real estate, competing with the businesses that they were supposed to be supporting, and looking to expand their power and influence.

If you are a property owner in Rock Springs, I urge you to make it very clear to the URA Board of Directors that you want them to stop interfering with your private property rights. I also urge you to give the members of the Rock Springs City Council a call and let them know that you don’t want to be punished for exercising your right to the free use of your own private property. The government already has no business being in the commercial real estate business. Giving them the ability to levy punitive taxes on their competition in that market is just plain dangerous.

As you spend time with your friends and family, please take a moment and reflect on the words of President George Washington, as he announced The United States of America’s first official Thanksgiving Day in 1789, and those of President Abraham Lincoln, as he proclaimed Thanksgiving Day in 1863, beginning the annual celebration that has continued until this day:

“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.”

-Proclamation of President George Washington, October 3, 1789.

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.”

-Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, October 3, 1863.

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JD King, an aspiring filmmaker, has produced a documentary about the wolf reintroduction that was eye opening, sad, and scary all at the same time. I urge you to take an hour of time out of your busy life and watch this educational film about the effects that the wolf reintroduction is having on real people in the wolf recovery zone. JD also delves into the real agenda behind the program, and backs up his bold claim that “it was never about the wolves.”

The following link will take you directly to the movie on JD’s website, where you can watch it for free for a limited time, but don’t stop there. Browse JD’s website and learn more about him, his movie, and the people who were part of it. This is an extremely important essay, and I highly recommend it. In fact, while you’re there, buy a DVD copy of his movie or make a donation. He worked hard on this film, and donations will go toward making sure as many people see it as possible.

CryingWolfMovie.com

Speaking of Romney, Romney is obviously the most polished. He has the support of most of the moderate Republicans out there, and is probably the most likely to receive votes from the independents in the general election, but I just can’t get over his history. Obamacare is Romneycare on a larger scale. Yes, it was done on a state level, which is where such experiments should be done, but it is the very thought that he believed it was okay for the government to interfere in the everyday lives of his constituents, on such a dramatic level, that makes me look at him a little warily. It also seems to me that he has a tendency to pick sides based on populism, rather than principle, and because of it, he has had to rewrite his positions as the job he runs for gets bigger. I’m not sold on his second amendment credentials yet, and he has a long way to go to sell me on the others as well. He has done a good job of reinventing himself as a true conservative during the campaign, but I worry that once the primaries are over, he’ll slip back into being a moderate liberal.

Newt Gingrish - Photo by Gage Skidmore

Which brings me to the last guy at the table. Why isn’t Newt Gingrich getting more credit for his debate performances? He has been 100% solid on each and every one of them. I was a huge fan of his during his tenure as Speaker, but I soured on him after the whole “sittin’ on a bench with Pelosi” fiasco and kind of wrote him off. As I’ve watched the individual debates though, I’ve found myself to be nodding my head every time he talks. He seems to have a solid grasp on what really needs to be done to turn our country around. He has a proven ability to work with the other party effectively without compromising his conservative principles. He understands fiscal policy. He understands foreign policy. He understands that overregulation is choking American entrepreneurism. He is a proven leader, who has showed remarkable ability to get things done, and is never afraid to tell it like he sees it.

While a lot of people are throwing their support behind Romney (mostly I think because people see him as the likely winner and people like to be able to say they picked a winner), I think I’m starting to lean toward Gingrich. Sure, he isn’t the strong individual libertarian that Ron Paul is, but I think he is true conservative, and a true leader, who is worthy of a little bit closer look, and a lot more credit for his performance in the debates. He may not have as much money, and he may not even have much of a chance, but I’m not here to ride the coattails of media favorites. I’m trying to decide who should get my vote be the President of the United States, and right now, unless there are some changes in the field, that guy is probably Newt.

El Hierro, El Golfo by Bjoern.Hoernitz

The Canarian Autonomous Government has raised the alert level to yellow, as they fear a possible impending volcanic eruption of El Hierro.

Reports from the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN)say that they have measured over 900 seismic events in the last week (September 20-26); with over 8,100 events since July 16. In addition to the sesimic events, GPS measurements have indicated surface deformations (inflation) on the volcano of ~35mm.

So far, all located seismic events have been located at 10-14km in depth, suggesting that there is magma movement, but not necessarily indicating that the magma ball is rising to the surface.

The official government website for the volcanic activity of the Cary Islands can be found here:
http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/dgse/sismo_hierro.html

Note, that the website is in Spanish. It may be easier to follow updates on the Canary News Website:
http://www.canariesnews.com/

The plaintiffs are no longer seeking VanMatre’s removal from the board, asserting in the motion that VanMatre has, in fact, become a “de facto” member of the Commission. As stated in the filing, the “Plaintiffs have no desire to throw ‘a monkey wrench’ in the administration of Sweetwater County and place a cloud over the decisions made by the Commission in the more than eight months that Van Matre has served on the Commission.”

Instead, the plaintiffs have limited their motion to request that the court enter a final ruling that the action by the previous commission was a violation of the Wyoming Open Meetings Act.

In a preliminary injunction hearing held in February, Judge Keith Kautz ruled that there was not enough evidence to remove VanMatre from office. Surprisingly, also in his ruling, Judge Kautz seemingly re-interpreted the Wyoming Open Meetings Act to mean that a violation can only take place if a vote is taken. That ruling has worried open meeting advocates and members of the Wyoming press. The plaintiffs in the case challenge that interpretation based on the language of the statute and previous Wyoming Supreme Court opinions that say members of a governing body merely have to reach a “collective commitment” outside of a public meeting for a violation to have occurred.

The motion, filed last Wednesday, includes new evidence that contradicts testimony given in February’s hearing, including discovered phone records that show past Commission Chairperson Debby Delai-Boese spoke with Don VanMatre by telephone for 44 minutes on the day before the appointment, and computers records that contradict Delai-Boese’s and commission secretary Belinda Bridewell’s testimony about when the recording of Delai-Boese’s official remarks at the December 30 meeting occurred.

The phone records raise questions about earlier testimony from VanMatre that he had no discussions with any member of the Board of Commissioners concerning his possible appointment before the December 30 meeting. The new evidence supports and gives new light to earlier testimony by Green River Star journalist David Martin testified that when interviewing VanMatre he said that the appointment had been “dropped on me overnight.” That testimony was supported by that of journalist Tim Boulware, who also heard the exchange. Martin also testified that when he interviewed Delai-Boese immediately after the meeting, she told him she had contacted VanMatre about the appointment the night before.

The Plaintiffs ask the court to make a final ruling, taking into consideration the new evidence, the specific language of the Wyoming Open Meetings Act, and previous Wyoming Supreme Court decisions, and rule that the appointment of Don VanMatre to the Board of Sweetwater County Commissioners was done in violation of Wyoming’s Open Meetings Act.

A complete copy of the motion can be found here:

Motion for Final Declaratory Judgment, PDF, 108 KB

UPDATE 1: As of this time, WisdomWorld has been unable to independently verify the information provided by the anonymous source.

UPDATE 2: India Today has an update on this story. Reporting only one body, a male TCS employee, with the cause of death currently unknown. [India Today]

Now that I’ve said the word “kids” a bunch of times, everything I say from here on out must be true, right? It has to be.

Last year, Ann Owens, executive director of the  Sweetwater County Child Development Center, went before the people of Sweetwater County and asked for almost ten million dollars to pay for new and upgraded facilities in which to provide their services. While chanting the “kids, kids, kids” mantra, she was able to convince the cities of Rock Springs and Green River, and the County Commissioners, that she had  shovel ready projects, that could be funded by a sixth-cent capital facilities tax, ready to go. The elected councils and board of commissioners approved putting it on the ballot, and the people of Sweetwater County were then bombarded with more “kids, kids, kids.” When people went to the polls, they passed the ballot measure.

Now that we are paying the new increased sales tax, and the money is finding its way into a bank account, ready to be spent, we are learning a whole new set of truths:

1. The projects weren’t shovel ready.
2. The CDC isn’t a government entity, and doesn’t have the legal authority to spend sixth-cent money on a non-government owned building.
3. There was no plan to deal with either of these problems. The only plan was to work it out later.

So here we are, a year later, paying higher taxes, and being told that not only do we have to pay for these new facilities, but we, as taxpayers, have to accept ownership of them, and be responsible for them indefinitely. We are being told that there isn’t any choice as to whether a government entity takes ownership. We are being told that our only choice is which government entity will take ownership, and, of course, if we don’t like it, we must be against the kids. Both the City of Rock Springs, and the Sweetwater County Commissioners have already held votes determining that they wouldn’t take ownership. Mayor Castillion of Green River has indicated that they were amenable to taking ownership, but they haven’t yet made it official.

I’m only going to spend a little time here on why this tax initiative was a bad idea in the first place. Most importantly, the capital facilities tax was provided by the legislature as a taxing mechanism for local communities for that purpose. Capital facilities. Not nonprofit organization facilities. Not charitable facilities. Capital facilities. Facilities that are to be owned by the public and for the use of and benefit of the public. It was never meant to provide free money for non-governmental organizations no matter how genuine their service or how altruistic their mission. This tax initiative had no business being on the ballot, and the four city councils and the board of county commissioners that allowed it to be put there were downright negligent in their duties to vet the issue responsibly. They didn’t do their legal homework, and they didn’t perform the due diligence that they commit to when they take on the job of being our representatives in government.

Regardless, now we are stuck with this boondoggle, and we have to deal with problems in the present.

How do we do that? Well, if you ask Ann Owens, the answer is clear. They should be bailed out. By who? Well, by  you of course. It’s not enough that the taxpayers gave them the unprecedented gift of $10,000,000.00. She wants you to take ownership of the buildings, along with the long term liability that is associated with it. And how is she selling this idea? By showing up at government meetings with dozens of challenged children and their parents in a blatant attempt to shame our representatives into taking responsibility for fixing this mess.

Do you think, though, that when Ms. Owens is organizing these government sit-ins that she tells all of the parents, “Hey, I’m really the one that royally screwed the pooch on this one, and never mind I’m paid a pretty good salary to do this job, but I’d really appreciate it if you’ll come on down to the courthouse with me and strong arm our elected officials into fixing this crap basket, and if they don’t, I also hope you’ll stand by me and make sure everyone knows that they are all against the kids, kids, kids, Kids, KIDS!!!!”

I doubt it.

Since there is a huge fear of political reprisal against any elected official that dares to lay blame in the right place for fear of being labeled as “anti-kid,” I’ll do it. The blame for all of this lies squarely at the feet of Ann Owens, executive director of the Child Development Center, and its board of directors, who forwarded this ballot measure without doing the proper planning and legwork. It lies squarely at the feet of Mayor Hank Castillion and the members of the Green River City Council that voted to approve this ballot measure without properly vetting it. It lies squarely at the feet of former Mayor Tim Kaumo and the members of the Rock Springs City Council that voted to approve this ballot measure without properly vetting it. It lies squarely at the feet of our previous county commissioners — Debbi Delai-Boese, Paula Wonnacott, and Randy Walker — who had the final say on whether a sixth-cent tax proposal got put on the ballot, and who shirked their responsibility to properly vet the initiative. Finally, it lies squarely at the feet of the 7,360 people in Sweetwater County that voted to give ten million freaking dollars to a non-government entity, without having any idea how the money was going to be spent, because it was for the “kids, kids, kids, kids, kids!”

The reality is that everyone here wants what is best for the kids, but what is best for the kids isn’t necessarily a blank check from the taxpayers. The people of Sweetwater County gave the Child Development Center ten million dollars! Gave it to them! Based only on shady assurances and half-assed plans. We don’t deserve the attempt by the Child Development Center, its employees, or its clients, to shame us into going to extraordinary lengths to clean up the discombobulated wreck that they drove us into. They need to knock it off!

Here’s what should happen:

First, the shame tactics have to stop. The Child Development Center already got its ten million, and it’s going to get its remodel and its new building. Ann Owens is paid to do her job, let her do it. You employees are paid to do your job too, quit pretending your altruism is greater than that of the people who are paying your wages. You parents are fighting the wrong battle. Everyone involved at every level is already doing the best they can to do what’s best for your kids. You don’t have any enemies here. Enough with the whining and the show-boating, its only going to create ill will, and it has already jeopardized any future sixth-cent initiatives.

Second, the City of Green River should agree to take ownership of the proposed Green River facility. They have already indicated their support, they just need to make it official.

Third, the City of Rock Springs should agree to take ownership of the Rock Springs facility. Other than Councilor Zotti’s lone dissension, the approval for this ballot measure was unanimous amongst the city council, and they have some serious responsibility to make this right. The first dispersements of tax money should be used to pay the mortgage on the building in conjunction with the transfer of the title.

Finally, the Sweetwater County Commissioners, working together with the two cities, the CDC, and the County Treasurer, should take the lead in developing the framework for the memorandums of understanding that are going to be necessary to make this stink pile smell a little bit better.

There are going to be arguments that Sweetwater County should own the building in Rock Springs, and it’s a valid argument, but keep this in mind. Sweetwater County is already funding the CDC at a rate of about $300,000 a year. Green River funded them around $25,000 last year. Rock Springs? Zero. Nada. As the libertarian that I am, I have serious reservations any time public money is funneled out to non-government entities, but the voters have spoken, and that includes the voters in Rock Springs, who voted overwhelmingly to support the CDC. It’s time for Rock Springs to step up to the plate and take a couple swings. They don’t get to hide in the dugout for this inning.

In the end, the lesson is that just because someone chants “kids, kids, kids, kids, kids,” before they tell you something, it doesn’t mean that they are telling you the truth, or even that they have the first idea about what they are talking about in the first place. Next time, pay attention, and know what the hell you’re voting for.