A “diddy” to sing on your way to D.C.
America has always been a country of characters. Perhaps the same DNA that drove us toward independence, opportunity, and individualism also drives our need for self-deprecation and sarcasm. No example of such behavior makes me chuckle more than a “diddy” by The Folkel Minority called “Freeze a Yankee” (a Texas solution to the energy crisis). If you want to listen to this “cheeky” little song. Many reading this will have to run for their history books because the only thing they know about the energy crisis is the stories their grandmother told. The song is about solving the energy crisis and the political events surrounding the event, including not drilling on the Continental Shelf, environment vs. cheap energy, etc. The point of all of this is not to revisit the energy crisis, but rather to highlight how important it is to be engaged in the political process. Your Chamber of Commerce has been traveling to DC annually for the past 11 years. The results of these trips have impacted the military, transportation, education, regulation, and much more. It really is the adage, “nothing happens without somebody making it happen.” “Inch by inch” and “step by step” we make progress accomplishing the important goals that we have set for our community. It takes somebody working to achieve our goals and if not us, who and if not now, when? It is a particularly important year for us to make this jaunt. There is so much at stake with GBSD right around the corner, discussions of front range passenger rail, the energy and agriculture industries being hindered by a trade war, and so much more. I can hear some of you wincing right now saying “what a waste of time” or “what difference can I make.” The answer to that is easily found. According to Open Secrets more than 3.4 billion dollars was spent on federal lobbying in 2018. Put another way, while you weren’t sharing what was good for you with your elected officials, someone else was telling them what was good for you instead. If you don’t know who is better at making decisions for you than you are… then sit back in your “easy” chair and drink your Kool-Aid because the rest of us like to make our own decisions. We must get to work, get involved, quit hoping, and start doing. We know for a fact that actions speak louder than words, so we “take action” by visiting our delegation, telling them exactly what we need, establishing expectations. Your chance to “do” something comes in September! Each year, business leaders from Cheyenne travel to DC and work to make sure that America’s future and Wyoming’s future are based on facts. Real folks - who are trying their best to make our country the best it can be - attend this fly-in. Some days it's great to be an American, and if you invest in the future of the Wyoming Business Advocates, those days will be among them.