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The Campbell 00 $1. County Observer
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Volume 3 • Issue 35
Aug. 30 - Sept. 6, 2013
Enzi: Political Ambition Isn’t Enough This Week’s www.campbellcountyobserver.net June 17 - 24, 2011 to be a Senator of Wyoming Highlights “If it doesn’t have to do with Campbell County, we don’t care!” By Duke Taber - Campbell County Observer nited States Senator Mike Enzi was in Gillette last week and the Campbell County Observer had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with the thrice elected U.S. Senator. Sitting in the conference room of his Gillette Wyoming headquarters and then later via email, Senator Enzi answered questions ranging from whether he was worried about the upcoming election, his 80/20 rule of governance, and why he sponsored what is commonly called the internet tax
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bill (The Marketplace Fairness Act). Senator Enzi was raised in Thermopolis, Wyoming; He attended George Washington University and the University of Denver. He expanded his father’s shoe store business in Gillette before being elected mayor of Gillette in 1974. In the late 1970s he worked in the United States Department of the Interior. He served as a state legislator in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1987 to 1991 and the Wyoming Senate from 1991 to 1997. During the 1980s and 1990s he worked as an accountant and executive director in the energy industry. Senator Enzi has been consistently ranked as one of the most conservative members of the Senate. He is the ranking Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which he chaired from 2005 to 2007. He was a member of the 2009 Gang of Six which attempted to negotiate health care reform. Enzi on His Famous “80/20 Rule” Senator Enzi is known for his 80/20 rule” of governance. In our discussion he talked about the belief that both Republicans and Democrats could talk civilly on 80% of the issues. However, he stated in his GOP weekly address to the nation on July 13th that the 80/20 rule is that, “Opposing parties usually can agree on 80% of the details of any given issue.” There is a difference between talking civilly and agreement. So·which is it? Talking civilly or agreeing? “Generally you have to act civilly in order to work together to find agreement. One of the problems with Washington is that the concentration has been on the 20%, not the 80%. What you see in the news is mostly the 20% because people are interested in conflict. I don’t do many national media interviews. What they expect is for me to criticize my colleagues and it makes it a lot harder to work with those same colleagues if you were criticizing them in public the day before.” Senator Enzi was further asked, if both parties agree on 80% of the issues, then why is our government so fractured? He replied, “Because we insist on debating the 20%, we will never agree on where our approaches are dramatically opposed.” He added, “This 20% is what generates money and TV talk show hype.” Then the Senator was asked, if both parties agree on 80% of the issues, is there much difference between Republicans and Democrats? He replied, “Yes there is a difference. Republicans are for smaller government and personal independence and responsibility. Democrats in Washington feel that government does everything best. But on 80 percent of the issues there is some common ground. That’s what America expects us to look
• Northern Rockies Skies ..................... Page 3 • Gillette Company Develops New Trailer....... Page 5 • Community Calendar .......................... Page 12 • Office of Tourism Wins Award ..................... Page 12 • Bold Republic: You’re Weird! ................... Page 15
for and work on. some of the issues aren’t partisan they are about people. One example is my needle stick bill that the House and Senate unanimously approved. It makes sure medical needles are properly disposed of so nurses and janitors aren’t accidently stuck.” Enzi on Ideas for Wyoming The conversation then turned to the State of Wyoming and what he has accomplished for the people of Wyoming and what were some of his unique ideas for the future. “I have stood up for the taxpayer in opposing various government bailouts including the TARP program of the Bush-Cheney Administration.” Enzi stated. “I have introduced the One Percent Spending Reduction Act, also called “the Penny Plan”, which would balance the budget by cutting one percent from total federal spending for two years, balancing the budget by 2015. When a balanced budget is achieved, the bill places a cap on total spending each year. No fudging numbers, no smoke-andmirrors accounting. The National Taxpayers Union has praised my Penny Plan to reduce spending. In my first term I was successful in passing legislation that allowed for the development of the coal bed methane industry in Wyoming. I was also able to reconfigure the Abandoned Mine Land program to ensure that more than $500 million owed to Wyoming would be repaid. Prior to this AML money that was promised to Wyoming was being kept in Washington and spent on unrelated federal programs. Even after I got the money released there has been an annual attempt to steal it, most recently through a non-amendable highway bill. I will continue fighting until Wyoming receives the money that it is owed. “I’ve also sponsored an inventors’ conference for many years that helps Wyoming inventors secure patents and funding for their inventions. “In June, I cosponsored the ‘Every Child Ready for College or Career Act.’ The bill includes detailed language to explicitly prohibit the U.S. Department of Education from exercising any discretion, preference, or control over state’s academic content standards (like the Common Core State
Standards) or achievement standards. I voted to give Wyoming the freedom to write its own standards and tests without having to ask Washington for permission.” Enzi on Obamacare Noting that Senator Enzi had a record of opposing Obamacare, he was asked questions about his belief that we need health care reform. He was asked, “In 2009 you stated at the Heritage Foundation that you agreed with President Obama that we need to reform health care. Do you still feel this way? What about your July 13 address to the nation, where you suggest that lawmakers need to fix Obamacare. Do you honestly feel it is worth fixing?” Senator Enzi was very thorough in his response. “I believe the law should be repealed, defunded, or dismantled piece-by piece. America had an opportunity for true health care reform but that was squandered when those in charge of Congress rammed through a partisan bill without a single Republican vote. As we’ve seen since the bill became law, it’s unworkable, unaffordable, and a political liability that is being delayed until after the 2014 elections. “I have co-sponsored legislation to fully repeal Obamacare and another to fully defund it. I have also supported 17 bills that would help dismantle the worst parts of the law: • 5 bills to repeal taxes in the law • 3 bills to repeal the individual mandate • 3 bills to repeal the employer mandate • 1 bill to repeal the IPAB • 1 bill to repeal the CLASS Act • 1 bill to repeal the Medicaid expansion • 3 bills to repeal or modify other provisions in the health care law” Senator Enzi then went on to point out what he called
an error that his opponent, Liz Cheney, has been making concerning the members of congress. “I’d also like to point out something my opponent has repeated on numerous occasions that is wrong. It’s also something one of her surrogates has repeated as fact without any regard for accuracy. Congress did not vote to exempt themselves from Obamacare. In fact, the reason Members of Congress and their staff are required to be under Obamacare and buy their insurance through the exchanges is because of Republican amendments offered during the health care debate. I voted for them every time. We finally won. If it’s good enough for the American people, it should be good enough for Congress. It was President Obama who decided to cut Congress a break and allow them to keep their employer sponsored health care subsidy. This is wrong and I do not support it. I want everyone to be under it, including President Obama and his entire staff. That way they can experience how bad this law really is. So far, the president won’t be part of his law. We need to get rid of the law.” Enzi on the EPA The discussion turned more locally and the issue of the partial closure of Wyodak was brought up. Senator Enzi was asked about what he did to prevent that closure, and other such closures of coal-powered power plants. “I believe you are referring to Neil Simpson 1, the oldest unit at the facility, which is scheduled for retirement on March 21, 2014. I have continuously opposed President Obama’s efforts to use the EPA as a weapon against the coal industry. I supported a bill to stop the regulations that are shutting down power plants. I forced debate on the bill.
Continued on Page 4
We’ve Moved! The Campbell County Observer has moved to it’s new location: 1001 S. Douglas Hwy. Building B Ste. 06 Gillette, WY 82716 Behind Subway/Visionary Wireless.