Some very big news occurred in Wyoming during the first decade of the 21^st century, which is ending now.

         That big news was a sustained boom that ended a 20-year economic slump that sapped the hopefulness out of an entire generation of Wyoming citizens.

         To use the word “stagnant” to describe 1982 to 2002 – well, it does not accurately explain just how low things actually descended.

In times of economic stress, you can actually get used to the condition you are in. The resilient Wyoming people who stuck around, especially in the 1980s, lived here during a time almost unimaginable to people living here today.

         Some folks, this writer included, have argued that the 1980s hit Wyoming harder economically than the Great Depression did in the 1930s.

         As the months and years grinded on, things seemed to be getting better. By 1990, things were gradually turning around as the people had gotten used to the depressed conditions.

         By 2000, we were still mired but coping.

         Probably the biggest casualty during the 20-year bust was the disappearance of a generation of middle class Wyoming workers and their families. 

         A great many of them were Democrats, which was borne out by the fact that in the mid-1970s, the state had a Democratic governor and two of its three national representatives were Democrats. 

Today, with all those Democrats gone from the state, Wyoming has turned into the most Republican state in the union. 

         But good times were on the way.

         By the second year of this current decade, we truly were stunned to see what was the horizon. It was boom time again.

The famous bumper sticker that referred to the Wyoming of the booming 1970s, but displayed in the lame 1980s, was “Please, Lord, give me one more boom. This time I promise not to piddle it away,” or words to that effect.

         Well, that long-awaited boom arrived around 2002 and continued unabated through 2008. By the end of this year, some economists said our state’s economy had slipped back to 2006 levels. Most knowledgably folks still think we are doing pretty well, especially in comparison to the big national economic meltdown.

         Compared to just about every other state, Wyoming looked pretty good.

         By 2010, the population soared to 563,000 and at times, we were the fastest growing state in the union, percentage wise. 

         This past decade saw coal go from boom to bust in the national consciousness. Coal is still one of our state’s biggest tax cash cows, though. The decade saw Wyoming soar to be the number-two state for natural gas production. 

         Then wind energy took off, which should have been no surprise since Wyoming is officially the “most windy” state in the country. Vast farms of gigantic wind turbines now line the horizons from one end of the state to the other.

         Most recently, the decade ends with a big oil play occurring in Southeast Wyoming, in places never suspected of having such natural resources.

         On a personal level, I wrote 500 columns during this decade, published one book, sold some businesses, started some others and even ran for governor. Whew!

On a national level, we Americans endured the 9/11 terrorist attack, watched the rise of China with trepidation, endured the biggest recession since the Great Depression, saw two wars started and watched our own Dick Cheney emerge to be viewed as the most powerful man in the world.

Social networks like Facebook plus smart phones changed the way people communicated and new words like Wikileaks joined the national lexicon.

         America had a black president, a female Speaker of the House and a Democratic majority in Congress that passed national health care.

         Was this a great decade? Or was it even a good one?

         Here in Wyoming it was phenomenal. Across the USA, well, pretty dismal.

         It ended with the National Deficit Commission issuing a dire warning that our country made be headed to the dustbin of history if we did not embark on a period of shared sacrifice and fiscal austerity. As of this writing, many of those suggestions appear to be falling on deaf ears in Washington D. C. As we go forward, it is hard to be optimistic on a national level.

         But locally, Wyoming seems very well poised to treat its citizens well and continue to be the energy breadbasket of the country. 

         With a new young governor and money in the bank, Wyoming is the envy of just about every other state heading into 2011.

         It took just two years from its first public mention to where students were taking classes.

         The education miracle I am referring to is our state’s second four-year college, the Wyoming Catholic College here in Lander.

         The fledgling institution will graduate its first 32 students on May 14.

         Founded by former Wyoming Bishop David Ricken, former Casper College professor Bob Carlson and Casper parish priest (and former Denver lawyer) Fr. Bob Cook, the college went from dream to reality in just over 24 months.

         Folks at the college are not shy about referring to some amazing coincidences (miracles?) or at least, answered prayers, which have occurred along its amazing journey to reality.

         With the help of millions of dollars in donations from more than 10,000 families across the country, the college is moving forward toward its destiny of providing a high-quality education for the student population that comes to WCC.

         Without any alumni or even an established donor base to draw upon, the college is here because of thousands of people believing in the need for such an institution.

         Fr. Cook, who is president of the college, likes to point out that although the first name of the college is Wyoming, it is truly a national college with students from 37 different states.

         Although just about everything involving WCC is conservative in nature, what is provided for its students it what is called a “liberal, classical education” based on the Great Books.

         All students take the same courses and the goal is to provide at the end of four years a complete person, capable of independent thought and having the ability to be a leader as he or she heads off into the future. The vast majority of its graduates will go on to graduate school elsewhere.

         Perhaps the most unique thing about the college, among many unique aspects, is its outdoor leadership program.

         WCC has teamed up with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) to provide an outdoor education course for incoming freshmen that educates them on the outdoors, teaches them leadership plus bonds them together as they continue their studies for four years. 

NOLS recently overtook Outward Bound as the foremost outdoor leadership school on earth. Its world headquarters are coincidentally located in Lander.

         On May 14, 2011, history will be made when those 32 original students will receive the first diplomas from Wyoming Catholic College and our state can honestly say it now has two four-year college campus programs.

         Despite all this rosy news, the college recently overcame a major financial hurdle. One of its largest and most consistent donors was suddenly unable to make a key donation. 

         This put the staff of Development Vice President Mark Randall into overdrive. Their efforts, including sending out a plea that included a CD of Christmas music by the college choir to 80,000 people across the country, reaped just enough money to keep everything on track. 

Randall reminds that the college is always looking for donors and this would be a wonderful time to give. The college web site is www.wyomingcatholiccollege.com and its mailing address is Box 750, Lander, WY 82520.

         It is easy to write a column about the nuts and bolts of the college but the key thing anyone discovers when involved with WCC is the quality of the students.

         These are the finest young people. Incredibly smart and pure of heart, they are almost impossibly optimistic. When you deal with these future leaders, you know the future is in good hands.

         Nancy and I recently hosted a group of seniors to watch the movie Man of La Mancha, as part of their class on the classic Don Quixote book by Cervantes. The theme song is The Impossible Dream. 

         Some of the lines are “to dream the impossible dream” and “to reach the unreachable star” and “ to go where the brave dare not go.” Those lines made me think about Wyoming Catholic College.

         Perhaps as a disclaimer I should point out that I was on the original local committee that helped get it started and most recently have been serving as a volunteer member of its foundation board.

         This is a true Wyoming success story. This is the story of how a miracle can occur, out on the frontier, even in these pessimistic times.

         The College has been a wonderful project to be involved with. We would welcome any Wyoming person (or Wyoming wannabe) to check out this amazing story. I promise that you will be impressed with what you find.

         To me, the weather in 2010 made for a very crabby disposition.

         But before I go any farther, it is the Christmas season and we all have a lot to be thankful for. So the following diatribe is just my final bellyaching as I kiss this year good-bye.

         So here goes:

         • First of all, the winter of 2009-2010 was the longest that I have ever endured – over 8 months of snow, cold and ice. It started with a big snow on Oct. 2, 2009, and we got another 20 inches of snow in mid-May of this spring. May!

         Spring? What spring? In Lander and much of Wyoming, we saw unrelenting cold, piles of snow, consistent road closures and mud everywhere when it warmed up.

         My summer was especially horrible. Lander had what I called a 100-year flood event, and there was water everywhere. We live near the Popo Agie River and were up most every night waiting for the peak runoff, which normally occurred about 4 a.m.

         The one night that I went to bed at 3:30 a.m. because some kindly person was alleging that there would be no peak – well, the water rose and washed away four-tenths of an acre of riverfront property, 18 big trees and a nice log cabin. 

My daughter Shelli Johnson had spent a considerable amount of money remodeling that cabin and was going to move her office into it the following week. Sure glad she was not in it or had not moved her items into it when the high water arrived.

         You can see images of that cabin floating down the Popo Agie on YouTube, by the way.

         So, we endured a wet winter and a wet spring, and all that snow just piled up in the Wind River Mountains. Not sure most Wyoming folks realize there are 44 places in our county over 13,000 feet. The gigantic Winds can hold a lot of floodwater.

         The Winds also have declining glaciers, but that is another story for another day,

         It is interesting, though, that the Wind Rivers in 1950s had more glaciers than the rest of all the mountains in the continental United States combined. I am sure those glaciers contributed to our runoff, too.

         So what else in 2010 irked me so much? Well, not too much.

         • The national political campaigns set new all-time lows for dirty campaigning. I made a few trips to Colorado and was stunned at how, on the TV and radio, ad-after-ad just threw mud on the opposing candidates. 

         And it wasn’t just Colorado. All the states in the rest of the country, except one, featured a barrage of negative campaigning. A real shame.

         That one state was Wyoming. We should be proud of the fact that our candidates took some pretty high roads compared to candidates around the country.

         Sure there were some sniping and some irresponsible claims, but overall, the tone of our races (especially the governor’s race) was amazingly focused about issues.

         Our congratulations to Republicans Governor-elect Matt Mead, Rita Meyer, Ron Micheli and Colin Simpson along with Leslie Petersen and Pete Gosar on the Democrat side for making Wyoming proud with their lack of mud slinging.

         • The year 2010 saw wind development really take off in Wyoming. Forests of turbines are sprouting across the state. But not in Rock Springs.

         Those folks managed to hold off a Utah developer who wanted to spoil their view of the White Mountains with 60-plus turbines.

         Sweetwater County is a windy place and it deserves some turbines, but that was a bad idea. 

         • Coal reportedly is dying an agonizing death, if you follow the national media. Yet coal prices spiked at the end of 2010 and I think 2009 saw a record for the number of coal-fired plants that came online.

         So much for the myths and reality.

         • The great oil rush of SE Wyoming is continuing. Oil is at $80 a barrel and that will stir development down there. Wyoming was famous 90 years ago for its oil, especially out at Teapot Dome north of Casper. Now, here we go again. Bring it on.

         • The year 2010 also brings an end to the eight-year reign of Gov. Dave Freudenthal. Sure gonna miss that guy.

         Dave, you have been a great governor. We are proud of you. You deserve to spend more time hunting and fishing in 2011. Wyoming citizens and future generations are better off because of you.

         “Now, when I go through airports, people give me a thumb’s up. That’s much better than that other one-fingered salute.”  former Sen. Al Simpson.

         A “doomsday scenario” will occur with the national budget if corrections are not made, said former Wyoming Sen. Al Simpson and Erskine Bowles in Cheyenne Wednesday

         Some 500 people heard the co-chairs of President Barack Obama’s Deficit Commission make one of their first reports outside Washington, D.C.

         The 57-page report is the most comprehensive effort that has ever been done concerning how America can get control of its out-of-control budget deficits.

         Simpson was joined by his co-chair Bowles of North Carolina, at the program. It was entertaining, informative and downright scary.

         One of the biggest news stories of the final months of the tenth year of the first decade of the 21^st century was the release of the findings of this deficit commission. 

         It tells the story of the strongest country on earth being brought to its knees by years of irresponsible spending by a government living beyond its means.

         Into that swamp nine months ago sailed Simpson and Bowles and 16 other appointees by the President. Simpson, at first, called it “a suicide mission,” but now says the American people get the message.

         The men were speaking at the gathering of the Wyoming Business Alliance, held this year at Little America.

         If the government does not act and act soon, Simpson said money could dry up in this country quickly. “It’s like we’ve borrowed all this money from a rich uncle. Well folks, it is not a rich uncle. It’s our biggest international rival (China) and if they cash in, we are sunk.”

He says one of his key members of the commission was Sen. Dick Durbin, a powerful Illinois Democrat. Durbin voted for their plan and continually asked, “When is the tipping point,” meaning how much time we have?” 

Simpson says, if we do nothing, it could be “six years or six months or six days. We have to take action.

“The people of America are ahead of their government on this,” Simpson says. “The people get it. Now let’s hope the leaders get it.”

         As part of their presentation, three “Wyoming responders” offered their ideas to the Simpson-Bowles comments.

         Attorney Harriet Hageman of Cheyenne said the country could save $1 trillion by getting rid of regulations.

         CPA Jim Hearne of Cheyenne said, “Can any of us imagine how much money $13 trillion is? Write that down and see how many numbers it takes.”

         Businessman Mick McMurray of Casper quoted from a Hemingway book where a person was asked, “how did it feel to go bankrupt?”

         “Slowly and then suddenly,” McMurray responded saying he feared for the direction our country was going and was proud of the work the deficit commission was doing.

As to what will happen in the future if nothing gets done, Simpson simply said to “Look at the PIGS. That is what will happen.” PIGS stands for Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, all countries in Europe that are teetering from government budgets that spent more than they were taking in and which borrowed money beyond their means. Simpson feels that if the USA does not act quickly, this great country could be in the same predicament.

         Bowles said the debt crisis in America is like cancer. “It will destroy from within.”

         To those people who think the USA can spend itself out of its economic woes, Simpson replied with a typical quip: “That’s like saying you are the best-looking horse in the glue factory.”

         Simpson also said they recommended closing one third of the military bases around the world and getting rid of 250,000 federal employees. It is a time for sacrifice, he said.

         “Every war through World War Two required sacrifice and special taxes. The American people have not paid for the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Gulf One and Gulf Two,” he said.

         Simpson also had a zinger for Wyoming folks who might feel pretty smug about our state’s good fortune compared to the country. He credited a good constitution and “slop luck” when it came to our state’s ample energy resources for giving us a head start on all these economic issues.

         Simpson predicted that most of their findings would get a good hearing in Congress. He also said that Senators and Congressmen who fail to act on this would pay dearly. “They will be punished by their constituents.”

         Christmas in Wyoming is often unlike that being celebrated anywhere else.

         Let me share with you a recent holiday experience.

         There I was, standing on a trailer shouting into a bullhorn to 1,000 people who had gathered to see Santa Claus arrive in a fire truck.   They were also there to officially light a Christmas tree and maybe go on a hayride. But most importantly, they were there to help needy folks.

         The third annual Light Up Lander program saw a huge truckload of canned goods provided by people who were given bicycle raffle tickets in exchange for food donations.

The food will be used to fill more than 300 Christmas baskets for the needy distributed in the Lander area.

I always emcee the event. This year, the public address (PA) system broke down as the event started. Then the extra PA system from the local Chamber broke down. Then I moved to a police car and used its PA system – wow, was that a feeling of power or what! I was tempted to shout: “Up against the wall. Raise your hands! You are covered!”

But that PA really did not work so well so I moved to Santa’s big fire truck. From there I could look over Centennial Park and see all these people. This PA worked a little better but still did not cover everyone. 

Finally, Mayor Mick Wolfe pushed that police bullhorn into my hands and said, “We are down to this. Just hold your mouth up close!”

And meanwhile people kept coming and coming with bags and bags of food. The event was a huge success.

         On a lighter note, so what do we buy for our loved ones this year?

         I am a big fan of books, and a few come to mind. 

Be sure to check out the new Wyoming Almanac by the Roberts brothers, Phil, David and Steven.   A necessary read if you live in Wyoming.

Anything by C. J. Box or Candy Moulton is also a good pick.

         And we might modestly suggest that quality bookstores have copies of two books by this columnist in stock, called The Best Part of America and High Altitudes, Low Multitudes.

A CD featuring Christmas music by the choir of Wyoming Catholic College is also available. Happy shopping.

         If you like magazines, check out the two new Wyoming magazines called “307” and “Wyoming Lifestyle,” for gift subscriptions.

         And finally, my wife and four kids say that I am impossible to buy for. Because of this, I am including some tips for last minute Christmas shopping for Wyoming men, which were sent to me by my friend, Aggie Smith. Although these guidelines sound suspiciously like an old Dave Barry column, she contends it was anonymously sent to her through the Internet with some Wyoming editing:

#1: The best gift of all is a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. Aggie has a friend who owns 17. As a Wyoming man, you can never have too many drills.

#2: If you cannot afford a drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love those two words. "Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?"

#3: If you are really, really broke, buy him any thing for his car, a 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of de-icer or something to hang from his rear view mirror.

#4: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. If you have a lot of money buy your man a big-screen TV with the little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and flips.

#5: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels everywhere. "Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink."

#6: Men enjoy danger. That`s why they never cook - but they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?" Men also love chainsaws. However, never, buy the man you love a chainsaw.

So there you have it, Aggie’s rules for buying Christmas gifts for Wyoming men. Have a wonderful Merry Christmas, everyone.

     Those Wyoming mountains in my mind were looking mighty good about then. Wyoming’s low humidity and bright sunshine were only distant memories — but in between shivers, it kept me going.

    My visit to the Centre for Journalism Studies at the University of Wales was about over. And although it had been a great experience, it was time to leave. The Cardiff faculty had invited me to join their mid-career Masters program in the fall of 1986. The program included journalists from all over the world.

    There were newspaper editors, television newscasters, magazine editors and government media people. They came from as far away as China, Malaysia, Korea, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Qatar, New Zealand, the United States and other countries, too.

    While there, my duties also included serving as a guest lecturer to grad school students from the United Kingdom.

    But that night in the rain, all I could think about was my Wyoming.

    These people wanted to know about America. They liked America and they liked Americans.

    My philosophy has always been to be polite when visiting another person’s country. I rarely bragged about my home and always complimented them on everything.

    Once you get beyond the politeness, inevitably the conversation would turn to my part of the country. They wanted to know about this mysterious place called Wyoming? Cowboys, Indians and mountains fascinated them. I told them about the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express and Yellowstone National Park and Frontier Days. 

    And how Wyoming was just one of 50 states and how our state had 23 counties. And how Fremont County was larger than Wales. And despite all that land, just 36,000 people lived there. And how there were 40 places in my county over 13,000 feet in elevation. 

    I also told them about incredible mountains like the Grand Tetons and Devils Tower. And our vast distances and how Wyoming was the least populated state in America about the same population of Cardiff.

     And they were surprised to hear about how the sun shines 300 days per year and the humidity is so low, the sky is always blue. And how you can`t count all the stars in the sky at night. And how easy it was to see more than 100 miles on a clear day.

    And then there was all our wildlife plus our wonderful fishing. And I raved about the Red Desert with its wild horses and shifting sand dunes. And how just a century ago, cavalry and buffalo were roaming these valleys.

     Now remember, I believe in being polite when in a foreign country. It took a lot to get me to talk about my home. But they wanted to know more. They just couldn’t get enough information about this land called The Best Part Of America.

     I couldn’t help smiling when talking about our clean air and clean water or even how wide our streets are. And the great condition of our roads and highways along with all the walking and hiking trails. And our tax situation was almost non-existent compared to theirs.

    Hearing about public lands that were available to everybody surprised them. I told them about my spread, the three million-acre Shoshone National Forest that was just 10 minutes from my home. And how our family shared that spread with millions of other Americans.

    My tales of the Shoshone and Arapaho Indians drew a rapt audience.

     And I talked about my family back there in 1986. And how most Americans are friendly and Wyoming people are the friendliest of all. And how Americans always believe in the “American Dream” that if they work hard and don’t give up, they will almost always come out on top. Americans believe the best in people and in situations and how optimism is a national disease in our country.

     And as I was standing there in the rain that chilly night many years ago, I thought about all those things. It was then that I realized that I really did live in The Best Part of America.