Opinions
Thursday, February 27, 2014
A simple fix to a costly mistake
BY CINDY HILL people's vote is undermined. SFI04 stripped benefit of Wyoming children and are required, SFI04. After all, those laws would apply equally
The leadership of the Wyoming legislature is
struggling to understand the Wyoming Supreme
Court's decision finding SF 104 unconstitutional.
I have heard words like "complicated, time con-
suming, difficult, and complex." I am somewhat
puzzled by this alleged confusion, as I read the
Court's conclusion to be clear and easily under-
stood. To quote from the opinion:
"The legislature has attempted to accomplish
through legislation what it may do only through
the constitutional amendment process of Article
20, Section 1.18. Consequently, we conclude be-
yond all reasonable doubt that [SF104] is uncon-
stitutional."
I'm not a lawyer, but as I read the above state-
ment, I draw two basic conclusions: 1) SF104
was unconstitutional, and 2) ffyou want to mod-
ify the fundamental structure of government,
you have to ask the people to do it through a
constitutional amendment. So what is so con-
fusing? Why all the delays? I have my theories,
but more on that later.
The longer this matter drags on, the longer the
away the duties that the people of Wyoming had
entrusted to me when I was elected. Despite the
Supreme Court's directive, as I write this I have
still not been allowed to return to the Wyoming
Department of Education and resume my consti-
tutional responsibilities of general supervision.
Certainly the legislature and the governor
made a very expensive mess when SF104 was
signed into law last January. The Supreme
Court cleaned up that mess. Now, instead of
following the Court's guidance, there is talk of
rehearings and more litigation, special legisla-
tive sessions, new committees, etc. Challeng-
ing the Supreme Court's decision in this man-
ner will require huge expenditures of taxpayer
monies. Our precious resources will be directed
toward paying the lodging and travel expenses
of legislators as they gather for special ses-
sions. New lawyers and consultants will likely
be hired as confidence is surely waning in the
misguided group that originally advised on the
constitutionality of SF104. Additional time and
money will be further wasted as state education
employees are distracted from working for the
instead, to focus on responding to and prepar-
ing for legal proceedings, committee hearings,
and legislative requests.
All of this is unnecessary. Despite the talk of
complicated delays m,d difficulties, I believe
correcting this mistake is easy. Let me propose
three simple steps.
I. End the delay tactics - First and foremost,
I urge the legislature to demand that the gover-
nor cease the endless appeals designed to keep
me from fulfilling the duties entrusted to me by
the people and our constitution. The Wyoming
Supreme Court ruled and gave clear guidance.
It is time to move forward.
2. Correct the statutes - This is the easiest
part. SF104 appears to have been the product
of a simple search-and-replace exercise where
the word "superintendent" was replaced with
"director." I am confident that the legislative
services office can easily correct the statutes by
eliminating "director" and restoring "superin-
tendent." I would guess this would only take a
few minutes. This same approach can be used
to correct any law that was passed in reliance on
to Cindy Hill as they would to Rich Crandall.
3. Transition back - This must occur immedi-
ately. Shortly after SF104 was overturned, I sent
the governor a letter proposing a transition plan
that would allow everyone to move forward and
get back to work with little delay or disruption.
Although the govemor never responded to my
letter, I am confident that we can all work to-
gether to get back to work focusing on Wyoming
children.
The political gamesmanship that gave rise to
SF104 is destructive and must stop. The gover-
nor and each legislator took an oath to "support,
obey, and defend the Constitution of the State
of Wyoming." (Wyo. Const. Art. 6 Sec. 20) The
Supreme Court Justices took the same oath and
the Court has defined what upholding the con-
stitution requires in this instance. The delays,
legal maneuvering, and legislative manipulation
are not only futile, but they fly in the face of the
Wyoming Supreme Court's decision. The oath is
to support, obey, and defend - not thwart, dis-
pute, and distort. It is time to honor our Consti-
tution. The people deserve nothing less.
BY BILL SNIFFIN
What a life! At the young age of
29, Wyoming's AAron Ontiveroz
just returned from coveting the
Olympics and prior to that, the
Super Bowl.
He also has been a photo-
graphic member of a Denver
Post team that has won a Pulit-
zer Prize and a regional Emmy
Award.
AAron also has a razor-sharp
sense of humor, which he shows
through his blogs.
Since I was involved in hir-
ing AAron's dad to one of his
Wyoming's Ontiveroz covers the Super Bowl, Olympics
first newspaper jobs back in
the 1970s, I have known young
AAron his entire life. It has been
quite a life to watch.
Besides being an award-win-
ning photographer, AAron has
a good sense of humor as is
shown in this blog he sent last
well fed. Tortillas, beans, bacon,
burritos, tacos, ham, cheese,
fried pig fat for snacks, huge
chunks of soggy cake soaked in
whole milk, oh, and lard- lots
of lard.
"Duh. Lard is actually a promi-
nent fixture on our family crest
week from Sochi about Russian -- a big block of it sweating and
food:
Wehat the crap is dried meat
factory production? Horse meat
and beef fat, really?
"I come from a long line of
eaters. Real champions of gut
and glut. My dad's family is not
slight and they are proud to be
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M'mtml LUl
mmm, t
emanating all of its wisdom and
glory for the ages.
"Despite my family's oxygen-
like attachment to food, I whole-
heartedly doubt they would get
all Oliver Twisty here in Russia. I
do not envision any one of them,
no matter how hungry, asking,
lease, sir, I want some more
dried meat factory production
with horse meat and beef fat.'
"Sorry, Russia, your food is not
good. We may eat lard and pig fat
and a bunch of other bodybufld-
hag foods where I come from, but
they don taste like theyX, e been
sitting in the ffidge since the Cold
War.
"It's no wonder everyone here
looks like an unhappy competi-
five gymnast- no one could pos-
sibly binge on this cuisine."
Funny stuff.
I have known the Ontiveroz
family for a long time. I first hired
AAron's dad Milton when he was
a Northwest College student in
Powell. He worked for me for a
year in Lander where he met his
future wife, Liz Trimmer. Liz's dad
Harvey delivered papers to the
newsstands for us.
For the past 20 years, Milton has
been an Institutional Communi-
cation Specialist at the university
in Laramie and is well -known all
over the state.
Young Ontiveroz graduated from
Laramie High School in 2003. He
is a 2008 UW graduate.
AAron (the two upper case
As were Liz's idea, Milton says)
launched his sterling journal-
ism career at Northwest. While at
NWC, he had a national award-
winning article for the Northwest
Trail, while competing against
Powe//Tr/bune, Laram/e Boomer-
ang and Cheyenne Tr/bune-Eag/e.
The Pulitzer came while AAron
was shooting for the Post. The
newspaper won for its overall
coverage of the Aurora movie
theater massacre. Twelve people
were killed, and 58 others injured
when a gunman began firing dur-
ing a screening of The Dark Kn/ght
R/ses in the summer of 2013.
Among his other awards is a re-
gional Emmy for a video he helped
produced two years ago with vid-
eographer Mahala Gaylord.
AAron's blogs can be found
at blogs.denverpost.com/
olympics/2014/02/19/sochi-
2014-winter-olympics-hey-
snow/26813 /
On other blogs, Onfiveroz had
this to say: "Do you want to visit
the coldest place on Earth? Go
to southeast Wyoming and bask
in the brutal cold, hair-stripping
wind (it happened to me) and sun
in the sky just for looks -- not
such schools as Harvard. , .... functionali.'ty. .....................
Earlier, AAron worked for the "So, as it were, as they say,
yada, yada, yada- what the
heck, Russia? Why has it taken
so long for winter to arrive at
the WINTER Olympics? Why
has my butt not yet frozen off?
"Here, it seems everything is on
what people have started referring
to as Russian Time. A time frame
in which a local says, 'About five
minutes,' but really means 60
minutes in real time.
"Who knew the Russians had
the power to delay even the weath-
er? Buses, yes, but an entirely
unpredictable system that has
miffed TV weathermen for ages?
"Russia cannot medal in hockey
at their own Olympics with a total
hometown advantage, but put-
ring a delay on an entire season
... wow, bravo.
"The $50-billion games are an
accomplishment all on their own,
but their achievements of climate
control are impressive. That's not
weird at all. Just very frighten-
ing."
(Note: Lander's lan Lee also cov-
ered the Olympics, for CNN)
WINTER FIRES - SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOME
As winter weather drags on, people are turning to fireplaces and space heaters to
stay warm. But all heating systems can pose a fire risk if not properly used and main-
tained. The Wyoming Department of Insurance and the companies insuring Wyoming's
homes want to offer these safety tips for preventing fires from various heat sources.
• Chimneys - The number of chimney fires reported to the Wyoming Department of
Insurance this year has increased significantly over previous years. Creosote and carbon
deposits can coat chimney flues and pose a fire hazard. Have your chimney and flue con-
nections inspected and cleaned by a professional before each heating season each year.
• Give Space Heaters Space - Place space heaters at least three feet away from
furniture, walls, curtains, or anything else that burns. Turn off space heaters when you
leave home or go to bed.
• Liquid Fuel Safety - If your space heater bums a liquid fuel such as kerosene,
let the heater cool down before refueling it. Refuel your heater outdoors -- where spills
won't present a fire hazard -- and in a well-ventilated area.
• Gas Fueled Heaters - Gas heaters must always be vented to the outside and
should never be installed in bedrooms, bathrooms or other small areas where carbon
monoxide levels might build to dangerous levels. Check vents periodically to make sure
they aren't blocked.
• Wood or Coal Stoves and fireplaces - Place an approved stove board under
wood or coal stoves to protect your floor from heat and stray embers. Use a fire screen
made of sturdy metal or heat-tempered glass to protect your home from fireplace sparks.
• Central Heating Systems - Have your furnace, chimneys, and chimney connec-
tions inspected and serviced at least once a year by a qualified professional.
For more ways to keep your home safe, contact your local fire professionals, the
Wyoming Department of Insurance or your insurance agent.
@
Wyoming Insurance Department
http://doi,wyo.gov
1 (800) 438-5768
This public service announcement is presented and paid for by the
insurance companies licensed to do business in Wyoming in cooperation
with the Wyoming Insurance Department. For more information on the
state's insurance companies, including financial information, visit the
Insurance Department website's "Consumers" section.
