I sure wish my four children would move back home to Wyoming

I need to admit something that most of you probably weren’t even thinking about.

I have the four best kids who ever walked the earth.

They’re thoughtful, capable adults who care deeply about each other, their communities and their families. The only problem is this: none of them live in Wyoming. Three work in education, and one works in finance. All of them grew up loving the Big Horn Basin and the people here.

And I know this for certain. Every one of them has, at different times, thought about coming home.

But lately I’ve been wondering if our state legislators are making that decision harder than it needs to be.

I look at the choices coming out of Cheyenne and worry about what kind of state we’re building. When we talk about cutting education funding, reducing support for our one university, tying the hands of our libraries or scaling back agencies meant to help grow our economy, it sends a message. Whether we mean it to or not, it tells young professionals and young families that Wyoming might not be investing in its future.

Who imagines building a stronger Wyoming by cutting the Department of Family Services, the Wyoming Department of Health or even things like Wyoming Public Radio? If we want young families and entrepreneurs to choose this place, we should be making our communities stronger, our hospitals innovative and our opportunities broader. The energy sector has always been the backbone of our economy, but no smart investor puts everything into one bucket.

I’m not a huge fan of paying taxes. Most of us aren’t. But I’ve always believed in paying my fair share when it supports the basics that make a state work. Good schools. Strong communities. Safe roads. Real opportunity.

Which brings me to something else I’ll admit.

Does my anxiety spike when I pass a highway patrol trooper and I’m going five miles over the speed limit? Absolutely. I instantly become a better driver. I check the speedometer twice and sit up a little straighter.

But that feeling flips in a heartbeat.

Because I also know how grateful I would be to see those same flashing lights if I were broken down on a dark highway with no cell service. Or worse, if someone I love needed help on a lonely stretch of road in the middle of winter.

That’s the part of government we don’t talk about enough -- the men and women who do work we only notice when we are having a bad day.

It’s too easy for people in comfortable chairs to look at a budget sheet and declare, “Cut 20 percent from every budget.” I taught in this state for my whole career, and I’ve seen way too many of our best students leave for Colorado, Utah, Washington or (dark music playing) California. Let’s find a way to bring them back and keep our graduates here.

Contact your state legislator and let them know you’re willing to pay your fair share to help Wyoming continue to be the greatest place on earth.

Also … have I told you how wonderful my four grandchildren are?