Sweeping changes needed to protect Wyo workers
State can speak softly, but must start swinging the stick
Photo from WyoFile story about worker safety.
State leaders need to summon the will to exercise both their moral and legal authority to change the workplace culture that has killed more than 600 Wyoming workers since 1992 and maimed and injured many more.
Dr. Ryan issued his memorandum to the governor on Dec. 19, and then quit to work in the private sector. The subsequent response from the governor and industry has indicated little will be done except to continue gathering and monitoring data and asking industry to submit to “courtesy inspections” that allow OSHA inspectors to point out safety violations without risk of citation. This essentially means an extension of the status quo, which will mean more Wyoming families will see people injured and killed.
But few companies have availed themselves of the courtesy inspections offered by the s read more...
Posted Jan 08, 2012 11:56 AM
State should demand good jobs in return for incentives
National report shows need for job quality standards
The Good Jobs First report issued Dec. 14 grades the state programs. The report ranks Wyoming 49th among the states on job-creation and job-quality standards. Wyoming's programs are well-intentioned efforts but the state should evaluate them to make certain they are producing the results desired.
The new report finds that Nevada, North Carolina and Vermont do the best job in applying job standards to their major subsidy programs. The District of Columbia, Alaska and Wyoming have the weakest requirements,according the Good Jobs First study. The ESPC agrees that more can be done.
(Editor's Note, Dec. 27: But a number of economic development officials do not agree. Our Op-Ed published in the Dec. 25, 2011
Posted Dec 14, 2011 4:02 PM
'Now is the time to step up for kids'
State should invest more in early education for children
Morgan Lipes, 12, left, and
Kelsea Kennedy, 12, perform
at Step Up For Kids Day.
“You can make a difference,” Bethany Cutts, a social work lecturer at UW/CC told the crowd.
The event at the First Interstate Bank Plaza attracted a good crowd Tuesday.
The heard speeches from former state legislator Ann Robinson, Head Start teacher Pam McMichael, Julia McCarthy of the Boys & Girls Club, Chelse DePaolo Lara of GEAR UP, and from Bethany Cutts, an assistant lecturer with the UW/CC Social Work Department.
All talked about the importance of making long-term investments in programs and policies that benefit children. DePaolo Lara noted that her program has engaged many high-risk students in Natrona County and has seen extraordinary success in guiding them to graduate from high school. Gear Up students have won scholarships worth $1.5 million to attend Casper College alone, she said.
UW/CC 's Cutts noted the state’s flush fiscal situation puts it in a good position to invest in early education and other programs that will help children become productive citizens in the future, whether here in Wyoming or elsewhere.
“Wyoming ended the 2011 fiscal year with an excess of $427 million, $320 million more than projected,” she said, noti read more...
Posted Oct 11, 2011 3:53 PM
Casper Step Up for Kids Day set Tuesday
Speakers will raise issues important to children
Kids ready to parade at the 2009 Step Up event
In its continuing efforts to raise awareness of the issues that face Wyoming children and their families, the Equality State Policy Center and its child-advocate allies will stage the fourth Casper Step Up for Kids Day calling on state and local policy-members to remember that children represent a long-term investment.
Wyoming has a relatively low unemployment rate compared to most other states and a growing economy. Unfortunately, many families face barriers keeping them out of the middle class and pushing the American Dream beyond reach. Many fully employed parents are struggling to pay bills, find child care outside the home for their children, especially infants, and to pay for private health insurance that will actually provide their children with access to health care.
Wyoming needs to invest more in early education and care to help children during a critical period of brain development. And the state needs to continue its investment in health care. If children are not healthy, they can’t do what they need to do when they get to kindergarten or first grade. And we need to assure that all children have access to dental care, an essential component of health.
The mothers need thorough pre-natal care. The state must maintain Medicaid for low-income pregnant women. Without good health care read more...
Posted Oct 08, 2011 12:06 PM
Saturday symposium tackles same-sex marriage
Juvenile justice, health care for people in poverty also to be discussed
Pastor Rodger McDaniel
at Feb. 16 marriage
rights rally
The Wyoming Association of Churches, an ESPC member organization, is staging the dialogues with the help of a Civility Matters! grant from the Wyoming Humanities Council. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the downstairs fellowship hall of the church at 302 East Second Street.You can see the poster here.
Wyoming continues to incarcerate its youth at the highest rate in the nation. The state invests something like $66 million imprisoning juveniles, according to Marc Homer, a statistician for the Wyoming Children’s Action Alliance. Compare that to Vermont, a similar-sized state, which spends about $3 million a year putting juveniles behind bars. Natrona County DA Mike Blonigen and Beth Evans, a member of the Wyoming State Advisory Council on Juvenile Justice, will discuss judicial responses for youth offenders at 10 a.m..
Two Cheyenne pastors, Rodger McDaniel and Bob Norris will discuss sexual orientation and the definition of marriage beginning at 1 p.m. McDaniel helped organize a rally to oppose legislation to void same- read more...
Posted Oct 05, 2011 11:49 AM
The Truth about Hot Coffee
Film looks at the infamous McDonald's spilled coffee case
We've heard those complaints and worse coming from the special interests that would like to see people's access to justice severely restricted through what they refer to as "tort reform." There is another side of the story.
The Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, a member organization of the Equality State Policy Center, will screen "Hot Coffee" Wednesday evening in Laramie and Thursday evening in Cheyenne. This film reveals what really happend to Stella Liebeck, the New Mexico woman who sued McDonald's. It also takes a hard look as the media attention the case received and who was behind the effort to smear Liebeck and the system as a whole.
The WTLA has invited local attorneys and judges who will be at the screenings for questions and further discussions.
Here are the details:
[ Back to top ]