Recently, I sat in the living room of some politically active community members that I have known for several years. They shared with me what they feel is the greatest threat to Wyoming’s future.
Opinion
It was not the anti-energy policies of the Democratic Party, driven by the Biden administration, which have nearly destroyed Wyoming’s economy, costing our state billions of dollars in revenue.
It wasn’t the strain on our water resources posed by new tech industries.
It was not about the coastal states blocking exports of clean, beautiful Wyoming coal to Pacific markets.
It wasn’t even about the democratic socialist movement in America.
To these people, the greatest threat to Wyoming is a group of locally elected legislators who fight to put money back into the hands of taxpayers, place control back into the hands of parents and restore confidence in our elections.
They looked me in the eyes and told me the biggest threat to the state’s future is the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. They said “we” are doing everything possible this election — statewide — to oust the Freedom Caucus from the Legislature. To me, this is an organized, statewide movement.
On Independence Day, the thought and feeling hit me that I have never been prouder to be a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and the people associated with it.
After huge property tax increases, we are fighting to keep money in your pocket.
After millions of illegal aliens entered our country under the Biden administration, we worked hard to protect your voice by requiring proof of citizenship and proof of Wyoming residency to vote in Wyoming elections. We also banned illegal aliens from driving on our highways.
We stood up to protect women’s sports and spaces, even after our governor called such measures “draconian” and “discriminatory.”
But according to these folks, fighting for these basic conservative values poses a greater threat to Wyoming than the left-leaning actors who are actively trying to destroy Wyoming and our country.
We will continue the fight for parental rights, tax reform, government transparency, streamlined infrastructure funding and more. The Freedom Caucus exists for the people of Wyoming.
well, well, well, i’d say that this absolutely ridiculous opinion write up from rep. joe webb is going to be the final dagger in his political career. What a boneheaded maneuver to have this article broadcast on a state wide internet publication, actually the whole world wide web. add the participation of webb in the checkgate scandal i’d seriously doubt that the good folks in his house district are going to remain tolerant of the shenanigans and whining and crying from this poseur
Hey Joe, when are you going to demand that the fully unredacted Epstein Files be released? You know, pertaining to crimes and sex trafficikng of young ladies (people)?! I mean, jeez, you’re ‘for the people’, right Joe, or do multi felons and pedo’s get a pass from you?
Can you imagine the hubris of a ‘public servant’ holding a listening session, and then not listening? Topped off with the audacity of an article complaining of their constituents concerns?! The hypocrisy is astounding, but It seems to be a common thread in the MAGA crowd these days. Attend one of Hageman’s so called town halls, and you will see the same attitude towards her constituents. ‘I know more of what you people need than you do’, is the message I’m getting from the whole bunch of them!
Joe, it looks like you let the people know what you think of them and their priorities, come Aug. they can return the favor.
At first I thought this was one of those tongue in cheek satire pieces, but no. Bawlbaby Rep Webb truly believes the garbage spewn by the no free dumb caca. Be light on Joe, commentators, we don’t want him to get his sacred panties in a bunch and start sobbing. He’ll be crying soon enough come Aug 18th
Very doubtful that Mr. Webb had the ability to concoct this instant classic masterpiece of brilliance all on his lonesome so, wonder what handler dictated all this garbage? Some mysterious out of state freedom caucus monkey via a text message to Webb’s phone or more of a home grown sellout like the californian Rachel formerly-know-as RODRIGUEZ Willams? Either way what a brainless and silly opinion piece, almost insulting that Wyofile would exploit this idiot by printing it
I’m sure that Mr Webb fully believes the malarkey that’s he’s trying to spin. Personally I don’t. The Freedom Caucus does not exist to benefit the people of Wyoming. The Freedom Caucus exists to benefit no one other than itself and it’s national agenda. Mr Webb, you try telling 36K Wyoming kids how much they benefited when you voted against Sun Bucks, see how far that gets you!
Rebecca Bechtel of checkgate fame really keened in on whose integrity was in question and could be bought. The Gang of Ten who received checks on the house floor (including YOU, Mr. Webb) were merely pawns in her game to purchase influence in our legislature. Suckers all and 1,500 hundred bucks exposed you for what you really are. But, even after all of that, here you are, telling us how hunky dory the whole Freedom Cabal is and the valiant efforts of you folks in trying to save us all from the democratic socialist movement and those evil libs. Wow, you had to bring up Biden (forgot how to spell Obama??) yet it’s your orange monkey in the white house that is the cause of 17 U.S. military deaths and counting in that endless attention diverting war, 4 Dollar PLUS gasoline and bank busting grocery bills. Why don’t you sit in a living room with a gold star family and just try to blither your nonsense. Ever been tossed head first through a door? You want to fight evilness in our nation Mr. Webb? Demand that your tangerine god release the Epstein files. Want to save Wyoming? Then you and all of your unFree Dumb gang member get on the next bus outta here. Your pitiful reign will be over soon. I’m GOP, always have been and why don’tcha try to tell me I’m a RINO to my face
Instead of listening to the public about the grievances with the freedumb caucus, the author disregards everything he heard and pretends nothing is wrong.
Mr. Webb is not a serious person
The American political system will be studied someday in the way serial killers are analyzed after they are incarcerated.
Researchers will be perplexed how one side could literally find the cure to cancer and the opposing side would wholly reject that cure out of pure political spite.
Chad I wish this statement was true ” in the way serial killers are analyzed after they are incarcerated.” as I have a proposal that would actually study what genetic and environmental factors contributed to making serial killers.
PS There are not making any serial killers anymore, but clearly there are a lot of really dumb people that get elected.
The FBI started profiling serial killers back in the 1970s, essentially following your proposal.
Sadly when this nation expires, a post mortum wont be done.
What an absolutely ridiculous opinion article from a deranged and obviously out of touch freeDUMB member. Unaffordable gas and groceries, a Jeffrey Trump war that has shed american blood to divert attention from the Donald Epstein files, unpresidented corruption from the orange head honcho who’s put billions into the pockets of his family, election denial and the list goes on and on. People are hurting and especially in Reprentative Joe Webb’s district yet he wants to blow hot air up our asses by telling us that the freeDUMB caucus is working oh so hard for us all. Save it, Webb. I’ve read some pretty stupid opinion pieces from other freeDUMB members here on wyofile but yours is about as bizarre and oblivious as it gets.
I, for one, don’t like, nor appreciate, the Freedom Caucus’s definition of “fighting for the rights of Wyoming people.” Who are those people? It seems to me that the FC merely takes orders from their handlers in Washington. Those sure aren’t Wyoming people with Wyoming values. I hope Wyoming people show every single FC politician in the upcoming election that we do not appreciate their brand of divisive and backward-thinking policies.
On first seeing the headline to this piece I thought it had to be sarcasm. And to my mind it is ‘sarcasm’ however the writer intended it.
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus exists for the people THAT FUND IT.
Suzanne Gore. Timothy Mellon. The Friess family. To name a few.
What an amusing opinion writeup to read on WyoFile this a.m., Webb. Is your next gig after getting booted out Aug. 18th a standup comedian? During the checkgate scandal hearing, you were a big, blibbering bawl baby that showed no remorse and apparently little cognizance/accountability of your participation/receiving a $1.5k check from Rebecca Bextel. Right then and there you showed the voters of HD 19 that you’re not quite ready for prime time. The levers in the ballot boxes are really toilet handles ready to flush in unison the no free dumb carcass in about 4 weeks
In my short 75 year tenure in Wyoming I have seen several politically motivated individuals , with varying degrees of success, attempt to apply lipstick to a pig with a touch or perfume behind each porcine earlobe and a bit of rouge on the jowls in order to enchant the voting public for purposes of passing off obviously bad policy .
Rep. Joe Webb ( R-Lyman) is maybellineing the pig’s mug , drenching it with Family Dollar cologne, and tatooing the remaining corpus delecti . This only serves to show that the Cowboy State like many other states has a really serious feral hog problem . Ours is named Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
The hogs need to be eradicated. Season opens August 18.
Conservative values?? Really?? Interfering in a woman’s choice to make health care decisions for herself? Stripping funds from the state University and the Businesss Council? Reducing mental services to citizens? All, while the state sits on billions of dollars of reserve! The FC is taking opportunities away from our state’s young people and prospective businesses that would bring jobs! Conservative values like that are forcing young folks to leave Wyoming, never to return, to find jobs and opportunities elsewhere. Chasing issues like election security and the definition of a woman are smoke screens and diversion from addressing the real challenges facing Wyomingites (health care, housing, jobs, etc.). Putting money back in the pockets of taxpayers is a noble cause, but at what cost? What is the plan to backfill lost revenue for municipalities. Perhaps the FC could focus on Property Tax Reform to solve the issue. That means hard work and compromise! The FC should try that approach sometime.
Don’t forget that some of the unfreedom caucus collected PPP ‘loans’. Money for me but not for thee.
PPP fraud was a Bipartisan venture across this entire country, Gordon. The ruling class benefitted regardless of party.
Wyoming has countless Republicans tied to it the same way Minnesota has countless Democrats tied to it. Because they are ruling class for their respective states.
It appears that people are having a hard time buying your argument about the Freedom Caucus being a good thing Joe. Everything you’ve said in your piece has already shown up in any one of Gray, Degenfelder, Friess, etc. TV ads. They are the same worn out MAGA talking points complete with fear tactics over and over and over again. Come on, it’s time to get a grip and come to terms that Trump and his MAGA movement are dragging this country, as well as the GOP, down and not making it stronger or more respected as you’re suggesting.
You might want to re-evaluate your statement “…left-leaning actors who are actively trying to destroy Wyoming and our country”. I would suggest, after examining the facts outside of Fox News’ universe, that the condition this country and world are in right now, is much worse than it was under Joe Biden. Prices are sky high, we are in a war with Iran that doesn’t seem to have a constantly stated goal or exit strategy and young service people are being killed for an unknown purpose because of it, people are being gunned down on the streets of America under the pretext of “immigration enforcement”, there is no documented fraud in our elections but Trump keeps trying to convince people that an election was stolen from him because his ego won’t allow him to acknowledge that he lost therefore he was cheated, and I could go on but it gets too depressing.
As I told Tony Locke on my doorstep this weekend, I’m not interested in anyone involved with the Freedom Caucus. You people are right wing extremist. There is nothing moderate about your positions. It’s always your way or the highway. While your home tax credit proposals are very appealing to voters, potholes and dead parks are not, all due to of the lack of funding that’s not going to the municipalities as a result. No way to govern in my opinion and that’s coming from a “moderate” Republican…or RINO as you guys would say.
Don’t forget Bob Ide. Vote the ‘more freedom and less government” guy out of office. He wants to sell off public land (I wonder Why) and he wants to keep his fist on our wives, sisters and daughters. You -we- don’t need these rightwing goofballs making our decisions.
Joe you don’t even know who we are, so how can you know our issues? I’m glad you listened to the locals in your part of the state and I’m not even upset that you stuck to your ideology and didn’t listen to them. I am upset that you will use the excuse of fighting for the people of the state when you know so little about us. Taxes matter but not as much as town streets, irrigation ditches, hospitals, public land access for hunting and fighting Cheat Grass. How did you vote on those matters?
So, from what I can tell, the Wyoming Weenie Cacus stands for perverts, liars, and cheaters. They must be so very proud!
Hmm, some of the ‘qualities’ of the freeDum Caucus – corrupt, inept, power hungry, carpetbagging, wanna be fascists etc etc etc. Other than that, sure, what a jolly good bunch of people, according to Representative Webb. Was authoring this laughable opinion piece an attempt at a lame joke or all you really that out of touch, Joe?
Mr. Webb
I suggest as long as you are in a Wyoming living room, you might want to listen to your constituents rather than review your perceived historic victories.
Registered Republican here and I have something to say to you Joe. I am not anti-coal but I do believe we have the capability to create clean energy as opposed to fossil fuel created energy. In case you aren’t paying attention the CO2 levels have been rising and as a result we are seeing some pretty nasty weather situations caused by a warming climate. Scientific fact! I’m looking forward to my first electric car. This country especially is moving backwards in this regard.
Calling the Dems socialists is just trump rhetoric. Even you benefit from social security and Medicare. If one has a job that provides no benefits, what is one to do when one has to see a doctor for illness, accident or life threatening disease? Medicaid is a necessary evil although if the great USA had single payer universal healthcare we’d all be better off. Mexico just implemented this. Why can’t we? Insurance is a scam. It should not be a profit making business.
A recent piece that was posted on Facebook written by Danny Eyre clearly shows that none of us pays taxes that are too high. I respect Danny very much and as a former legislator I trust his judgement and the thought he puts into his work.
As far as protecting women, I have to say that in all of my 73 years on this planet, I have not felt threatened by a man or trans person in a restroom. Most of them have stalls Joe, with doors that lock.
Also women’s healthcare is not the legislature’s business as our state constitution states.
And lastly, we in WY already have to show ID to vote. It appears you believe that restating all of trump’s “issues” as we go into mid-terms is supposed to make us want to vote for you. There are so many real issues that need addressing but you and your cohorts just can’t let these things go. We are tired of hearing about them. Move on, please.
I want to see teachers paid more, I want to see this state address mental health, childcare, elder care, rural health, support our public lands instead of helping sell them off, push for clean, renewable energy, and somehow make places like Jackson affordable for families to visit. I am sick of the dumb mailers the candidates are sending. They are childish and just stupid. Try harder please to make us understand what your endgame is. And women are not willing to step back in time. I’m educated, well traveled and I’ve raised to children with my husband who are assets to their community. They are also educated and don’t need men to speak for them. We are not going back. I’ve enjoyed my work life and I feel like I was a benefit to this community. Try harder to understand. Stand out from the crowd of the freedom caucus. Their rhetoric is not what we want to hear.
This opinion piece is pure comedic gold but there were a few facts omitted: the freedom caucus not only takes their goose stepping orders from some mysterious out of state entity, it’s also lead within our state by a bunch of selfish opportunity seeking carpetbaggers. The Wyoming natives sucked into this attemped coup are traitors and sellouts. Now, I’m not sure if the writer of this article was being tongue in cheek, thinks we’re all stupid or just wanted to brighten our monday morning with blatant BS, but the participants of the freedom caucus will be donning a stench that will not wear off, ever. The writer also failed to mention that he was a proud receipatant of one of those scadalous fifteen hundred dollar check. August Eighteen, 2026 is when the gutter gets purged
Meanwhile, representative Check Gate Joe Webb, your boy TrumpStein has gotten 17 young US troops killed in his disatrous Iran war, grocery and fuel prices sky high with many now living month to month (including your constituents), continues to block full release of the Trump mentioned 33,000 plus times Epstein files, the I.C.E. stormtroopers continue to kill citizens on the streets at will, yet you want to bloviate the accomplishments of the unfreedumb carcass? Are you out of touch? These supposed constituents that you visited with that are anti MAGA and anti unfreedumb carcass, you’ll be having another heart to heart with them come august 18th at the primary. Buckle up and GO CHAD STEVENS!
Representative Webb, you should listen to your long time acquaintances. The Freedom Caucus has done nothing to improve election integrity – elections in Wyoming were already safe and secure. The Freedom Caucus has done nothing to bring the residents of Wyoming together to address serious issues – it has demonized segments of our population simply to win political points. If you were really listening, you would hear the voices of the people who want the legislature to tackle real Wyoming problems such as housing, health care and job development – stop being against everything and help build a better Wyoming!
Well said Tim
Exactly.
Joe, in my opinion, those that think they have the god given or Constitutional right to manage another’s womb clearly do not understand our Founding philosophy. Keeping tyrants out of our lives was the reason this country was founded and yet your Freedom Caucus is hell bent on destroying our Republic.
I will send this comment to your government funded email address in case my correct assessment of your anti-American rant is a bridge to far for the moderators of this fine establishment.
“Freedom Caucus exists for the People” ?? Huh? What an amusing article to wake up to and read, I virtually spit coffee (or diet coke for your ‘jacks’ down Lyman way) on the pc screen while reading this garbage. The Freedom Caucus is a sock puppet brigade controlled by out of state interests, Mr. Webb, but you knew that yet try to pull the ‘for the people’ crap. Up to this point your group has been that proverbial turd that circles that toilet but just won’t flush. The voters have got their plumbing fixed so get ready for the big flush coming your way. Still have that check-gate $1.5k check in your pocket, Joe?
To be a Freedom Caucus member means that your type also support multi convicted felon Trump and the MAGAts, you support blocking the pedo Epstein files and obstructing justice for the many underage victims, support ICE slaughtering people in the streets, support extreme inflation at the grocery store and $4 gas. On Aug 18th it’s not only going to be the duty of us voters to oust your ranks from the legistature, it’ll be also a great source of pleasure. Guessing from the deluge of negative comments you’ll probably receive here, probably not real smart blurting out your freedom caucus garbage on wyofile, Rep. Webb
Ha! Quite the amusing opinion piece coming from one of the Non FreeDumb caucus members who accepted a $1,500 check on the legislative floor from the carpetbagger Rebecca Bextel. You remember, Joe… Checkgate? But here you are, weakly attempting to flaunt all of these FC “victories”. Your bunch has been nothing but a blight on the great state of Wyoming and we’ll seeing your ilk at the ballot box in about a month. Once again you’ll be crying come August 19th morn
After huge property tax increases, we are fighting to keep money in your pocket. This is a noble undertaking but some information investigation into comparison of Wyoming property taxes with our surrounding states such as Nebraska, Colorado, Montana and Utah may yield information which would be interesting to see how Wyoming taxes compare in our region.
What a pile of BS. The unfreedom caucus is a fascist organization that’s trying to control everyone and everything. I don’t need to tell you what a rotten outfit they are, and they need to be removed from office. You ladies should be particularly ready to vote them out of office.