Thanks Boston. I just went through all the comments below the article.
Seems many are OK with us once they understand we are, generally, hard working contributors to the local economies and simply exercising our God given, Constitutionally confirmed rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are professionals, skilled tradesman and tradeswomen as well as laborers. We are not comprised of welfare recipients, hippies or militia/anarchists nor do we encourage such activity. Could one or a few of those folks be among us? It's possible, but not probable as they will find few, if any, who would agree with such life philosophies.
Who are we? 'Boot strap' type independents, liberty oriented, family based. Precisely what the collectivists dislike and are actively destroying. While most of us are Christian, some are Jewish, Mormon and even Agnostic. Many enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, shooting sports, astronomy, paleontology and other family oriented and scientific pursuits. Whether we agree on everything or not, we all seem to respect each other and get along. We don't make a practice of imposing our beliefs on others, but are open to discuss them and are willing to express and live our convictions. It's really that simple. This from my personal observations over the last couple of years.
Where are we from? All over, with a surprising number from the Mid West and conservative pockets of the Southern East Coast. Some from suburbia, and many from the country. Some in their 60's and some in their 20's and a lot inbetween. And some from other 'conservative' Western states like AZ, UT, NV, ID. And yes, some from liberal bastions like CA and OR. Of the Californians and Oregonians I've met, I can guarantee the native Wyomingites, they did not bring the liberal qualities of CA/OR with them. Quite a cross-sectional cut. We were pleasantly surprised. As for us, we hail from the Mid-West and AZ.
I hope the naysayers that are clearly getting emotional and jumping to conclusions have the capacity and energy to at least read the FSW link about us. Given a little time and thought, they may come around to seeing who we are and not passing condemnatory judgment. If they still disagree, fine, that's their prerogative. Just return the 'favor' in how you view your new neighbors.
The naysayers and friendly Wyomingites alike will find that many of us have experience fighting 'City Hall' and the expansiveness of regulatory bureaucracies. Some of us have influenced significant changes in smaller towns in our 'native' states, while some in the larger metro areas are simply worn down from fighting the collectivist/statist, anti-freedom, anti-family nature that pervades our country. Native Wyomingites should be thankful that most of us have seen collectivism's damage first hand and despise it.
These freedom loving folks want to be someplace where they can live freely and have a POSITIVE impact on their neigborhood, community and state. We are not solely idealists looking for utopia, but practical realists looking for a liberty oriented location to contribute. That means neighbor helping neighbor, liberty over collectivism, saying no to tax hungry government in principal and fewer bureaucratic restrictions.
Aren't these the kind of neighbors we would all want?
The folks that have lived in Wyoming all their lives simply may not be aware of the liberty strangling power bureaucratic regulatory entities will impart on their lives. It is a movement of collectivist incrementalism, much like the proverbial frog that was comfortable in warm water, only to be boiled alive without realizing the danger. Living under the radar and doing nothing is EXACTLY what enables and empowers these type of politicians and bureaucrats. I confess, I did that for years until the government tried a land grab on my private property. It woke our family up. We fought, fought hard in a professional, courteous and calculated manner and won. Since then, we have gotten more involved and helped to stop excessive spending in the county. If the last round of spending had been approved, property and other taxes would have gone even higher and the debt expense would have become a generational curse. As I write this, a big spending push is coming around again. We'll have to devote some PERSONAL time, with no excuses, to beat the push for spending back.
Aren't these the kind of neighbors we all want?
Impose regulation (lose liberty), Raise taxes (lose liberty), Expand government (lose liberty), impose regulation, etc. That is the dastardly cycle of collectivism that grips parts of the East and West coast today. That is precisely what FSW'ers do NOT want to see come to Wyoming. Sorry to say, it's already there, as I have attended a "Concerned Citizens Planning Committee" meeting in Crook County and have seen it for myself. The imported county planner actually stated that it is up to government what you do on your land! That's first hand, as I heard it with my own ears. No locals challenged him on that shocking comment. Very sad. But the good news is, collectivism can be minimized, stopped or even reduced. Citizens choice.
The liberal collectivist types will want the above restrictions and socialist government bureaucracies to flourish, while the independent, libertarian, conservative(as loosely defined today) types will NOT want expanded government and actively work against it. Small government, low taxes and free market principals promote the expansion of private enterprise and a flourishing citizenry.
Boston, if you think the above comments would be worthwhile posted in the Casper article, let me know and I'll make it happen. Otherwise, anyone can read it here and comment, if they so choose. Thanks for your effort over there to get some clarity and understanding amongst the few keyboard naysayers.
