Cowboy State Politics

All of us are in a battle of free speech.  The best way to counter vile and hateful speech is with more speech.  It's worth remembering when the University of Wyoming rescinded an invitation to an admitted domestic terrorist.  It's a good example of what not to do.  The question is what should all of us do instead?  Call a spade a spade.

Happy Birthday to Me!!  The Wyoming Democrats wasted no time calling Charlie Kirk a racist.  Provenza, who shouldn't be talking about violent rhetoric decided to denounce it.  And, Rothfuss showed his expertise in taking Charlie Kirk entirely out of context.  And, of course, the Cow Pie went right along with all of it.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis joins the program to reflect on the life of Charlie Kirk, the September 11th attack and to share what's going on in the United States Senate.

Harriet recently visited Grand Teton National Park for an onsite committee meeting.  Not surprisingly, the federal government has problems federal permitting for projects on land that it owns.  We also discussed the Clinton era "roadless rule."  It's not a law but a rule that was adopted by the the U.S. Forest Service.  According to Harriet that is the reason for many forest fires and beetle kills in the west.  It's a great discussion.

Josh Dorrell is the CEO of the Wyoming Business Council.  I've long been an opponent of this agency because it's not the proper role of government to be monkeying around in the free-market.  Over it's existence, Wyoming taxpayers have dumped over half-a-billion dollars into it.  All the while Wyoming's GDP actually went down.  And, yes, I asked him about that.  Josh was kind enough to sit down and have a frank discussion about his agency and its proper place.

There is no such thing as affordable housing.  It always turns into a scheme to take your tax dollars.  The most recent example is a housing project in Jackson.  Millions of your dollars were spent to build a big building that private companies are benefiting from.  Rebecca Bextel joins me to discuss the Ford Broncos and Mercedes Benz's in the parking lot of this thing.

Replay - Cowboy State Politics Live September 4

All but 1 Wyoming school district did not give their staff the 8.5% raise promised by the legislature.  Most gave a salary increase far below that.  HB316 specifically says that teachers and staff get 8.5%, that only happened in 1 county.

Happy Marxist, Communist, Radical Domestic Terrorist Day!!  There's a lot more to Labor Day than just barbeques, fishing and having fun.  The reason you aren't working is because of Marxists!  

This week I got the chance to attend a fundraiser in Jackson.  It turns out there are some conservatives in Wyoming's only Democrat county.  Rep Andy Biggs, Scott Perry, Andy Harris and Eric Burlison were there to raise money for conservatives in congress.  They gave the audience an inside view of what it's like to buck the establishment.

Replay of Cowboy State Politics Live August 28.  Reaction to the Gail Symons podcast.  Eric Barlow has to resign his chairmanship and a federal judge in Wyoming has dismissed the UW sorority lawsuit because he's not a biologist and can't define what a woman is.  You can't make this stuff up!

Last Thursday during the Cowboy State Daily Morning Show, Gail Symons claimed that a reprehensible comment made years prior by Rep Steve Harshman about now Secretary of State Chuck Gray was, "Not Inaccurate."  The only reason she brought it up is she thought no one would remember.  That wasn't the only insult she leveled at conservatives.  Predictably, Morning Show host Jake Nichols didn't correct her or push back in any way.  **This episode contains inappropriate language.**  

Tomorrow on the program I'm going to play for you the reprehensible things Gail Symons said about Secretary of State Chuck Gray.  I'd say that Jake in the Cow Pie agreed with her but, frankly, he doesn't know what she's talking about.  After tomorrow he will.

The Wyoming GOP held their quarterly meeting in Hulett over the weekend.  As usual, I was left to do the job the Wyoming media refuses to do.  There were several resolutions presented but the one concerning federal lands caught my attention.

Sheridan County Commissioner Nick Siddle wants to raise your taxes.  Nick and the Transportation Committee  considered a 10 CENT raise to the gas tax at their last meeting.  WYDOT claims that they have a $400 million shortfall.  If that's true an increase in the gas tax wouldn't come anywhere close to closing it.

Replay - Cowboy State Politics Live Aug 21

Eric Barlow claims to be a conservative but his voting record shows that he is the farthest thing from that.  In the past 10 years, Barlow voted 81.88% of the time with the DEMOCRATS--hardly the work of a conservative.  His record on guns and on pro-life bills isn't any better.

Gabe Saint is the President of Turning Point USA at the University of Wyoming.  He's helped to change a lot of things that irritate a lot of us at our land grant university.  We talked about free speech, why Trump is losing support among young people and the Wyoming he wants to see in the future.

For over 20 years, Ben Barto has been "Bone Daddy."  He's been the public persona of the Beartooth Motorcycle Rally.  Now he's the organizer of a professional biker rodeo association.  But he has also spent most of life supporting veteran charitable organizations. projecthealingwaters.org freedomhunters.org

Recap of The World According to Ogden.  He was up until the wee hours of the morning trying to defend his record.  "Trying" is the operative word.  It's pretty hard to defend voting against a bill that would have allowed your doctor to prescribe Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine when you obtained some for your own family.  Interview with U.S. Rep Harriet Hageman and much much more.

Some legislators get an elitist attitude when they have been in the legislature too long.  Ogden Driskill is a perfect example of that.  While Senate President he never would have allowed the behavior he has exhibited over the years.  One thing's for certain, he's a never-ending source of soundbites.

We should start referring to comments on social media as exactly what they are.  Most of them have no support or evidence to back up their claims--they're just inane noise; which, is mostly what you get from the Redcoats.  My advice, just ignore them.

After the closing of 8 newspapers, you'd think the Wyoming media would take stock of where they're at--what they could do to improve.  But they didn't.  Media outlets continued in their biased coverage and one of them published an editorial openly admitting that they are the gate-keepers of information.

Replay of Cowboy State Politics Live August 7.  The closing of 8 Wyoming newspapers.  Why the media is failing and where they went wrong.  That, and much much more.

Legislators ask you to trust them on a whole host of issues.  You shouldn't trust them on anything.  As Reagan said, "Trust but verify."  Some of the Senators and Representatives are asking for your trust; but those same people really didn't act in your best interests during COVID.  Trust the Science is what we were all told.  Not again! There's been some push back to some of the legislative ratings sites.  The scrutiny is absolutely legitimate.  Know what the goal and agenda of the site is before you make a decision to trust the results or not.

Join host David Iverson in this engaging episode of Cowboy State Politics as we delve into a thought-provoking roundtable discussion featuring prominent Wyoming representatives. Broadcasting from the base of the bighorns, David and his guests explore the Wyoming Freedom Caucus's principles amidst recent political controversies and media narratives. In the first segment, the conversation unpacks the labeling of the Freedom Caucus as the 'new right' by local media and examines its implications. Guests John Bear, Bill Allemand, Chris Knapp and Agent 29 offer insights into conservative values and clarify misconceptions related to capitalism and government intervention. The episode then shifts to an intensive debate on nuclear energy and the potential establishment of nuclear waste storage in Wyoming. Representatives share genuine concerns about safety, federal influence, and community impact, particularly highlighting the need for transparency and cautious policy making. As the discussion unfolds, listeners are encouraged to engage with multifaceted views on conservatism, political labeling, and Wyoming's strategic decisions, providing a comprehensive overview of current state politics.

Senator Jim Anderson is the Senate Chairman of the minerals committee.  He also doesn't care if you know what he really thinks.  During this past week's interim meeting, Anderson repeatedly swore on the microphone.  He also allowed Ogden Driskill to basically call other legislators liars and attack the Freedom Caucus--something what would absolutely not be allowed on the legislative floor.

Speaker of the Wyoming House, Chip Neiman joins the program for a wide ranging interview.  The explosive minerals committee meeting, if he is going to run for governor and much more.

Sheridan Attorney Seth Shumaker doesn't exactly see things the same way as the former chief justice.  After the interview with Kate Fox, I wanted a different perspective--certainly lawyers have a different view of things.  Though it's a complete shock, I found a pretty conservative one!

Gail Symons wants you to believe we live in democracy.  She says that everyone should read what the founders wrote.  I agree; she should too.  Symons has a history of making contradictory comments.  This is the most recent example.  It's the Cow Pie's latest attempt at convincing you of something that's not true.

An EXCLUSIVE interview with Former Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, Kate Fox.  We talked about the judicial nominating process and whether or not there's any politics involved; threats to judges and I get her thoughts on judicial review and restraint.  

On the next Cowboy State Politics Live, former Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court, Kate Fox joins the program.  We're going to talk about the judicial selection process and increased threats to members of the judiciary.  We'll also open up the phone lines if you have a question for Justice Fox.

Replay of Cowboy State Politics Live for July 24.  The Dignity Act is just a fancy way of saying amnesty.  AI and where we are going with it.  Former Rep Mark Baker joins the program.

There have been discussions about regulating naturopathic medicine in Wyoming.  There's already been an interim committee meeting about it.  I spoke with Naturopathic Doctor Dan Young about it.  Predictably, he thinks that's a bad idea.

There are still newspapers that print the news--that actually do journalism.  That's opposed to rags that print nothing but opinion and attempt to tell you what to think.  On our weekend I came across a small paper in Basin reporting on the same thing as the Cow Pie but with very different results.  

1 year ago, I talked Christine into marrying me.  So, we decided to slip away for the weekend.  Here's a replay of yesterday's Open Line Friday.  It's an interesting episode with a couple of callers and several different stories.  Have a good weekend!

Replay - Cowboy State Politics Live July 17

Author of the book Rules for Defeating Radicals, Chris Adamo, made the news and he didn't even know it.  I called him to get his reaction to the story about christian TV stars all the sudden supporting not so christian things.  We also discussed why there really are socialists and communists campaigning for high office.

Joseph Kaufman is running for congress in Florida's 23rd District.  He is a counter-terrorism expert and he knows the Crown Prince of Iran.  We had a great discussion about what is actually happening here at home and in the Middle East.

Someone was wearing a Mark Gordon suit at the Ramaco Ribbon Cutting.  What he said was completely different than his usual climate change nonsense.  Rep. Harriet Hageman joins the program to discuss the Big Beautiful Bill and we try to figure out what the Senate Parliamentarian's role actually is.

Shocking Audio from the Management Audit Committee.  State Government Department of Audit Employee calls his job "A JOKE!" This is a must listen to episode!

Many of the Republicans in the Wyoming Legislature want you to believe that the Freedom Caucus passed bills that seriously damaged your liberties.  Teton County Democrat Mike Yin recently wrote an op-ed in the Cow Pie that claims just that.  The only problem is he didn't provide a single example to back up what he was saying.  The truth?  It's exactly the opposite of what he is saying.

Why did the Wyoming Tribune Eagle publish a clearly anti-American op-ed the day after Independence Day?  It's not because they're interested in presenting both sides, that's not their style.  It's because that's the prevailing opinion of their editorial board.  Regardless, the headline on their opinion section the day after Independence Day: We Shouldn't Have Won (The Revolution).

We were in a very different place a year ago.  Many of us didn't know if our country would survive.  But things have changed.  This July 5th, it's important to remember so maybe we don't repeat the same mistakes.  The place we should start is with THE Declaration.

The Wyoming legislature has said no to nuclear waste storage numerous times.  But when Senate President "Bo" Biteman traveled to Florida he said something entirely different.  He wants the radioactive waste.  Cowboy State Politics has obtained exclusive audio of him making all of those comments.

Dr Taylor Haynes joins me to discuss Wyoming's relationship with the federal government.  He had a proposal when he was running for governor to take back Wyoming's land from the federal government.  He says that's the correct avenue and not the one Mike Lee was proposing.

They Wyoming left and the media constantly claims that the Freedom Caucus only focuses on national issues.  Two of the newest members of the media crowd, Amy Edmonds and Jake from the Cow Pie had to join in.  The problem is, the facts never line up with their rhetoric. 

Replay - Cowboy State Politics Live June 26 Special Guest Rep Tom Kelly

Reid Rasner has been sending out cease and desist letters to his detractors for infringing on his copyrights.  He actually claims that his face is copyrighted.  There's one wrinkle though, he's claiming to own the copyright for a logo that is actually owned by someone else.  I told you it's confusing.

Documents obtained by Cowboy State Politics show that failed U.S. Senate candidate Reid Rasner has been sending cease and desist letters to his detractors.  He also claims to own the copyright to a logo already owned by someone else.  With Reid, you just can't make this stuff up!

We finally took out Iran's nuclear sites.  Now, the media and congress are up in arms claiming that Trump's actions are unconstitutional.  But are they?  The short answer, no.  Beyond that, it was the right thing to do anyway.