Joan Barron
Latest from Joan Barron
Joan Barron: No Middle Ground On School Vouchers
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "It is reasonable to expect a move next year to expand the preschool subsidy program for low income children. I doubt if it will be successful given the newness of the 2023 law that authorized Education Savings Accounts. But eventually it will happen."
Joan BarronJune 22, 2024
Joan Barron: Snippets From A Reporter's Notebook
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The Democrats were a wild bunch during the session in 1958. They carted the shaggy stuffed buffalo from the capitol rotunda to the lawn outside and began riding it. Some were bucked off."
Joan BarronJune 17, 2024
Joan Barron: A Timely Tribute to a Beleaguered Politician
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Wyoming’s Lester Hunt, who died 70 years ago June 19, is getting a lot of attention this year. Presentations and panels in Lander, where Hunt lived, with more to come in Cheyenne."
Joan BarronJune 09, 2024
Joan Barron: It’s Time To Lure The Tourists
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "You know it’s summer travel time season when you find big magazine ads from state tourism organizations. Having precious little to brag about in a state that is long, flat and brown mostly, the Nebraska crew decided self- mockery was the key."
Joan BarronJune 01, 2024
Joan Barron: Hugely Unpopular Proposed Book Policy
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "A local newspaper poll recently showed amazingly strong opposition to the Cheyenne school board’s proposed new policy on books."
Joan BarronMay 26, 2024
Joan Barron: Term Limits For Legislature; The Story Of Two States
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "The loss of institutional knowledge is why I have consistently opposed term limits for legislators. Wyoming has a high turnover every election and while there are some members who serve for many years, the vast majority do not.
Joan BarronMay 18, 2024
Joan Barron: Sorting Social Betting From Professional Gambling
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "While gambling may have grown too fast and too big in Wyoming, so has the amount of money coming into the state for schools and local governments. Gaming is a one billion dollar golden egg and growing. Big decisions ahead."
Joan BarronMay 11, 2024
Joan Barron: Labeling The 2024 Budget Session
Columnist Joan Barron writes, "Government observers and historians have a tendency to label legislative sessions. I think the 2024 budget session could be labeled the 'elites and hillbillies session.'"
Joan BarronMay 04, 2024
Joan Barron: "We Want It To Be As Pure As Can Be"
Cowboy State Daily columnist Joan Barron writes, "Does a Wyoming third political party have any chance at all to gain power this election year given the yawning fissures in the state’s dominant Republican party?"
Joan BarronApril 27, 2024