Wyoming Vote Tracker

First, it was Mitt Romney. then it was we’re kicking off the primary season (sorta) . Now the Fed Chairman is set to make his speech from Jackson Hole today. An interest rate cut is expected to be announced.

The Fed, although it has not yet indicated that it will indeed lower the benchmark fed funds rate, has been adding cash to the banking system in an attempt to keep the credit markets liquid. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Wednesday it would inject $5.25 billion through a one-day repurchase agreement, in which it buys that amount in collateral from dealers who then deposit the money into commercial banks.

Wall Street has tumbled and rebounded erratically throughout the past weeks as investors have waited to see how the Federal Reserve reacts to the latest economic data and spreading failure of the subprime mortgage market.

Bernanke will give his speech Friday morning at Jackson Lake Lodge.

OK, some Wall Street opining here. There’s a number of folks out there that have too much house for their income/financial situations. On the other side of the coin, there’s some lenders out there that have made some pretty irresponsible moves by allowing folks to saddle themselves with a monstrous debt that will likely lead them to financial ruin. Granted, some folks can buckle down and scrimp and get through a near crisis, but there are plenty more that crash and burn.

That’s why I’m OK with the market feeling a little uneasy right now. Risky borrower/lender agreements need to be dealt with in an unsubsidized manner. The Fed throwing money at the market in order to save the mortgage industry from poor decisions about borrower applicants is a bad idea. It prevents the market from correcting its error. Just as the market corrected after shooting up beyond the 14K mark, so must it regarding this situation.

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I got quite a surprise in my snail-mail inbox this afternoon. It was the latest issue of the National Right to Life News. In case you don’t receive it, it is a newspaper style newsletter that is folded over like a traditional newsletter. I looked at the cover and there was a picture of one of my good Wyoming blogger friends. I immediately opened the newsletter and there she was again!

Summer 2007 marks the inaugural session of the National Right to Life Academy, a new summer program designed to educate and equip college students with the knowledge and skills to effectively work for the pro-life cause.

At the core of the program is the practicum. Students and staff alike agree that that these daily sessions that simulate experiences form the cohesive structure that ties the course together and helps the students to become more effective activists. […]

The students in this summer’s Academy come from a wide array of states, colleges, and academic backgrounds. From Wyoming to Massachusetts, Cornell University to the University of Steubenville, and philosophy to nursing, the student make-up of the Academy tags all the bases.

I’ll leave it up to Tieki Rae to tell where she appears in the pictures, but I did want to brag about her beyond the congratulatory e-mail I sent before typing this.

I thought she had a blog post that covered more details of her experience, but I didn’t find it. Maybe I just overlooked too. At any rate, she did write about her thoughts being stirred at the Academy.

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Probably one of the things taken for granted most often in this country is the power that We the People have. The third Tuesday of August (for Wyoming) and first Tuesday of November on even-numbered years where we get to take a sheet of paper into a booth, fill in an oval next to our favored candidate (or even write in the name of our favored candidate), and submit that ballot anonymously without fear of an authoritative back-lash for the choices we made.

Try voting your conscience in a Saddam-ruled Iraq. Everyone (i.e. liberals) loved to talk about how he got huge re-election numbers, nigh unto 100%. I imagine there was a healthy fear that if you voted “no,” you just might not get to “vote” in the next election.

Now look at Iraq. People turned out in huge numbers to decide who their lawmakers were going to be, who was going to lead the country, what the new Constitution would say. On top of that, they risked their lives doing it. Not because some spy agency was keeping tabs on who was going to the polls and who wasn’t, but because in the country’s efforts to democratize in the face of the naysayers, a war was being fought. Still, the threat of a car bomb or bomb-strapped kamikaze-type terrorist could not shut up the voice of the citizens. The people showed up to do their patriotic duty and I bet that an overwhelming majority of the voters that turned out were informed on the issues to make wise decisions.

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I have to admit, I’ve wondered why Jackson Hole? Why not some place more central like Casper or even the Capital (though that is not at all central, even more “on the edge” than Jackson Hole). Continue Reading »

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No, he wasn’t in Wyoming, but because Wyoming is one of a handful of states that still gives 50%+ support to the President and the War on Terrorism, I figured the speech the President Bush made at the VFW in Kansas City today would be a good topic for this blog. Continue Reading »

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I’d like to make a special welcome to Clay “Bob” Cunningham to the blogroll. Mr. Cunningham is a former Yellowstone National Park ranger and former supervisor of Denali National Park and Preserve. He is a frequent guest of Tom Morrison’s Speak Your Piece on KODI/KZMQ AM. He has common sense when it comes to wilderness issues, a common sense that is lacking in today’s NPS and at times the National Forest Service.

On today’s show, he announced a new blog that he’s doing. I couldn’t have been more excited. Check out his blog The Ranger Outpost. You just might come around to some common sense thinking on snowmobiles, forest fires and whatever else he writes about.

Tech Tags: Ranger Outpost, rangerinstitute.com, Clay “Bob” Cunningham

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Saw this while perusing the Politics West blog. If you just read the opening paragraphs, you’d be inclined to say the Wyoming law is bad, Continue Reading »

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Park County (WY) Commissioner Tim French (R) is a classic small-government Republican. If there’s an issue with the Federal Government overstepping it’s bounds, especially in Park County, he’ll often be the one to take up the lead on opposing whatever needs opposing. Continue Reading »

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I attempted some editing. Keyword: attempted. I attempted to correct said editing. Keyword: attempted. If you’re looking for my sidebar, go waaaaaaay down to the bottom of any page or post.

If you have any helpful thoughts post here, or on the CB support forum, or on the WP Themes support forum

Hopefully, this’ll be back to normal soon…

UPDATE: In the interest of a decluttered screen, I have activated a default theme

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OK, two separate stories for one blog. The common link? Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

First off, Gary Trauner is thinking about maybe perhaps running once more for our lone seat in the US House. Judging by his campaign last year (even if he along with the Governor did get the endorsement of some misguided Republicans), he won’t be getting endorsed by this blogger any time soon. Of course the paper work is just a meaningless formality because Rep. Cubin has filed her paperwork without making a formal decision. I don’t know, going to a Daily Kos convention seems like a pre-cursor to getting a shot at speaking in Denver in ‘08.

Former Massachusetts Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney will be visiting the Wyoming Democrat hide out this Wednesday. He will be the first of the Republican ‘08 slate to visit the Cowboy State, no doubt taking advantage of his cultural tie (Mormonism) and the fact that Wyoming Republicans will be having their Presidential Primary the same day as New Hampshire. Candidate Romney is another that is on my leery list due to questionable stances on abortion-related issues.

Tech Tags: Gary Trauner, Mitt Romney

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