by Wyoming Liberty Group Call it an illusion. It sounds good, in principle: More healthcare coverage for those who can't afford it. Who wouldn't want that? But as the old saying goes, nothing's really free. That includes Medicaid, the government program aimed at providing health insurance for children and adults with limited resources. For years, p...

The "Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index" is an annual report published by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Center for State Fiscal Reform. It ranks states' economic competitiveness using fifteen equally weighted policy variables, including various tax rates, regulatory burdens, and labor polic...

Welcome to another episode of Eye on the Issues. Today, we're delving into the energy sector in Wyoming with Pete Obermueller, President of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. Pete shares insights on the vital role of oil and gas in Wyoming's economy, detailing the industry's contributions to GDP, employment, and tax revenue.  Discover how t...

In this episode, we hear about the business climate of Wyoming with Renny MacKay, head of the Wyoming Business Alliance.  Renny shares his extensive background, from serving as Policy Director for Governor Mark Gordon to his role in communications for Governor Matt Mead. Now leading the Wyoming Business Alliance, Renny represents a diverse arr...

by Wyoming Liberty Group A lawyer for Rep. Harriet Hageman, Wyoming's member of the U.S. House of Representatives, recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to a candidate running for the U.S. Senate, demanding that he stop issuing social media posts suggesting that Hageman is backing his candidacy. "[Y]ou have persisted in your attempts to mislead R...

by Wyoming Liberty Group In a recent message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Rep. Rachel Rogriguez-Williams, a state lawmaker from Cody in the 50th District, shared an important quote from the former chief of operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Here's that quote: "We quickly realized that money from selling fentanyl on th...

In this episode of Eye on the Issues, we hear takeaways from the recent legislative session and explore key outcomes with Senator Wendy Schuler, who represents Senate District 15 in Uinta County.  Senator Schuler reflects on the budget session, highlighting the challenges and successes of passing the budget. She provides an overview of the leg...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Earlier this year, a California woman in her early 30s was sentenced to two years of probation—with no prison time—after stabbing her boyfriend over 100 times with a long-serrated bread knife and killing him. Oh, and she also received a hundred hours of community service. What explained the brief sentence for the chilling m...

Welcome back to another episode of Eye on The Issues! We recorded this interview with Dr. John Mansell during the 2024 Wyoming legislative session when it was still to be determined if this year's session would see yet another attempt to expand Medicaid in our state. For the first time in several years, no actual attempts were made. However, very r...

by Steve Klein  The most recent reports from the Wyoming Attorney General to the Legislature that I discussed in a recent post paint a detailed but incomplete picture of cash seizures under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act from 2018 through 2022. This is part of a practice called civil forfeiture, which permits the government to seize and...

by Wyoming Liberty Group They call it "California sober." Or "Cali sober," for short. "They" are teenagers and others who are increasingly using marijuana instead of alcohol under the premise that pot is somehow safer. It's a well-entrenched thing when there's already a nickname for a habit. "Cali sober," as a term and practice, began to take hold ...

In this episode of Eye on the Issues, we discuss the contentious topics of global warming, climate change, and the push toward green energy. Join us for an insightful conversation with William Happer, Ph.D., who serves as Chair of the CO2 Coalition and is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics at Princeton University as he shares his exp...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Once upon a time, there was a drug marketed as a cure-all for everything from depression to hay fever. Can't sleep? Have a headache? Feeling nervous? Take this drug! No, we're not talking about marijuana, though it is being touted as a wonder drug these days by dubious marketers. Rather, we're talking about cocaine—of all d...

In this episode of Eye on the Issues, we sit down with Aubree Adams, the founder of Every Brain Matters, for a candid discussion about the real-world consequences of marijuana legalization. Aubree shares her personal journey and the devastating effects that marijuana has had on her family, shedding light on the hidden dangers often overlooked by th...

In the latest episode of Eye on the Issues, we examine the repercussions of net zero climate control policies on farmers and families across America. Join us as we speak with Rea Hederman from the Buckeye Institute, who illuminates these policies' far-reaching effects.  From increased farm operating costs to soaring grocery bills, Rea breaks d...

We're thrilled to share that the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has recognized our recent publication, shedding light on Wyoming's civil forfeiture laws. CEI's acknowledgment underscores the significance of our efforts for justice and transparency. Dive into the details by visiting the link and explore how our work is making a meaningful im...

by Wyoming Liberty Group Kevin was 15 years old when he started a dangerous habit: smoking marijuana. Habit turned to dependency, which morphed into stints in rehabilitation and hospitalizations. It got to the point where Kevin was spending several hundred dollars a week on high-potency marijuana. A warning: What follows is a tragic story involving...

In this episode, we discuss Wyoming's tax situation with Ashley Harpstreith from the Wyoming Taxpayers Association. Ashley gives us a close look at their new Cowboy Family report, which examines the balance between Wyoming's taxes and the services it provides to its people.  In the interview, Ashley shares her background and how she got involv...

by Steve Klein In the 2024 Budget Session, a bipartisan group of legislators sponsored a "Freedom from government seizure act" that was largely an updated version of a bill that passed in 2015 to replace civil forfeiture under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act with criminal forfeiture. If either bill became law, prosecutors in the Wyoming Attor...

In this episode of "Eye on the Issues," we sit down with Rep. Ken Clouston, the House of Representatives member for District 32, to delve into the recent Wyoming legislative session. This year's session, primarily focused on budget and finance, covered a diverse range of crucial topics. One of the standout discussions was on the Education Savings A...