Like most things in Wyoming, state government works best when everyone acts in good faith. That includes listening to witnesses when they appear to testify, respecting the process, and treating staff, colleagues, and constituents with dignity.
It isn’t complicated. It’s simply the Wyoming way.
We are aware of the challenges that state government faces, which is why we require serious leadership to address them.
However, rather than roll up their sleeves and get to work governing, proposing policy, debating bills, and crafting solutions, some lawmakers prefer to distract.
The most vocal among them refer to themselves as the Freedom Caucus.
They complain about “waste, fraud, and abuse” on the House and Senate floors or on social media, but they refuse to discuss their own record.
Perhaps this is because they understand where the real waste, fraud, and abuse are coming from.
Waste
The Freedom Caucus wastes your time and money by undercutting industry, criticizing the process of creating good policy, and attempting to preempt local government.
They waste time with unnecessary bills that duplicate and contradict federal laws. They waste resources by increasing maternity deserts and, as a result, maternal mortality, while also threatening the viability of our existing hospitals.
They waste your time and money, as well as destroy good policy, by voting to kill bills that have gone through committees.
Just this week, Rep. John Bear attempted to waste the Capital Finance Committee’s time and resources. Fortunately, the chair did not want to waste taxpayer money, so she gave him his due and then dutifully got the meeting back on track.
Fraud
They enjoy making up their own studies and facts, sometimes brazenly and with glee. A caucus member recently testified before a committee, prompting a senator to ask, “Where do you get your information?” Because it’s wrong.”
The Freedom Caucus member insisted her “facts” were correct because they were “on a paper in my bag.”
They can be found in any state newspaper or on any online news site, attempting to persuade you of things that are simply false.
Abuse
The Freedom Caucus will attack anyone who speaks out against them, promotes policies they disagree with, or tells the truth.
The Freedom Caucus threatens and abuses healthcare providers who come to testify and present facts based on gold-standard scientific research.
When clerks make suggestions about how policy prescriptions can benefit voters rather than keeping them out, the Freedom Caucus instructs its members to monitor or sue them.
This ongoing abuse, particularly of other public servants, heightens the risk of violence and drives thoughtful people out of public life.
This type of behavior does not belong in Cheyenne, or anywhere else in public life. It drives good people out of service and fosters an unsafe climate of intimidation.
Wyoming does not need any more shouting. It requires results.
Our Constitution protects local control, limited government, and individual rights, including the right to speak freely and without fear.
The Freedom Caucus has twisted that legacy to its own ends, accusing others of doing the same thing.
So, here’s the truth: waste, fraud, and abuse exist, but they don’t point to the right places.
It is time to pay attention. To ask difficult questions. To demand the best.
And now is the time to reclaim our state from those who are destroying it.
Mike Gierau
Minority Floor Leader, Wyoming Senate
