CHRONICLE
HIOHS
4 J The Lovell Chronicle I February 2, 2012
Redistricting process
worked for the Basin
The process of political redistricting, required every 10
years by a Wyoming Supreme Court decision, is a difficult
task prone to frustration and hurt feelings.
The court decision based on the concept of "one person,
one vote" requires legislative district to be based on popula-
tion, rather than geographic lines, and requires said districts
to be balanced in regard to population, with two house dis-
tricts nested within each senate district.
: As the state population changes, new district lines must
be redrawn to maintain the district population balance,
with up to a 5 percent deviation allowed within each dis-
trict.
Since population growth does not occur evenly, shifting
population requires shifting districts, and sometimes the dis-
trict boundaries don't fit traditional geographic bounds, like
the Big Horn Basin.
Hoping to keep nine legislators in the Big Horn Basin
and not lose a district to, say, Fremont County, the Basin
nine legislators met last fall to formulate a redistricting plan
that would allow the Basin to maintain its legislative power,
while also being fair.
There was some horse trading during the process, as the
lawmakers worked with district boundary lines to make ev-
erything work. Solons realized not everyone was going to
be happy, but in the end, the desire for a greater "commu-
nity of interest" outweighed a local "community of interest."
Community of interest is one of the considerations the
Supreme Court allowed in the redistricting process, as es-
tablished by the legislature, and in the case of the Big Horn
Basin, it became the focal point of the debate.
In order to make "the math" work, legislators came up
with a plan to spread House District 28 north to encom-
pass the Meeteetse area. With Cody and Powell growing,
their districts would actually shrink - geographically - under
the plan, and with Hot Springs County losing population,
House District 28 had to expand south into the Shoshonil
Lysite area and north to the Meeteetse area.
This didn't sit well with Meeteetse folks, who have been
represented by lawmakers from Cody for many years. Cody
is their community of interest, they argued. They shop in
Cody, their newspaper is in Cody and their legislators have
always been relatively close by, Meeteetse being only about
24 miles from Cody.
Thermop is 54 miles from Meeteetse, and with Rep. Lor-
raine Quarberg of Thermopolis currently holding the seat,
that a long ways for a representative to travel, Meeteetse
folks said, not to mention the fact that it would be difficult
for a person from Meeteetse to ever be elected to the legis-
lature.
But the legislators, after tweaking the plan to make sure
all three Meeteetse voting districts would fall in one house
district, held their ground, arguing that it is more important
to keep the Basin together with nine legislators. Quarberg
already represents a portion of south Big Horn County, and
Basin is about 66 miles from Thermop.
Rep. Elaine Harvey of Lovell helped turn the tide, mak-
ing a persuasive argument that, in the Basin, lawmakers are
ready and willing to help any or all communities because
they share a common interest and are, in fact, a greater
community of interest.
She also explained how the late Sen. Carroll Miller suc-
cessfully represented the Powell area while living more than
70 miles from Powell near tiny Shell. He didn't have any
trouble being elected, though one might argue that he, at
least, had Big Horn County folks from Greybull, Lovell and
north Big Horn County in his corner, where as Meeteetse is
much more isolated.
Harvey, Sen. Ray Peterson, Sen. Hank Coe, Rep. Dave
Bonner and others are happy to advocate for a bill or a
project that affects any other town in the Basin, and have
done so many times.
It is good to see the Big Horn Basin able to stay together
through the redistricting process. We urge the Wyoming
Legislature to approve the plan OK'd two weeks ago by the
Corporations Committee.
• -David Peck
Guest column
Child labor rule a 00roblem
I have concerns about the proposed than the government what
Child Labor Rule as it relates to youth
working on farms and ranches, which
has gone through public review. The De-
partment of Labor is currently accessing
those comments.
I agree that farming and ranching
have inherent risks associated with ma-
chinery and livestock handling. I do
disagree with making laws to prohibit
youth from working in these situations.
Many times youth that are cousins
and other relatives would be eliminated
from doing certain tasks on farms and
ranches if they are not 18. I firmly be-
lieve that what is needed is proper edu-
cation and training of youth so that they
are prepared to safely operate machin-
ery and be able to move livestock in a
safe manner.
I plan to do my part in this training by offer-
ing a farm safety course to the youth in our county,
which will be a Friday evening and a full Satur-
day workshop teaching youth how to safely operate
tractors and teach them what machines are inher-
ently dangerous. I helped with two of these work-
shops in Utah and they were well received by the
youth there. Safely operating all-terrain vehicles
will also be part of the program. There are many
youth operating four wheelers and mules.
I believe that a person needs to learn some time
and when we raise the age of when they learn we
will see the accidents transferring to an older age.
I know parents need to use common sense in what
they will allow their children to do and parents
Dallen R.
Smith
BHC Extension
Agent
stage their child is at.
One thing farmers and ranchers
can do for training workers and youth
on equipment safety is to require oper-
ators to read operators manuals before
operating equipment. When my older
brother managed a ranch he required
my cousin who grew up in a city to read
the operator manual for the tractor and
round baler he was to operate and I was
required to read the operator manual of
the swather that I ran. A manager could
go around a machine and teach them the
inherent dangers about the machines.
For instance, PTO's are very dan-
gerous and no one should be near them
when they are spinning. New equipment
has safer shields than older equipment.
With all the training there will still be
accidents but these accidents, will be greatly re-
duced.
No one wants to be part of statistics. I worked
on a ranch with a gentleman that lost his hand in
a round baler, he was trying to get the feed un-
plugged with the machine running. I have done the
same thing, but never again.
I knew a person in Smithfield, Utah, who was
building a fence at his new house and was digging
post holes with a rear PTO-driven post-hole auger.
He got off the tractor to put weight on the auger
and the bolt that held the auger on was too long
and wrapped him up and killed him. He left a fine
wife and several young children. So let's all take
the needed time and do things the safe way.
Letters to the editor
Government runs amok
Dear Editor,
Many polls show approxi-
mately 80 plus percent of the peo-
ple think the country is headed in
the wrong direction. I am one of
that group and believe our gov-
ernment has run amok and is out
of control. There are far too many
so-called czars and unelected bu-
reaucrats with too much power to
make regulations and issue fines
without even a hearing or trial.
Whatever happened to due pro-
cess?
The EPA planned to fine an
Idaho couple for starting to build
a house on their private property.
The EPA called the land a wetland
and the fine would be $37,000 per
day until the property was re-
stored. All this with no hearing or
trial. Now the Supreme Court will
decide. The EPA plans to fine oil
refineries for not using a certain
kind of ethanol in their blend.
Problem is, that kind of ethanol is
not even manufactured yet. I also
heard the EPA is planning to fine
farmers for raising dust as they
plant their crops. Next, will it be
fining people for breathing and
putting carbon dioxide into the air
and causing global warming?
I am all for protecting the en-
vironment, clean air and clean
water, but I believe the EPA has
run amok.
Meanwhile, the Justice De-
partment is suing states want-
ing voters to show photo identifi-
cation to vote. South Carolina is
one of those states and in the re-
cent primary election it was just
reported that several hundred
dead persons voted. Photo ID is
just a fact of life these days on ev-
erything from cashing a check to
boarding an airplane. I recently
had to show a photo ID to enter a
federal building in Billings. I was
told no photo ID, no entry. If I
had been a homeless person with
no photo ID, no home address, no
cell phone, I would not have been
allowed to enter and conduct my
personal business.
Then we have the depart-
ment of Homeland Security and
the Justice Department and the
Fast and Furious gun smuggling
sham that no one knows anything
about. The former speaker of the
House says we have to pass the
bill to find out what is in it. To me,
that is like buying a grab bag at
a farm sale and discovering I had
just bought a bag of horse manure
and cow dung.
I agree with a bumper sticker
I recently saw that said, "Diapers
and politicians need to be changed
for the same reason." Government
run amok? I think so.
Jim Szlemko
Stop the second payroll tax 'holiday'
Dear Editor,
All who are concerned about
finding solutions to America's fi-
nancial problems should contact
Congress at once.
Congress is again debating
thet prospect of declaring a pay-
roll tax holiday for 2012, as was
done in 2011.
In 2011, 160 million workers
were said to have been exempted
from paying $1,000 each of the pay-
roll tax on Social Security "pay as
you go to retire when you do" plan.
160 billion workers times
$1,000 equals $160 billion with-
held from Social Security in 2011.
The Bowles/Simpson Commis-
sion's recommendation of this "Hol-
iday" specified that a way must be
found to pay for this "Holiday."
The U.S. government is sup-
posed to be issuing $160 billion in
treasury notes to cover this "raid,"
meaning that the Social Securi-
ty's "pay as you go" plan (a highly
successful program to date) is pre-
empted by a welfare IOU.
Contact Congress now to stop
a second payroll tax "holiday" in
2012. It has nothing to do with be-
ing a "cut" - it was an exemption.
Action by citizens NOW (not
whining) must prevent another
payroll tax holiday or $160 billion
more from Social Security's "pay
as you go to retire when you do"
in 2012.
Nora Marie Lewis, Basin
Letters to the editor
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to The Lovell Chronicle, Box 787, Lovell, WY
82431, or delivered to our office at 234 E. Main
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David Peck, Editor and Publisher
Editor ................................................................................. David Peck
Reporter ........................................................................ Patti Carpenter
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