tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095120386670927622024-03-07T19:03:51.118-08:00Wyoming PostsObservations, opinions and prescriptions on Wyoming life and politics.Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-91929065425628771182014-03-21T17:14:00.000-07:002014-03-21T17:14:56.323-07:00Caution: You Get the Government You Vote For<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Caution: You Get the Government You Vote For </b></div>
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The filing period for candidates running for public
office is approaching, and it’s time to take a look at some people with overt
or latent political aspirations. That’s what I did at the Cheyenne City Council
first reading of PlanCheyenne, paying attention to the governing attitudes of
the people who came to comment. </div>
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What kind of informed discussion and deliberation could
we expect from them and the candidates who would represent them, I wondered,
because I expect members of this group will be on our ballot come August and perhaps
November. </div>
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I deduced following attitudes of governance from the folks
I watched during that PlanCheyenne public comment period: </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->It’s
my way or the highway. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
you disagree with me, shut up.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
you contradict me, shut up. If you point out a contradiction in my position,
shut up.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
we show up to meetings in greater numbers than others do, we win. If I ask for
a show of hands in the room during that meeting, and it favors my position, I
win.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->We
show disagreement to comments with audible scorn – grunts and sneers, mostly.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->We
use name-calling, epithets and ridicule in the place of discussion and strength
of argument.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
we are loud and insistent, the decision must go our way.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
I pay taxes, I get to control decisions. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
my copy of the Wyoming State Constitution is well-worn, my position is superior.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->10.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->We
misrepresent your position (a straw dog) and then proceed to ridicule and disprove
it, to the sneers of our members.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->11.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The
world revolves around me and what I want. I don’t have to discuss short- or
long-term consequences. Give me simple. Don’t give me complex.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->12.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We believe that removal of
regulation will yield an ideal world -- for ourselves and our posterity -- that
has jobs for our kids but doesn't attract businesses with infrastructure and
amenities.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->13.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">If I don’t need some thing, then
there is no need for that thing. </span></div>
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The man sitting next to me illustrated some of these
traits in one exchange:</div>
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“A bunch of Nazis!”</div>
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“Nazis? Conducting a public
hearing?” (You know how Adolph Hitler opened up his policies to public
comment.) </div>
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“You must be a Democrat!” (He
spat out that last word.)</div>
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“I am a registered Independent.”</div>
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“Shut up.”</div>
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By contrast, consider the attitude and behavior of
another kind of public official who, I suggest, is a better choice for good
governance: </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
listen to table-thumping individuals, but I don’t let the loud comment weigh
more than others.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
do my homework instead of reacting to simplistic slogans and “bogeymen.”</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
try to appreciate complexities of problems and different viewpoints and
interests, in order to find solutions. I understand that some solutions require
balancing competing interests and compromises.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]--> I consider the input of people who show up to
meetings, as well as those who don’t.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->After
I listen to everyone and do my homework, I base my vote on what I think is
best, and I can explain my vote to the public. I don’t take direction from an individual
or group. I am not controlled by ideology. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
I disagree with a fellow official or member of the public, I disagree civilly
and with respect. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
understand that some regulation is necessary to ensure rights and
responsibilities, but I am careful to consider the negative consequences of
over-regulation. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
try to consider the welfare of the whole community, for people who live here
now and who will live here in the future.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
am a public servant, which means I am not in this office for grandstanding and
self-aggrandizement. I approach my job with humility and true interest in
understanding the concerns of others. I know I don’t have all the answers, but
I will do my best.</div>
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Your critique of PlanCheyenne is a separate issue. The
question I raise is what kind of person you want in elected office and what
kind of government do you want? Because you will get the government that you
elect. Be informed - and then vote.</div>
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Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-39833723865633443722013-09-16T11:33:00.001-07:002013-09-16T11:33:14.884-07:00Loving the Sinner AND the Revenue<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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Whenever you hear someone complain that a legislative
proposal is a “sin tax” and an attempt to “legislate morality,” you can take
that as code for, “I don’t have a real case against this tax proposal, so I
will use this fall-back argument.” It’s the last-resort argument that requires
no reasoning. Sadly, it usually works.</div>
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The Joint Revenue Committee is contemplating a rise in
the tax on beer, to help pay for substance abuse programs. The current tax is minimal
– 2 cents per gallon, unchanged in 80 years. The national average is 28 cents
per gallon. The cost to microbreweries would be less than $100 per year,
according to liquor dealers. The reason for raising the revenue is fiscal, not
punitive. No one hates beer or beer-drinkers. So when you hear opponents raise the
thin objection to “sin taxes,” you suspect they don’t have much else to say. </div>
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Something similar happened in the 2013 session with the
cigarette tax proposal. The purpose was, in fact, was to raise the price of a
pack of cigarettes to a point that it would affect sales. It would stop kids
from starting to smoke and urge smokers to quit. The tax revenue would be
applied to substance abuse programs. This also had a strong financial
component: lower smoking rates would save Wyoming taxpayers millions of dollars
that are spent on smoking-related illnesses and deaths. </div>
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So the tobacco tax was going to yield improved health AND
save tax dollars. In fact, actuaries had just issued figures on how much health
insurance premiums could be raised to pay for all the health care costs
associated with smoking. No moralizing– just the financial realities. Tax supporters
had empirical evidence that raising cigarette prices decreases use. They had
solid evidence how much smoking was costing the state – in human and financial
terms. Not a word against smokers. </div>
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Predictably, tobacco representatives dusted off the old
reliable claim that the tax was intended to impose moral behavior on poor,
beleaguered smokers. They took umbrage, harangued against the phantom moralists
and were outraged! It didn’t matter that the “moral” argument had never been
made. I thought any seasoned legislator could see through that. First of all, legislators
legislate morality all the time. Second, in this case it was an obvious
distraction from the actual arguments. </div>
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The reason lobbyists use the “sin tax” and “legislate
morality” arguments? Amazingly, they continue to be an effective way to distract
and short-circuit forthright debate. And maybe some lawmakers appreciate the
chance to duck the hard questions. Look for these old friends in 2014 if the
beer tax proposal is introduced in the Wyoming Legislature. What are the odds?</div>
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Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-44025162362454601322013-05-15T14:37:00.002-07:002013-05-15T14:37:56.200-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It’s the Legislature, Not a
Message Service<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A disturbing trend in the
Wyoming Legislature is the endorsement of that most self-indulgent and wasteful
practice of writing bills that “send a message.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Thirty years ago, that sort
of thing merited a response from other legislators that the bill’s author
should try writing a letter – and here’s a stamp and envelope. Or more
recently, the sponsor would withdraw the bill after the “message” was
considered delivered. That happened when a state senator, in a snit over an
article by a University of Wyoming law professor, sponsored a bill to cut
funding to the UW College of Law – you know, to send a message and teach a
lesson and all that. Then he withdrew the bill before it went further.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">That was bad enough,
wasting precious legislative time and staff on a personal pique.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">But now it’s good. We are
getting more and more self-indulgent legislation. I think one of the new uses
of this shameful legislation-as-message is to demonstrate bona fides for the
benefit of critics and potential re-election opponents. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">These bills get introduced, waste Legislative
Service Office resources and consume precious committee time and floor debate.
Legislators posture and preen and earn their credentials, and these bills
actually advance until responsible legislators stop the proposals. A few
actually make it through the whole process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">One of the most ridiculous
was one known as the “doomsday bill” that anticipated the collapse of the
federal government and Wyoming’s plans to proceed as an independent entity. The
bill briefly was amended to establish a Wyoming naval capability, so the
absurdity was complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">During the 2013 session, a
bill was introduced in the Senate to establish a voter ID law in Wyoming, to
foil voter impersonations at the polls. Except that </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">this isn’t a problem in Wyoming. But one of the
sponsors said he wanted to “send a message,” as if that was good enough reason
to consume legislative time and money and perhaps clutter up Wyoming statutes
with pointless restrictions. Oh, yes, and it also would suppress voting. The
bill had several flaws, which dampened legislators’ enthusiasm to rewrite the
bill in committee, but the idea was referred to interim work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In the final hours of the
2013 session, a ridiculous gun-related amendment was appended to a very serious
and necessary bill and almost killed the bill. But it had a message, so it was
okay. A committee was urged to approve a bill because, while it really didn’t
do anything, it gave Wyoming a good grade on a particular “report card.” That
bill is now law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Some “message” bills and
amendments are ridiculous over-reaching. Some are silly and a waste of time and
paper. Some are bad. They surely are wasteful, and in most Wyoming legislative
sessions, there is no spare time and staff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I ask legislators to find
better ways to scold, to exhort, to excoriate, to pontificate, to curry favor,
to polish “credentials” with this or that interest group. Legislation is for
real response to a serious need. Do you really need a section in Wyoming
Statutes?</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> Write
a letter, buy an advertisement, have a town meeting, get a soap box, get a
Facebook page, start a newsletter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This is the Legislature,
not a message service. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-41117051103743817252012-03-11T16:55:00.000-07:002012-03-11T16:55:44.281-07:00The public's right to know. But not right now.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DoNotShowMarkup/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/> <w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">On the same day the Wyoming House gave final approval to two bills that will provide more access to public documents and meetings for Wyoming citizens, the representatives took their business behind closed doors. In an unusual move, everyone present in the House of Representatives, Republicans and Democrats, left the House floor and crowded into a meeting room in the Capitol for one-half hour to discuss the pros and cons of the conference report on Senate File 57 and decide how they would vote. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Once they adjourned their private meeting on March 8 and returned to the House floor, the chairman of the House Education Committee called for a vote before anyone else had a chance to speak, ensuring no discussion or explanation for the public of what their representatives were thinking. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vote was 38-18 (with four members excused) to approve the final compromise version of the bill. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Floor discussions of conference committee reports are very informative for the public to understand the proposal and to hear questions, concerns and responses. The debate is recorded so people can listen to it on their computers later. But the House wanted none of that on this momentous and controversial bill, which will affect every public school and school district and student in Wyoming for decades to come. The Wyoming Accountability in Education Act lays out a framework of data-gathering to track the achievement, growth and readiness for every student and school in the state. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The stage was set by a rancorous conference committee meeting of three senators and three representatives. They worked out a compromise on the Senate and House versions of Senate File 57 – Education Accountability. Legislators, an advisory group of educators, legislative staff and an excellent consultant had labored a year on the accountability plan, but there remained differences of opinion on the manner of testing that should be used. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Those differences came out in the bills approved separately by the House and Senate, and they emerged in the conference committee meeting. One member, a freshman senator, was particularly aggressive, even abrasive, and seemed to focus on scoring points for the Senate. At the end of six hours of negotiation, all six seemed satisfied with the compromise, and all six signed the report. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Perhaps “buyer’s remorse” set in for the House conference committee members, as they reviewed the tough negotiations and their concessions. Something prompted the call for a secret House meeting to discuss the deal.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Twenty-four hours before adjournment of the 2012 legislative session, the House could have rejected the compromise report and tried for a new conference committee meeting and a new compromise and a new vote in the House and Senate on the compromise. The stakes were high. Was there enough time for another conference committee? Would rejection of the report kill the proposal? This is drama and brinksmanship in the State Capitol, for those who follow such things.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">What to do, what to do... It’s fine if House members want to close discussions of political strategizing versus the Senate – but not when they are weighing the final form of an extensive accountability system for Wyoming school children. When House leadership called everyone to caucus in Room 302, there was no noticeable protest. They returned to their seats 30 minutes later and the conference report was moved and the final vote was called immediately.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">It was an unfortunate disregard for the people of Wyoming and their ability to follow public business conducted in their name. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">During debate on the public documents bill (Senate File 25) and the open meetings bill (SF27), someone always spoke about the difficulty of insisting on “sunshine” laws for other governmental entities while the Legislature exempted itself from those same laws. However, when the topic comes up, many legislators will cite their need to work freely without public scrutiny and public record. The same reason is given for resisting universal roll-call votes.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The Wyoming Legislature has exempted itself from public document and open meeting laws. To their credit, legislators have voluntarily done a pretty good job to give public notice for meetings and to make legislative documents available to the public. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Changes made by the 2012 Legislature to our public documents and open meetings laws were good ones. They better define public meetings, require notice for special meetings and require certain responses to document requests. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But the Legislature itself remains exempt. The events of March 8 are a reminder that making openness in government voluntary is problematic, and it can leave the public right out of public affairs.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">###</div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-80867026936674536042012-01-30T15:45:00.000-08:002012-01-30T15:45:32.112-08:00Leave Your Gun and Your Rude Behavior Outside<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DoNotShowMarkup/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/> <w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/> <w:AutoHyphenation/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Decorum n. 1. Propriety and good taste in behavior, dress, etc. 2. An act or requirement of polite behavior (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4<sup>th</sup> ed.)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div> <div class="MsoNoSpacing">The rough and tumble world of advocacy elsewhere burst onto the Wyoming legislative scene last winter. In preparing for the 2012 session, lawmakers are instituting rules they hope will preserve our friendly open citizen Legislature but regulate some of the most objectionable behavior. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Legislator and public behavior could get rowdy in territorial and early statehood days, but in recent decades a generally accepted courtesy and deference has been the norm. Legislators in Wyoming are unused to intimidation outside the caucus meetings,and the deliberative and mannered world of the Wyoming State House was disrupted in 2011. Some legislators, caught off guard, succumbed to the aggressive methods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Legislators have their own rules for decorum. Now for the 2012 session, we have rules to guide decorous behavior by the public in the galleries, committee rooms and lobbies of the State Capitol. Some rules are common sense and courtesy and only the most obnoxious behavior will be affected. Others could impinge on normal, reasonable behavior, so we rely on the good judgment of the enforcers.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">For Instance:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">One of the most objectionable behaviors of 2011was the use of still and video cameras -- flourished in committee meetings, positioned to obstruct traffic and extended over the gallery glass to record documents on legislators’ desks. No one can hold recording equipment (or anything else) over the glass barrier in the gallery, and otherwise recording is allowed if it is not obstructive or disruptive. People who want to record committee meetings should check first with the chairman.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">People in the galleries must be quiet and still and refrain from trying to communicate “visually or audibly” with anyone on the Senate or House floor. This is in response to the dramatic gesticulating in the galleries last session, which was distracting to legislators and also to the clerks as they counted heads for the “division” votes. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">In the lobbies, demonstrations, signs, banners, placards and other display materials are prohibited. “Individuals in the lobby may not react to debate or voting on the floor in any way to signal approval or disapproval of floor action.” Now, that’s a tough one. A raised eyebrow, smile or discreet fist bump are okay, I’m sure. But when will the door man (they are always men) intervene? </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I hope legislators remember they always can exert their own will on people who get too pushy. They can declare their position and then stand by it at election time. We cannot insulate them from public importuning or the implied threat of “we’re watching you, so be careful.” Committee chairmen have always been able to enforce their own rules to preserve decorum.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">On the other hand, it’s kind of nice to say Wyoming folks know rude behavior when they see it and we don’t have to put up with it. The Legislative Service Office reviewed rules of other legislative bodies, and the Wyoming rules of decorum represent a middle ground, according to Sen. Tony Ross. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I guess these rules will give the House and Senate staff the authority to squelch the most disruptive behavior. We rely on the judgment of staff to know when behavior crosses that line from proper comment to prohibited disruption and contumely. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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</div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-48129880831649865022011-12-22T06:31:00.000-08:002011-12-22T06:31:48.581-08:00Teaching a Culture That Does Not Tolerate Abuse<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DoNotShowMarkup/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/> <w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">A recent survey of Wyoming school children reveals more than half of middle-schoolers say they’ve been bullied at school, and a fifth of high school students say they’ve been bullied in the past year. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Everyone decries this problem, and there are programs to reform the bully and help the victims resist the abuse or deal with the mental and physical injuries. We seem to overlook a strategy that could do as much – maybe even more – and that focuses on all the rest of the children. That is to teach our children to speak up when someone is being bullied, to say picking on a classmate is wrong. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Recall the Edmund Burke quotation about the victory of evil when good people do nothing. This is something like that. A bully shouldn’t get the reinforcement of admiration or terror from his or her peers. There may be many motivations to bully, but at least take away the power over others, and the victims know they are not alone. We should be teaching our children from an early age to speak up when they see someone being abused. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s not okay to look the other way or remain silent while someone is hammering someone else, in person, via social media, physically, verbally, whatever. That is a lesson we sure could use today by adults in cases of all kinds of abuse. How many people at Penn State looked the other way while young boys were abused by a popular assistant football coach? I heard a professional hockey player on the news say he was sexually abused by a youth coach for several years, and he wondered why so many adults surely suspected something was going on but did nothing. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">We don’t want adult bystanders?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s teach the lesson to our children right now, from an early age. This is not just a school project. I know we are asking a lot of them to speak out against bullying. I’m talking about changing the culture of the school yard, so speaking up is the norm, not the courageous act of a solitary child. But let’s promote the idea of the brave individual, too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Last year, columnist Dan Savage started the “It Gets Better Project” to tell gay teenagers whose lives are made miserable by bullies that their lives improve later on. I propose that the culture of American high schools is to treat all classmates with tolerance. Now. Not later.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I attended 11<sup>th</sup> grade in a Montgomery, Ala., high school in 1966, just two years after it was forced to admit African-American students. Things were quiet but tense. My father was in the Air Force, and we all knew we would be leaving in one year. It was easy to let the racial slurs in classroom conversations go by. I regret to this day that I didn’t say something – not because I would have changed anything, but my silence was tacit approval.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">In Wyoming, we have the ethos of minding our own business, which is good. But we have the equally important Wyoming value of helping our neighbors. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Of course, part of this culture of speaking up involves teaching our children to know the difference between teasing and flat-out bullying and not to overreact to every comment. But kids should learn when they themselves or anyone else is crossing the line from teasing into cruelty. (Think about the cases of hazing that turn fatal.) Kids and adults who are bullied can turn around and be mean to someone else. Instead of focusing on labeling students “bully” and “victim,” help them all create an environment of mutual respect and concern when someone is being abused. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">We should know abuse when we see it – as children and as adults – and say, “Stop.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-67965205020453315842011-11-09T18:42:00.000-08:002011-11-09T18:42:40.861-08:00Legislative races should be crucible, not a cakewalk<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DoNotShowMarkup/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/> <w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">I just read a column describing this long, sometimes brutal battle for the GOP presidential nomination, saying it’s good for the candidates and good for the electorate. It’s like a crucible that fires strong candidates, burns up weak ones and reveals all to the public.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And that’s what is sadly missing from too many legislative races in Wyoming. Each election, scores of races are decided in a primary or don’t need deciding at all, because only one person files for a seat. Each election, all 60 House seats and half the Senate seats, 15, are on the ballot. We electors are the losers in having such paltry choices. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">No one is served by an uncontested or lop-sided election. Not the voters, obviously. But the candidates lose out, as well. The candidate who gets a free or near-free pass misses out on that crucible, untested by the fire and scrutiny of debate. The candidate doesn’t have to deal with an opponent’s challenges and hard questioning and may not even have to take a stand on tough issues. (Why alienate any voters if you don’t have to, you know what I mean?) </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But the worst part comes when the unchallenged candidates take their seats in the Legislature, filled with a moral certitude and rectitude that makes for a stiff, uncompromising neck. In their eyes, they come with an unquestioned mandate, and they aren’t inclined to listen to and understand other viewpoints. Some come with a mission and a set of blinders, and they go home after 40 days just as clueless as when they arrived. Constituents rarely hear from them between elections, and the lawmakers would prefer not to be bothered by constituents, either. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Usually, legislators learn after a couple of terms that the unyielding, categorical style of representation doesn’t work. (Usually, but not always.) </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Some legislators understand the importance of understanding right from the first day, including some who ran without a challenge. But, when you have a challenge, you <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>have</u></b> to listen. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Why do we have so many unchallenged races? One reason is the hard work of diligent legislative service. It’s a huge commitment of time away from work and family during the sessions and in the interim. Not many people can swing that. There’s also the cost of running – about $8,000 for a House race and $12,000 for a Senate race – and devoting a summer of knocking on doors. Another reason, I suspect, is the general lack of citizen awareness of what the Legislature is and the significance of service. That’s the fault of an uninformed electorate that substitutes yard signs for real information-gathering.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Some people are inclined to blame our single-member legislative districts, which encourage head-to-head competition and have residency requirements. Back before the 1992 redistricting, Laramie County was one at-large district. Imagine dozens of people running in a pack for the county’s <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nine House and five Senate seats. It was hard to know much more than the names of candidates in that race. I don’t remember vigorous debates.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Single-member districts make for more accountable representation of a defined constituent area. But we need candidates who will oppose each other in primaries and general elections and challenge each other to be excellent candidates and then excellent legislators. We need a crucible, not a cakewalk. I’m not sure how we get that. It’s a shame that we don’t.</div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-30858377519069484062011-10-03T06:16:00.001-07:002011-10-03T06:16:51.299-07:00Sometimes it's about the herd<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DoNotShowMarkup/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/> <w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I drove my daughter to Minneapolis and spent two days helping her get settled for the start of law school at the University of Minnesota. This required much driving on the interstate highways in and around the city, which carry a lot of traffic all day long. Despite the heavy traffic, it is easy to merge, change lanes and keep track of everyone. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The distinctive feature of Minneapolis traffic is the mentality of motorists to watch out for each other and accommodate each other. I call it the “cooperative model” of working together so everyone gets where they need to go quickly, safely – efficiently. Compare this to the “competitive model” employed by the motorists on the Interstates around and through Denver, where the overriding mentality is “every man for himself.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> What they have on Minneapolis roads is a sense of community, of people whose welfare is tied together, recognizing that helping someone else benefits me. And that is what is sadly missing not just on Denver highways but in some of the large debates in Wyoming and our country, where law- and policy-making become competitive sports to score points. This characterizes most of the discussion of health care reform. If you’ve read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Healing of America</i> by T.R. Reid, you know that the United States has a remarkably inefficient model of providing health care – costing twice as much as other developed countries to achieve a ranking of 37<sup>th</sup> best health care in the world. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I had a recent conversation with a very nice individual for whom the domestic issues of health care and unemployment were solved by deciding it was someone else’s problem. You assign responsibility, and job done! It’s their fault (or their family’s fault) for being out of work or being poor or being uninsured, so end of discussion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The thing is that we all benefit when people get health care, when they stay healthy, when people are educated, when people are productive citizens who buy goods and services and who pay taxes. (And by the way, we all end up paying for all the health care consumed in our country – including care for people who are uninsured or underinsured –only we do it in the most inefficient and costly method possible.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> It is this lack of community (“not <u>my</u> problem”) that permits the thoughtless individual to toss a cigarette butt out the car window or talk loudly to his companion at the movies or speed through an already-turned-red light. These are relatively minor annoyances. Others are serious and are lightly illegal, for instance driving while drunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> In fact, people who argue for individual responsibility in order to deny community interest are just arguing for self-indulgence. They so conveniently ignore the individual’s responsibility <u>to</u> the community. That is not the admirable defiance of the maverick. That is irresponsible disregard for the herd. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I argue for enlightened self-interest and a sense of community. Take a lesson from Minneapolis highways. Our welfare is tied together in health care, education and many other ways. Let’s respond responsibly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br />
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</div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-79165333784223545902011-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:002011-08-10T08:14:36.295-07:00Trusting the Trustees to Lease Trust Oil and Gas<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:DoNotShowRevisions/> <w:DoNotPrintRevisions/> <w:DoNotShowMarkup/> <w:DoNotShowComments/> <w:DoNotShowInsertionsAndDeletions/> <w:DoNotShowPropertyChanges/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">While thanks are due to the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners for approving revisions to lease terms for oil and gas on school trust lands, a few observations are in order. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">This new lease form tightens up the process of setting the value of oil and gas for computing royalties, to prevent the liberal deductions producers have taken to reduce the royalties paid to the trust’s permanent land fund. Just to remind everyone, these are trust lands held by the state to be managed for the beneficiaries, our school children.*</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The vote by the Land Board last week wasn’t a big surprise. The lease revisions had been in the works for a year and were overdue by a decade. The lease had been in negotiations for several months between the board staff and the oil and gas producers, particularly the Petroleum Association of Wyoming. But four things deserve comment.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Image of Trustee</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">One is the way some commissioners bristled at the suggestion they weren’t living up to their fiduciary duty as trustees of the school lands, as assigned in Wyoming’s Act of Admission and Constitution. Lori Brand speaking for the Equality State Policy Center and attorney Greg Hacker speaking for the Wyoming Education Association scolded the commission for failing to consider and approve a royalty rate increase and a “Pugh Clause” that is standard in mineral leases to ensure a lease is used.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Gov. Matt Mead and Treasurer Joe Meyer objected to the accusation of foot-dragging or caving in to the powerful mineral lobby. To his credit, Meyer has been a reliable voice for the trust over the years, turning aside requests to put other interests before the school children of this state. One correction, however. He said the Land Commission has been a conscientious trustee since he was elected to statewide office 12 years ago. My memory is that 12 years ago, politics seemed to have equal footing with the beneficiaries, public schools. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The commissioners are justifiably sensitive about their image as good trustees. This is good.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What Did He Say?</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The second thing is the confused statements by Bruce Hinchey, director of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, to deflect arguments for the higher royalty rate and Pugh Clause. He tried to argue that schools didn’t need the money, so we didn’t need to be talking about royalty rates. Anyone with an elementary understanding of trust knows about the fiduciary duty to beneficiaries, which doesn’t change according to their perceived need. If Hinchey wants to argue about school funding, he should take it to the Legislature.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">PAW’s spokesman also seemed to forget on this occasion that ad valorem, royalties and severance fees are not just added one on top of the other. Oil and gas producers in Wyoming do not pay severance tax on the amount they pay in mineral royalties. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What the Market Will Bear</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Thirdly -- One good way to determine what royalties the market will bear is to see what the market is bearing right now for owners of similar mineral rights in Wyoming and elsewhere. Will the trust lose out with a royalty rate higher than the current 16.66 percent? Other mineral owners are getting 18.75 percent or higher. What are the school trust leases worth? Let’s find out. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Also, this new lease includes many “show cause” provisions so producers can come to the state to ask for exceptions to rules, based on their particular difficulties. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Yes, our state seems to have enough money to cover the school funding formula. That is not relevant to the discussion of a trust obligation, and it completely ignores the reality that royalties will go into the permanent school fund to produce income that will finance our public schools when the minerals are gone.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Hinchey is confused. The commissioners must stay clear-headed, their eyes firmly on their fiduciary duty to current and future school children who will be educated with income from the permanent land fund. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Now We’re Ready to Talk about Royalties, Pugh Clause</b></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The original lease revisions proposed by the Land Board’s staff at the Office State Lands and Investments (OSLI) a year ago included the higher royalty rate and the Pugh Clause. In response to the outcry from producers, the Land Board took those off the table in order to settle the valuation questions. Now they should go back on the table. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The OSLI staff is a solid, professional crew, and the Board of Land Commissioners can rely on their analyses and recommendations. We are reminded by oil and gas producers that their operations are complicated, but I am confident OSLI has the expertise to sort out the variables and ensure everyone is treated fairly.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I look forward to the discussion, made robust by the land commissioners’ concern that the public recognize their undivided loyalty to the trust beneficiaries, the school children. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">And when the oil and gas lease form is finalized, I look forward to a discussion of the outdated lease forms for rare earth minerals and uranium.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">*This concept is very fuzzy for legislators and other policy makers. These are trust lands, not state lands. The act of Congress that created the State of Wyoming in 1890 set aside two sections per township for the support of public schools, and Wyoming accepted the role of trustee. The surface and subsurface minerals produce revenue for the trust, not for the state. The trustee has a duty to beneficiaries to make as much money as it can, while preserving the trust assets for current and future generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-809512038667092762.post-71939626148359647652011-03-01T13:43:00.000-08:002011-03-01T13:43:40.358-08:00Ignorance Is Not Bliss: Lament for HB120 & HB121<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">It is sad that the Wyoming Senate killed two bills intended to assure public access to the documents and meeting <span> </span>that carry out the public’s business. .</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Sadder still are attitudes expressed by senators during debate on the two measures:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>House Bill 120 – Public Meetings</b> would have required a 12-hour notice for non-emergency meetings and would have required that minutes of executive sessions be kept not just in writing, but by audio recording. <b>HB121 – Public Documents</b> would have required officials to produce requested documents – or explain when they would be produced – in seven business days. People could not be charged to view existing documents. They could be charged for newly compiled documents. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Open meetings statutes list 11 reasons to close meetings to the public, generally relating to personnel, litigation, legally confidential information and real estate negotiations. (Find the complete list in Wyoming Statutes 16-4-405.)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">According to some legislators:</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>The convenience and comfort of elected officials carry more weight than public access.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>When we elect officials, we should trust them to give us information when they think we should know something. If we want to challenge their actions or judgment (challenges based, presumably, on a hunch), we can wait four years for the next election . <span> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Members of boards and commissions with small jurisdictions (e.g., Weed and Pest Districts) cannot be asked to understand and comply with laws governing open records and open meetings. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Nor can we ask boards and commissions of any jurisdiction to manage public documents so they are easy to retrieve for public view – for instance, keeping confidential messages in a separate file. This constitutes an “unfunded mandate.”</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Elected officials cannot trust a judge to determine what parts of executive committee minutes – if any – should be disclosed.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Even less can board and commission members trust each other.<span> </span>It was suggested that, given the opportunity, officials would mine public documents and meeting minutes for sensational, embarrassing ammunition to use against each other. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>The beauty of current law is that elected officials can decide how complete or sketchy their written executive session minutes will be. If you record something, inevitably it will be leaked or stolen. Elected officials themselves may leak information from executive sessions, but that unofficial and unreliable version is okay. (Tip to the folks who keep executive session minutes: do not write or store your documents electronically. Dust off your Smith-Corona, folks.)<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Some senators attributed support for these measures from newspapers across Wyoming to a self-serving attempt to write sensational headlines and embarrass and harass public officials. What else?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
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</div>Marguerite Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16806958478816349965noreply@blogger.com0