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Friday, September 26, 2008
839 - For whom the toll bells . . .
It would be a pain to have to pay a toll to travel on Interstate 80 but that concept certainly seems to be the only way to finance some $6.4 billion in repairs projected for the road.
And the damage is being caused by trucks. Big trucks.
One person who knows says that you could drive 4,000 cars over that highway and not cause the same damage as one heavy semi-trailer truck. That comment was made by John Cox, director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT).
I-80 covers 400 miles across Wyoming and is the nation’s primary east-west artery for transporting freight these days.
All those products being produced in Asia arrive on the West Coast on huge freighters and then are hauled cross-country by semi-trucks. Legislators are discussing a toll of $40 per truck.
I-80 traffic is now more than 60 percent trucks or 6,000 semi- trailer trucks a day. Over 180,000 trucks per month makes that highway scary all year long, but especially in winter. It is no secret that a small minority of these truckers is driving while impaired and willing to take risks. And with its high altitude, you can be driving in winter conditions almost any month of the year.
Another group to be fearful of are those flatlanders who have no idea of how to handle steep grades, high winds, snow and ice. As a frequent traveler of that roadway, it is easy to recall terrifying moments while driving blind in ground blizzards knowing full well that dozens of giant, lumbering trucks were bearing down.
Members of our state’s legislature are looking at ways to deal with solving the state’s impending highway construction problems, especially on I-80.
On that agenda is improving the safety of this road, which is used by large numbers of our citizens, yet Wyoming traffic makes up less than five percent of the total.
Because that highway is here and also because it is a lifeline for Wyoming, too, it is hard to ignore. It is truly the six billion dollar gorilla when it comes to problems that we would like to have someone else solve.
Why should Wyoming have to pay to keep this national trail of commerce in good repair? Why should Wyoming bear the brunt of this expense, when it comes to taking care of our citizens?
Members of the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) are crying foul during all this, too. They are in a lose-lose situation.
On the one hand, they are expected to keep our roads safe and in good repair and upgraded, when necessary. On the other hand, the state’s federal funds are being cut and the prices for road construction have gone through the roof.
Frequent I-80 drivers have long bemoaned the dangerous state of that highway in winter conditions, which can often be nine months of the year in places like Elk Mountain and the Summit.
WYDOT has added more web cams, snowplows and snow fences. The governor and legislators have added more patrolmen. And those huge message boards cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and the state has added them all over the Interstate system, too.
The numbers associated with keeping I-80 in good shape are staggering, according to WYDOT’s Mr. Cox He says you could spend Wyoming’s highway budget for the whole state on I-80 and still come up short.
Other legislators think it should be six-lane, which is an idea often put forth by former House Speaker Fred Parady.
And then there are other alternatives. “Instead of putting money into expanding I-80, we should build a parallel four-lane across the center of the state from Lusk to Casper and on to Shoshoni and over South Pass and onward out the west side of the state,” says State Sen. Gerry Geis of Worland.
And other opinions weigh in. Today, you can find lots of people doing “blogging,” which stands for anonymous folks commenting on news stories or on political events. Blogger is from the term Web Log, which lasted about five minutes before all its users started to call themselves bloggers.
One blogger was ecstatic about charging tolls when he said: "Good. Toll the trucks. They are the ones tearing up the highway. If they have to pass those costs on to customers, that`s good , too. Charge people in Iowa and Chicago more for their Chinese-made underwear and iPods. I don`t really care. If they don`t like it, they should make their own or move closer to China."
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Saturday, September 20, 2008
838 - When Wyoming up, does America go down?
Out here in our isolated island of Wyoming, we sometimes can seem immune to the economic calamities happening elsewhere in the country.
As news of huge international USA-based firms like Merrill Lynch, AIG, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and others either sink or get rescued by the government, a person has to wonder if these economic disasters can affect our lives here?
When gray-haired old-timers talk about economic trends in Wyoming, one big one always looms its head.
To those of us who count our lifetimes in Wyoming in decades, a certain question comparing our state with the rest of USA comes to mind: Is Wyoming’s economy the opposite of the rest of the country’s?
It may be coincidental but it seems that the last two boom-bust cycles in Wyoming and the USA have seen them as two ends of a teeter-totter. The Cowboy State’s economy is counter-intuitive to the economy of the rest of America.
Heck, maybe we are just a colony, after all.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the USA was booming. Wyoming was hurting. The late Gov. Stan Hathaway reportedly said that when he took office in 1966 he discovered the state had just $80 in its general fund.
Wow, you have to go back to some Dustbowl states of the 1930s to find state governments in that bad a fiscal shape.
Then Wyoming’s economy took off in the mid-1970s and peaked in 1981. Then it tanked in the mid-1980s and early 1990s.
Meanwhile, the USA was doing very well from 1985 to 1995, while we struggled to get back on our feet.
Since 2002, our statewide economy has been soaring. Again, at the same time the national economy has been slipping.
Today in 2008 the economy is the biggest, single issue in a national presidential election. Everyone is saying we are in a recession. Here in Wyoming? We have $11 billion in the bank and things are going very well in most places.
Thus, the theory – as the USA economy goes down, does Wyoming’s economy go up?
If this is true a very simplistic answer could be Wyoming’s focus on commodities as its economic drivers. With coal, oil, natural gas and Ag products as the key components of our economy, well, when prices are high for these items our economy soars here, too.
When these commodity prices are high across the country, perhaps it is a catalyst the causes plants to close, jobs to be lost and politicians to start using “it’s the economy, stupid” as their manta for getting elected.
Obviously, all things are more complicated than this.
Today, most observers believe the demand for commodities worldwide will keep Wyoming’s economy soaring, no matter what happens to the rest of the country.
Former Wyoming Business Council CEO Tucker Fagan is one of the true believers: “Give credit to leadership and the legislature for investing the mineral tax receipts in people (Hathaway Scholarship Program, Community Colleges and Dept of Workforce Services) and hard infrastructure. This will give Wyoming a step up to diversify the economy. When we did not have business parks, available water, sewer, power, broadband, etc., we just were not in the game. Now we will be when the rest of the economy comes out its current malaise.”
Let’s hope so.
One of the ramifications of the Wyoming bust of the 1980s is a situation known as the state’s “lost generation.” Because so many middle class jobs disappeared at that time, a whole generation of workers (and families) disappeared, too.
Where did these people go? Would they come back now that times are better here?
The impending crisis of retirees in our state is a reflection of this situation.
With the USA currently in a recession, it reminds me of how our state fared during the Great Depression.
Some real old-timers here in Lander, anyway, have told me that they didn’t think Wyoming was hurt as bad in the 1930s as the rest of the country.
All three banks here stayed solvent and people pitched in to help each other out and they worked their way through it.
One of our local Fremont County legends as to why there was such a strong rivalry between Lander and Riverton for so long was that several Riverton banks failed in the depression. Thus, their merchants had to come to Lander to get business loans and left feeling they were treated poorly.
Glad to have those days behind us.
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Saturday, September 13, 2008
837 - Wyoming could learn from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin
It is easy to doubt Sarah Palin’s resume when it comes to being Vice-President.
But a closer look at Gov. Palin’s record in Alaska is impressive. Instead of referring to her as “Gidget goes to D. C.,” as in my last column, now I am contending Wyoming leaders could learn a lot from her 21 months as governor. A lot of it sure sounds familiar.
No other state is as similar to Wyoming when it comes to low population and heavy dependence on energy commodities.
It would be wise for our state leaders to examine her programs. Although an ardent supporter of energy development, she insisted that the people have more say.
Rather than follow along like sheep to the whims of the energy industry, she took an activist role. The energy leaders did not like that. But the people of Alaska really did.
Her actions sounded like our late Gov. Ed Herschler who said he wanted “growth on our terms,” when it came to the state’s energy development.
She increased taxes on oil and gas during the current boom times (something Wyoming needs to do) and provided a $1,200 energy dividend to each citizen. This helped sell it to the voters. It also helped ease the pain of rising utility costs for Alaska citizens. Sound familiar?
Alaskans liked that idea and the rest is history.
She also took on the entrenched bond of the energy industry and the Republican leadership of her state. Does that also sound familiar?
One of the primary reasons she was able to do this was that the people elected her. She knocked off two former governors (one a Republican and one a Democrat) in the primary and general. And she was a Republican herself.
Here in Wyoming, we have a governor in Democrat Dave Freudenthal who, even if he had the same ambitions as Gov. Palin, could have a difficult time because of the need to get cooperation from Republican legislative leaders.
However, if Gov. Freudenthal would tap into the power of the people to help him, similar outcomes could get accomplished. But he is often reluctant because of Wyoming’s past miscues.
Wyoming has had mixed successes when government tried to get involved in energy development. There are horror stories with the former Amendment 4 program and the EDS Board. Both our governor and our citizens seem to have long memories. There were a lot of successes within those state government loan programs that never got any publicity. But the losses generated statewide headlines.
What can we learn from Alaska? Here are three key things that Sarah Palin did which Wyoming leaders should emulate:
1. She raised the severance taxes when times are good. She calls it a graduated tax on oil profits.
2. She gave part of the increase back to the people to help them pay for rising utility costs.
3. She exposed the Siamese twin relationship between the energy industry and the political leadership.
Do we have bold leaders in Wyoming like Sarah Palin who are willing to stand up for our citizens to the energy industry? I am still looking for them.
Not long ago, I happened to be sitting between two of our brightest young legislators at a dinner. I posed the question to them: Do you think it might make sense to raise the severance taxes on our energy products during times like this when the companies are literally making a fortune off our resources?
They looked at me with horror.
No way, they said. We are lucky to be getting what we are getting.
Lucky?
As I have said here before, Wyoming has the world’s best energy lobbyists. They have convinced our leaders that, through the generosity of their hearts, they are tossing us a meager bone or two in severance taxes as billions and billions of dollars of non-renewable resources are pumped out and hauled out of our state as fast as it can be moved. Perhaps Wyoming really is just a colony.
Most recently we have seen our leaders meekly agreeing to huge rate increases for natural gas (60 percent in some cases) when the gas comes right out of the ground here and then is pumped to people’s homes. Where is the leadership?
We once had a leader like Sarah.
The late Gov. Stan Hathaway threw Republican leaders/Energy lobbyists out of his office when they warned him about implementing our original severance tax programs back in the 1970s.
Sound familiar?
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Friday, September 12, 2008
WBR02 - Welcome to the 24/7 work week lifestyle
This column is being written in the cabin of our boat on Flaming Gorge Reservoir. This fantastic lake is half in Wyoming and Utah. It is 300 feet deep, 91 miles long and offers up incredible scenery and fishing.
If this lake is so great, why am I working right now?
Because in today’s world, most successful business people are on call 24/7 because of the Internet, laptop computers, virtual offices, cell phones and, most of all, the speed of modern business.
Many of my Baby Boomer peers, who are entrepreneurs and business operators, have achieved the American Dream. We wanted to run things. We wanted to be our own boss.
Today, the boss who works his or her 35 to 50 hours a week in the office and then goes home Friday afternoon and never thinks about business again is rare, indeed.
Seems like I have always worked 24/7, but it was a lot different back in the late 20th century.
As a 24-year old newspaper publisher in Lander in the 1970s with three young kids, I was already working this 24/7 system, albeit without a laptop or a cell phone.
Because I wass in the news business, we often packed up the brood and off we would go on assignment. We tried to make a family adventure out of whatever event our newspaper was trying to cover.
My wife Nancy, who has mercifully put up with me for 42 years, usually enjoyed these trips. She saw so little of me (well, at least enough to ultimately produce four kids!), she really appreciated the chance to speak to an adult once in awhile.
We would go to rodeos, powwows, political events, county fairs, cutter races, snowmobile events, barbecues, hunting contests, fishing derbies and exhibitions.
Sometimes we would go to the mountains or the desert in search of the elusive scene photo. Those family times are some of my fondest memories. But I still feel guilty about not spending enough time with our kids, especially the three oldest during their formative years.
They have all consoled me, by claiming they really enjoyed all these oddball trips and jaunts. Perhaps they were just as bored as their mom during endless time spent at the house while dad was away?
So, how has all this evolved to today?
In my case, I still operate a couple of businesses and serve on a number of boards and am involved in several church, civic and charity projects.
The people who deal with me know that I am pretty much available any time. Only thing off-limits is the direct phone call after hours.
I have also learned that email and text messaging seem to work best in today’s “connected” world.
Technology is constantly evolving. As my friend’s 16-year old daughter said to her dad: “Email is so 2006!” Today, the cell phone is the tool for everything and texting is the rage, even for execs.
We went to the lake in July with 14 members of our brood. Our son-in-law from Dallas set up his laptop on the roof of a floating motel room called a boatel and worked on $400 million project for his cell phone company employer. That company is from France, by the way.
We snapped a photo of him sitting there, with the lake and the boats in the background. He had a big towel over his head and laptop so he could get the work done out there in the sun. Pretty neat. It was also on an early Saturday evening.
From where my boat sits in its slip, we can look across the way at a boat with the name Home Office on it. My boat is named Yachta Relax, which describes our primary intent with it.
My friends over there use their laptops, cell phones and the Internet to conduct their business interests from the lake. To quote them: “Our customers and colleagues don’t know we are on a boat or dressed in swimsuits. And we get a lot done.”
Our daughter, Shelli Johnson, created yellowstonepark.com, a company that got 40 million hits last year and twice has been presented the Webby for being the world’s best tourism web site. She has three kids, including a one-year old, but I get text messages and emails from her at all hours every day. This is the world of the modern business exec.
She also says the term 24/7 is old news. She says her generation is used to this kind of life and it just takes baby boomers a little longer to catch up. And here I am trying to show off how techno-savvy I am. Ouch.
So, is this 24/7 work plan something we should celebrate? Or complain about?
My vote is that these modern tools allow us to be places we want to be (the lake) and with people we want to be with (our families). And still be able to respond to situations and get work done.
Oh, did I mention that while I am writing this, it is pouring rain? Could not go boating or fishing, anyway, so, what the heck. Might as well be working.
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Friday, September 05, 2008
836 - Geezer and Gidget go to Washington
These are unusual times in Wyoming and across our land and even across our world. Here are a couple of the things that have piqued my brain cells recently:
• Although Sarah Palin may be a great governor of Alaska, I worry that her Vice Presidential candidacy may be short-lived. Her biggest challenges are overcoming stereotypes and deflecting comic routines at her expense.
Let’s look at some of her virtues. Her work in battling the entrenched corrupt power structure of politicians/energy lobbyists in her state is worth celebrating. Especially when viewed from here in Wyoming, where so much of our political establishment is also intertwined with a similar energy establishment.
And it is easy to appreciate her pro-life approach in her personal life and her decisions to hasten energy development.
You have to love the fact that a presidential candidate has reached out to an unknown in a low-populated western state.
Former Speaker of the Wyoming House, Fred Parady and his wife Lisa Skiles, recently moved from Rock Springs to Alaska and had this to say:
“We met Governor Palin in Barrow in late June. She came up for the Nalaqutak Celebration, as our Inupiat Community was very successful in their whaling, receiving the gift of life of 9 whales.
“Sarah is a great choice - scrappy, spirited, feisty. If she helps Sen. McCain win, which they have a heck of a shot, then you are watching the first female president (to be) of the USA on her first trip across the national stage.
“Alaska loves her. She sold the state jet on eBay (Gov. Freudenthal should follow her lead!). She tackled the biggest energy issue in the country with her AGIA act (Alaska Gas Incentive Act - modeled on our Wyoming Natural Gas Pipeline Authority) to get a pipeline moving and she tackled corruption and business as usual head on.
“I read an article in the New York Times that said her selection called McCain`s vetting process into question. I couldn`t disagree more. His vetting process was based on leadership and talent. What is going on is a muckraking process, which is far different, and which the American people will see through. I especially think she is an inspiring choice in contrast to Sen. Joe Biden. There is talent in the USA outside the Senate!
“We love Alaska but can`t wait to get back to Laramie for some Cowboy football!”
The Paradys are working in the same school district as former Wyoming State School Supt. Trent Blankenship.
My friend Bruce Pozzi of Anchorage says: “Sarah is a very smart person. She is diplomatic, charismatic, knowledgeable about issues, and tough.
“Sarah is criticized about not having experience but hers is in more of an executive leadership capacity as compared with the three senators. Running a small town can be complex and while some consider Alaska to be small, it is a state small in population but very diverse in its needs with bush communities. And it has a large budget of nearly $4.7 billion that she oversees as chief executive.”
He said someone printed up thousands of tee shirts saying, “Our mama can beat your Obama.” Sold’em out in hours, he said.
As someone who wants to vote for John McCain I admit that I was initially surprised with this choice.
A heartbeat away from the oldest president we may ever elect? Already unbelievably busy, she looks like Superwoman with a huge state to run and five kids at home. But the Vice Presidency of the United States?
And for sure, she brought down the house during her speech at the Republican convention. This Tina Fey-look-alike seemed to have stepped right out of a Saturday Night Live skit as she blasted the Democrats.
She has been butt of some killer humor. One cartoon showed the new Republican motto as: “Geezer and Gidget 08.”
For more comic relief, check out Comedy Central’s take on the Sarah Palin pick on YouTube.com.
• Tom Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the New York Times, recently offered a unique insight on how two countries can react very differently during similar times.
He laments how the countries of China and the USA have reacted in the last seven years.
China was awarded the Olympics in 2001, just before 9/11, and spent $57 billion on infrastructure in the ensuing years to get ready for the Olympics.
The USA, meanwhile, spent a trillion dollars in those seven years chasing terrorists and invading countries.
Interesting contrast.
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Thursday, September 04, 2008
CR01 - A big empty space in a big empty state
This column first appeared in the Wyoming Catholic Register
Like just about every Wyoming Catholic, the news hit me like a kick in the gut.
The announced appointment of our Bishop David Ricken to Green Bay, WI. was news that was hard to take.
Sure there is no question he will be serving ten times as many Catholics for the poor folks in Green Bay who have gone more than a year without a bishop. They lost their beloved Bishop David Zubik a year ago when he was sent to an even bigger diocese in Pittsburgh.
Selfishly, darn it, we felt we had been had.
“I took a vow of obedience. I guess I’m out of here,” he told me with a rueful laugh.
He also gladly recounted just how much he loved his job here in Wyoming. Outside of the governor, he is the highest profile public person in the state. He handled that role extremely well.
He came to us from Colorado where he loved the high plains of the rural part of that state. He felt at home here in Wyoming.
His youth and energy were contagious. And although he certainly did not flaunt it, his intellect is nearly at a genius level. Not much slipped by him.
On a personal level, I had worked with Bishop Ricken on the Catholic Charities Board, the advisory committee of the Catholic Register and with the founding the Wyoming Catholic College in my hometown of Lander.
Among his many talents, he knew how to run a meeting.
They always started and ended with a prayer. He made sure everyone had their say-so, but he always wanted the meetings to have a direction and a goal. A plan of action. Like a modern CEO, he was not fond of meetings for meetings’ sakes.
When you look at the accomplishments of this bishop, well, the list is long and very impressive.
To me, his stewardship of the new Wyoming Catholic College will be a lasting monument to his vision and organizing ability.
At the press conference to announce the selection of a ranch outside of Lander as a site of the college, Bishop Ricken continually used the theme “answered prayers.”
This is a prayerful man and he will always refer to the remarkable power of prayer when it comes to making good things happen.
The remarkable coincidences that have led to a very successful founding of the college are too numerous to mention here (perhaps in a future column), but needless to say, it is almost impossible to deal with this project without seeing the power of prayer in action.
In his message to donors to the college, he wrote:
“But this story of Providence was only beginning. Starting a college is not for the fainthearted; there are challenges every step of the journey. In prayer, I came to know that this was Our Lady’s College and I was moved to dedicate and consecrate the College under her patronage and most fitting title – Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom.”
This month the second class of 32 students has arrived in Lander and is starting class. The curriculum offered by WCC is so powerful that more than 200 applicants applied for those 32 spots.
Yes, Bishop, your vision was on target and your prayers were answered.
Perhaps we can conclude that you can take the Bishop out of Wyoming, but gosh darn it, you cannot take Wyoming out of the Bishop!
Godspeed to you, kind sir.
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
WBR01 - In Wyoming, we love our gas guzzlers
This column appeared in the Wyoming Business Report
There was a sign at the station near by my house that said, `We take Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express. After I filled up they took my Visa, my Master Card, my Discover Card, and my American Express. Jay Leno
To me, driving a big Sport Utility Vehicle was always because of safety concerns.
And for most Wyomingites, the typical mode of transportation over the years has always favored big rigs for lots of reasons.
Whether it was a cattle baron in a big Cadillac, an energy worker in his jacked up 3/4-ton pickup, a cowboy in a mile-long pickup and horse trailer or mom in her SUV, well, we were living large when it came to our outfits (which is what cars and trucks are called in Wyoming). We also drive more miles, per capita, than just about anyone in the USA.
Gas mileage was not a big issue. We’ve always had just about the lowest gas taxes in the country and lots of refineries. For a long time, gasoline or diesel prices were not something to talk about. Or complain about.
My, how times have changed.
There is a genuine rant going on statewide over fuel prices, especially across the northwestern tier. Although prices are going down, they are still high and definitely higher in some places more than others.
A Riverton citizens group bought a big ad in their newspaper showing photos of Casper gas pumps with prices 50 cents per gallon cheaper than in their town.
In Jackson, the price is $4.09 and folks are steaming. “Gouging the tourists,” my friend Clay James says, lamenting that he paid $3.36 per gallon in Missouri recently.
In Lander, a new convenience store opened with lower prices and the place was overwhelmed. Now, their prices are just like everyone else here – high, $3.99 as this is being written.
Best consumer deal is when it is a loss leader. Sam’s Club in Cheyenne was recently selling at $3.74 per gallon with Safeway even lower. Up here in Fremont County, the Wind River Casino’s Smoke Shop fueling center often has the lowest prices. Prices in Casper and Gillette dropped to the $3.62 range.
On a national level, one big oil company exec went public to answer the complaints and compared gasoline to milk ($6.29 per gallon), bottled water ($21.19 per gallon) and Pepto Bismol ($123.20 per gallon). That last example certainly did not make him a lot of friends. He has not been heard from since.
So what about our gas-guzzlers?
The Wyoming Business Report had a story on this subject by Tim Monroe Aug. 8. Most Wyoming car and truck dealers claimed they were holding their own despite a national downturn.
They complained that the biggest price drops were in used diesel 3/4-ton pickups and large SUVs. They were running $6,000 lower than blue book. On eBay, the bigger SUVs were at least $10,000 under what you would expect.
If you are in the market for a big outfit, wow, now is the best time to buy. But, before going to eBay, give your local dealer a chance to find you a rig. They will welcome you with open arms.
The Ford Explorer is the best selling SUV in history. Yet, last month, just 5,000 were sold worldwide. It is a dinosaur.
Another dinosaur is the Yukon XL/Suburban line by General Motors. A year ago, GM had a 92-day supply. This year, they have a 174-day supply.
As stated above, my car is that same GMC Denali XL (yes, a dinosaur). It gets 18 mpg on the highway, which is good considering we haul a lot of people. We appreciate the safety of a big four-wheel drive SUV. But it has not been enjoyable to endure gas fills costing over $100.
We just completed a 1,400-mile drive to Denver and then over to Flaming Gorge and then home.
It was truly astonishing to see the number of hybrid Toyota Prius cars on the Interstate highways. Now, this is the ugliest car to come to market since the AMC Gremlin a generation ago.
Yet, with Toyota’s reliability and good gas mileage, over 1.1 million have been sold. And a lot of people are taking their family vacations in these little tin cans.
It is easy to conclude that the smart money might be in buying that big late model SUV now. Take your pick among a Navigator, an Escalade, an Expedition, a Durango, a Sequoia or even a Yukon like mine.
Just figure out how much money you are saving off the sticker price and then add up how much gas that saving would buy.
And then as an added kicker, consider the safety aspect of driving one of those on Wyoming’s winter roads compared to a Prius?
I know. I know. We have a responsibility to cut emissions and reduce gasoline consumption.
But let’s give one final little cheer for our long-time Wyoming friend, the gas-guzzler. Like dinosaurs, they may soon be headed toward extinction.
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