Platte County Meetings with reps for Enzi, Barrasso and Lummis

Courtesy of Gail Heimbuck (thanks Gail!)

U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and U.S. Congressman Cynthia Lummis are announcing that their representatives are scheduled to hold Office Hours in Platte County on Wednesday, May 18, 2011.
Their schedule will be:
Guernsey - Town Hall, 81 West Whalen Street, 10 – 10:30 am
Wheatland – Town Hall, 600 9th Street, 11 am – 12 pm
Area residents are encouraged to stop by during these times to discuss matters regarding the federal government. All comments and concerns will be relayed to Senators Barrasso and Enzi and Rep Lummis.
For more information, please call Jamie Gronski at 307-772-2451.

Representative Cynthia Lummis will be in Wheatland on Thursday, May 19th at the Platte County Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon that will held at the Wheatland Country Club beginning at Noon. She will be giving a Legislative update. Call the Chamber at 322-2322 to RSVP for the luncheon.

If you can attend one of these meetings, please do so! If you haven't heard, our three representatives were recently in the news for being supportive of a U.S. constitutional "repeal amendment" to give individual states to the ability to say "This part of our federal law doesn't apply to us." It's doubtful the legislation would pass through congress, but the implication is that they don't feel Wyoming should have to obey the laws of our union, our UNITED states. I feel the phrase "United we stand, divided we fall!" would be applicable to this situation.

News You Can Use: April 4, 2011

GOP anti-appropriators break up the spending party Cynthia Lummis, in her second term, is the league leader in bucking the committee leadership -- she voted against Rogers and Young 16 times during the HR 1 ...

Barrasso scrutinizes mineral exports John Barrasso, R-Wyo., dashed off a letter of his issues with uranium mining companies operating in Wyoming to the President of the United States, and may have uncovered a potential international incident. Uranium extraction in Wyoming continues to be ...

Obama's energy policy is doublespeak - .: United States Senator ... U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., made the following comments following a speech by President Obama today regarding his energy policy. ...

Senator Enzi's Light Bulb Moment

In the news...
Senator Enzi has got this all figured out. Our state government is finding new ways to interfere with our civil rights, such as the right to marry the person you love, and interfering with your personal choice to have an abortion. These are merely small fry state issues. Enzi, meanwhile, is taking care of the really important issues: Giving the people a choice of the type of light bulb they can buy, an energy saving one or a old style inefficient incandescent one. http://bit.ly/dYL4eQ

Fear mongering health care- Don't Buy In!

“They won’t pay for my surgery, but we’re forced to pay for abortions.”
“New rules could hike your health insurance premiums 95 percent.”
“Washington wants to bring Canadian-style health care to the U.S.”
"Reform will promote euthanasia."

These are just a few of the scare tactic comments that are being thrown around by Conservatives and right wing special interest groups. Can we PLEASE stop with the fictitious quotes and lies already? President Obama has continually reiterated the same proposal that he campaigned with. Coverage for everyone. Keep your plan if you like it. He restates his stand on the issue again in yesterday's radio address. Please read the text or watch the video. If this bill comes out of the Senate any other way, the blame should be upon folks like Mike Enzi, who wants to clip and cut this bill until it is no longer recognizable.

I'm hearing the rants around the water cooler at work. "Obama wants to kill off my Grandma!!" Give me a break. And let's not pretend that Fox news' coverage on this issue is "Fair and balanced." It's brainwashing, and I hope you are not gullible enough to fall for it. Want to sort the fact from fiction? See the latest posts on the FactCheck.org website.

We have people come to our county hospital every week that are without insurance. These are not "lazy" people who need to "get a job". These are hardworking people who are just trying to stay ahead. For some, their employers don't offer a health care plan. Others have been laid off and can't find work in Platte County. Like our President said, people shouldn't have to claim bankruptcy because they became sick. Our current system just doesn't work. New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Paul Krugman does a wonderful job of describing what is wrong with it.

Now is the time to use our big American brains and really think this through. Let's get it right, and get it done.

News round up for the week ending 5-23-09

Here is a round up of this weeks news. Tacked on to a credit card bill, we can now enjoy concealed weapons in our national parks. Enzi, Barrasso and Lummis sound off on cap and trade. Chrysler is closing down five franchises in Wyoming. Dick Cheney can't stay out of the news, headlining the list of 13 people who made torture possible. We are so proud of him. Enzi is in disagreement with panel members on how to deter youth from smoking. Gov. Dave took some heat for nominating his wife Nancy to serve as a U.S. District Court judge in Wyoming.

Of special note, Sen. Barrasso made a special Memorial Day weekend address promoting coal and gas jobs in Wyoming. In his remarks, he states "and solar only account for about 1 percent of U.S. electricity, far below what is needed to meet the nation's energy needs." He goes on to say "There's enough oil shale in the Rocky Mountain West alone to power America for the next hundred years".

This is a complete lack of forward thinking. O.K., we can power America for the next 100 years. Then what?! Guess how long the wind is going to blow in Wyoming? Forever. Guess how long the sun is going to shine down on our state? Another billion years. Of course wind only counts for 1% of U.S. electricity...it's just starting to be used! Wyoming can and should be a vital player in alternative energy production. The change is in the wind...literally. Just ask EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, who toured coal production and wind farms with Gov. Dave this week.

Platte County Elections Results November 4, 2008

The results are in, and for the state of Wyoming and Platte County, the GOP has a sweep.

It was hardly a surprise that Mike Enzi (R) and John Barrasso (R) , our state Senators, would keep their elected positions. They earned 76% and 74% of the votes, respectively.

Cynthia Lummis (R) captured the larger percentage of votes, winning our lone congressional seat, 126,016 to 100,724 (2572 to 1710 in Platte County) in a heated race with Gary Trauner.

Our new representative for State House District #3 will be Frank Peasley (R), in a close race against Terry Jones (D). The final votes for Platte County were 1522 to 1240. District #5 will continue to be represented by Matt Teeters (R), who earned 66% of the vote in Platte County. The state senate race was a blowout. Jim Anderson (R) defeated Jay Wright (D) with 67.5% of the votes in Senate District #2.

More locally, we now have an all-Republican County Commissioners Board, with Terry Stevenson (R) defeating incumbant Joe Reichardt (D), 2559 to 1843. He will join Tim Millikin and Dan Kirkbride.

The people elected for the Hospital District Board were Rick Bowen, John C. Bunker, Crystal Gamblin and Lori Modesett. Chuck Witte lost his position by 30 votes.

Wheatland will have Alan Madsen and Bob Shoemaker as city councilmen.
Guernsey will have Audrey Brown as a councilwoman for a four year term. Penny Wells and Cindy Frederick have been elected to hold two year terms.

Constitutional amendments A and B both passed, as did the Senior Citizen Tax Continuation.

Further results for school district positions, judges, resource conservation districts and the like can be viewed here, under "Election Results".

Although the news from the national stage was overwhelmingly positive for Democrats, the state and local winners reflect the fact that Wyoming is still a stronghold for the Republican Party. I hope that the elected officials will make thoughtful decisions, and I encourage them to remember the nickname of our state. We are the Equality State. Let that be reflected in your work for the people of Wyoming.

And to our Democratic candidates, I congratulate you for your tireless efforts of campaigning. In this state, you have the struggle of earning each and every vote, simply for having a "D" behind your name. I've been able to listen to many of you, and know that you have selfless desires for a better way of life for this and future generations. Keep believing in those dreams, and never forget the mantra: Yes we can!

Dick Cheney Speaketh in Laramie

Dick Cheney sayeth:

Vote for Mike Enzi. Grrrrr.

Vote for John Barrasso. Arrrrrr.

Vote for Cynthia Lummis. Growwwwl.

And the good Republican people replied: Yes, my Lord.

Republicans flood Platte County with newspaper ads

Wow! The local Republicans hit the Platte County Record Times hard this week. Multiple ads from most of the candidates, and a reminder from the Wyoming Republican Party to "Vote Republican". House District #3 candidate Frank Peasley has a half dozen ads himself. He is running against Terry Jones. This ad amused me, I've done some editing:


I have a working relationship with his son here in Wheatland, who I consider a good guy. I just think this scare tactic of picturing a solely Democratic representation is a bit much. By all estimates, Enzi and Barrasso are safe in their seats, so there's a pair for the "R" column. And besides, wasn't it not so long ago that besides Governor Freudenthal, the representation we had was strictly Republican? Until the Dems won the Congress in 2006, we were completely lopsided in the GOP's favor. Our current elected officials representing Platte County and Wyoming (Enzi, Barrasso, Cubin, Anderson, Teter, Meier and Alden) are ALL Republican. So I ask the rebuttal question to our local citizens, Don't you want at least one Democratic voice heard? I know I do.

Wyoming Candidates on the Issues

Still can't decide who to vote for in the next week? One great resource that may help you make a decision is ontheissues.org. They compile voting records and public statements from elected officials and current candidates to give you an easy to read, concise view of their stances on a range of issues. From Wyoming, you can read the positions of most of our current candidates, including Chris Rothfuss, Mike Enzi, John Barrasso, and Nick Carter. Unfortunately, neither Gary Trauner or Cynthia Lummis are represented. On the national level, the Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates stances are available.

Also, take the 20 question quiz and see where your ideological profile lies.

Chris Rothfuss debates Mike Enzi on PBS

If you weren't able to watch the debate between Chris Rothfuss and Mike Enzi on Sunday night, Wyoming PBS has it up on their website. The sound is a bit lousy, but it's worth a look. Tonight Gary Trauner, Cynthia Lummis and David Herbert debate, followed tomorrow by Nick Carter and John Barrasso. Dr. Rothfuss is a very intelligent man, it's a shame he is up against the dominance of Republican voters in Wyoming. It would be false hope to think Rothfuss will pull this off this election year, Enzi has a healthy +25 lead. The money and support just isn't there this time around. However, Enzi toyed with the idea of retiring, but ultimately ran for his third term. Keep that in mind Chris, and get your six-year game plan ready. And don't forget about the other Senate seat that will be in play in 2012. In the meantime, we'll keep fighting for you, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out next Tuesday.

Final Wyoming Candidates debates on PBS

Here is a great chance to see the candidates debate head to head before making our choices in the voting booth on November 4th. Wyoming PBS is hosting a set of three debates, one for each open seat. The dates are October 26-28, and the lineup is as follows:

U.S. Senate Debate #1 airs Sunday, October 26 at 7:00 PM - Dr. Chris Rothfuss [D] debates incumbant Senator Mike Enzi [R], who is seeking reelection to his third term in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House Debate airs Monday, October 27 at 7:00 PM - Gary Trauner squares off against Republican nominee Cynthia Lummis for Wyoming’s sole seat in the U.S. House.

U.S. Senate Debate #2 airs Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM - Nick Carter [D] takes on Sen. John Barrasso [R], who was appointed in 2007 to the U.S. Senate.

Right now you have the opportunity to send questions for the candidates.

Over the years, moderator Geoff O'Gara has found some of the best questions for
these debates come from our viewers. So we invite you, our readers and viewers, to send your questions directly to him at gogara@cwc.edu. Questions may be directed to specific candidates, specific races, or to candidates in all three debates.

I'm sending off a couple... I encourage you to do the same, and tune in to watch! It will also be on Wyoming Public Radio if you aren't going to be near a television.

Chris Rothfuss vs. Mike Enzi: The Issues

There is a great collection of clips to watch from the debate between Chris Rothfuss and Mike Enzi that took place on October 5th at Casper College. Here are the youtube.com links:

Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Emission Limits
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Golden Parachute
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Gay Rights
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Abortion
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Finacial Crisis
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Hate Crimes
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Budget and Demand
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Taxes
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Experience
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Earmarks
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: Campaign Finances
Rothfuss vs. Enzi: No Child Left Behind

Veteran Report Card - Who supports our troops?

From thinkprogress.org:
During the first presidential debate, Sen. John McCain repeatedly emphasized his love of veterans — and their fondness for him in return. “I’ll take care of them. And they know I’ll take care of them,” he said. McCain frequently exaggerates his level of support for and from veterans groups, claiming to have “received the highest award from literally every veteran’s organization in America” and to have “a perfect voting record” on veterans’ issues.

Today, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released its congressional scorecard for the 110th Congress, and awarded McCain a grade of “D” for his votes against veterans’ priorities. The grade makes McCain one of only four Senators to fall on IAVA’s “D List” — and marks a repeat performance for him, after receiving a “D” for his 109th congressional voting record as well.

These grades are based on a number of veteran based issues, which are explained in the report. So how did our Democratic candidates and Wyoming elected officials do on this little list? See for yourself:

Barack Obama = B
Joseph Biden = B
John McCain = D
Michael Enzi = D
John Barrasso = INC (not enough time in office for complete analysis)
Barbara Cubin = C

Looks like the Democrats ARE the ones who support our veterans more. View the .pdf file to see all the categories graded and scores for all legislators.