The state of our state is strong, for now

Each legislative session begins with a “State of the State” address from the governor. Just like the president’s State of the Union address, the governor uses the State of the State to promote key issues, lay out plans for the coming year and set forth a legislative agenda. It is an important moment for reflection about Wyoming’s current condition.

With the session less than a week away, I too have been reflecting on the state of the state. As always, Wyoming faces challenges and opportunities. As I think through these issues, I can’t help but notice that our challenges are largely caused by external factors, while our strengths are inherent to who we are as Wyomingites.

The state of our state is strong, although it is not without its difficulties. We are at an important time in our state’s history, where we will need to make serious decisions about our future. It is not surprising that there is disagreement about what our future may look like, but we run the risk of letting disagreement turn to disunity. Deep divides are one of the greatest dangers we face, and we must be proactive to avoid letting them take root.

One of our state’s historic strengths has been a shared idea of what it means to live in Wyoming. We care about personal responsibility and freedom, but also about taking care of our neighbors and cheerfully lending a hand when it is needed. We are a frontier state, and the settlers of that frontier needed both self-sufficiency and community support to survive. It feels as though we have begun to lose sight of that background. We hear a lot about our self-sufficiency but forget about the community aspects of our heritage. We need one another, even when we disagree, and we must not let disunity become entrenched. We will lose one of the best parts of Wyoming if we do.

On a more practical level, our state faces challenges in the administration of government. Many of these are familiar problems that we may never fully solve. For example, in an arid state like Wyoming, water is always an issue.  Our communities and industries need water to grow, but water is not a resource where new sources are likely to pop up overnight. Long-term planning and smart usage are key to our future.  

Similarly, we are faced with the perpetual challenge of creating cities and towns that can attract the population necessary to keep these communities alive. This requires industries, amenities, and livable communities, but exactly what that means varies from generation to generation. Just as baby boomers expected different things from their communities than their parents and grandparents, so do Generation X and millennials.  We must be willing to adapt if we are going to successfully navigate our state’s changing population.

Our budget and state revenues continue to be a cause for worry. Tax revenues go up and down but, over time, show a steady decline in purchasing power as natural resource markets contract. No government policy in Wyoming can change natural resource markets, so, while we should make Wyoming as attractive for these industries for as long as possible, we must prepare for a future where they no longer are the cornerstone of our state’s revenues.  

Many other real issues warrant real thought, such as problems caused by increases in property tax assessments, an aging population and a reluctance toward economic diversification.  We need to invest in ourselves, not wait for outsiders to do it for us.  

Perhaps the greatest remaining challenge is the temptation to focus on national hot-button issues, rather than the real difficulties facing our state.  Wyoming has enough issues to deal with. We do not need to waste our time on imaginary problems imported from out of state.

Fortunately, we do not face our challenges empty-handed. Wyoming has all the tools it needs to overcome the obstacles in its way and prosper in the future. We are a state rich in resources, and we have experience doing hard things in difficult conditions. We also still have the advantage of time.  If we begin now, we can do the things necessary to meet our challenges on our own terms.  

Wyoming is a special place. Those of us who choose to live here do so because of the values, communities and heritage that make this place unique. We need to be vigilant to ensure that the Wyoming we love does not become a miniature version of the same cultural battlefields that are taking place around the rest of our country. If we avoid the pitfalls of social division and are forward-looking in our problem-solving, our best days can still be ahead of us. If we fail to do so, we may be in for a much rougher path. The state of our state is strong, for now.