Charting the course to reclaim Wyoming and America

By Christopher G. Adamo

As the 2014 campaign season goes into high gear, Americans are being deluged with every possible perspective on the condition of the nation and what, if anything, needs to be done to set it back on the right course.

On Main Street, the mood is increasingly defiant and resolved. Americans are becoming aware that their great country is being wrested from them by a self-serving political class that has no concern for the plight of the commoner, and no recognition that current trends portend disaster for everyone. It is therefore critically important that, during the next few months, “We the People” correctly assess the gravity of the situation and properly discern the best means of averting disaster. Anything short of a major redirection for the nation will ensure that its present faltering will degenerate to the point of irreparable damage.

Fortunately, several bright lights are shining across this great land. And if the people are able to see past the blitzes of propaganda from the major political parties — to the degree that any distinction between them exists — this year’s primary and general elections may well be the turning point for the nation. One individual worth watching is Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Cindy Hill. In many ways, Hill’s political career embodies the elements of the struggle between those who have a deep reverence for the principles on which this nation was founded, as opposed to the arrogance of the self-serving “Ruling Class.”

Those in the Cowboy State are well aware of the struggle between Hill, who holds the office of Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the entrenched “Republican” establishment that has for many years exploited the levers of political power to further its own interests. In early 2013, that struggle erupted into open political war, as the state Legislature passed the infamous Senate File 104, which trampled the Wyoming Constitution and contemptuously nullified the will of the people by usurping the official responsibilities of Hill’s office, transferring those constitutionally defined duties to an appointee — and lackey — of RINO Gov. Matt Mead.

However, the “Republican” establishment completely underestimated Hill, who contested the governor’s power-grab in court and ultimately prevailed when SF 104 was overturned as unconstitutional. While some presumed these events to portend a return to “business as usual,” Hill clearly understood the extent of the outrage that had been perpetrated, not against her personally, but against the office she holds. And in that regard, every resident of Wyoming who expects its government to abide by the laws designed to prevent its overreach now has a responsibility to hold accountable those who engaged in such flagrant excesses.

It is naively optimistic to expect that this matter is resolved. Rather, the malignancy represented by it has, at best, temporarily been forced into “remission.” But it can be fully expected to return with a vengeance the moment sufficient power is once again seized from the people. For her part, Hill has undertaken the effort to return Wyoming government to its rightful role, understanding that the setback to the political insiders of the recent state Supreme Court decision hardly constitutes a long-term “fix.”

So, as is her way, she has laid out a bold plan to confront the current failings of the governing system in Wyoming, and to restore the rightful role of state government and re-establish a proper relationship between it and the people it was originally instituted to serve. In her new book, “People and Principles: A Declaration,” Hill elaborates on both the failings of the present system and the necessary structural and attitudinal changes that must take place to tame the monster of the all-powerful state.

Citing current statistics and information, as well as perspectives and insight from notable historic figures, including the nation’s Founding Fathers, Hill goes into great detail to contrast the rightful nature of constitutional government against the bloated monstrosity that it has become, both at federal and state levels. By this means she methodically establishes the case for the restoration of government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” not merely as soaring oratory, but to ensure that this generation and future generations do not lose their great inheritance of freedom, justice and opportunity.

It has become extremely popular for aspiring politicians to “wrap” themselves in the Constitution on the campaign trail, as they have long done with the flag. But Hill does not merely make mention of the Constitution for a stirring emotional effect. Rather, she elaborates on the concepts enshrined by the founders in the establishment of the nation, and strongly reflected in the Wyoming Constitution as well, contrasting these great principles against the insidious chicanery of so much of modern politics. In light of her profound grasp of these ideals, and her determination to uphold them, it’s no wonder that the moment Hill was elected to state office in 2010 she became the mortal enemy of those who had aspired to the power of high office to serve their own ends.

Consider, as only one example, this statement from her book, and the impact it would have on the bloated and expanding state if such thinking is ever reborn in the minds of the people: “What the Founders knew… was that a limited government, one reduced to its necessary objects, allows individualism to flourish, and when coupled with individual responsibility, the seeds of prosperity for the individual and society are sown —initiative, imagination, ingenuity, and innovation.” In contrast, she warns that the consent of the governed, by which government in this nation originally derived its rightful power and providing the ultimate constraint on that power, has now degenerated into contempt for the governed. And it is this condition that must initially be reversed if the rightful role and exercise of governing power is to be re-established.

In stark contrast to the increasingly burdensome and oppressive “nanny state,” which can only hope to secure the loyalty of its subjects by buying them off with promises of meager subsistence, Hill’s vision for Wyoming government, and indeed for all of America, is based in the time-honored American ideal that “All Power Is Inherent In The People.” It is the opening statement of the Wyoming Constitution, the first topic of discussion in her book, the code that she has been proven to uphold by her track record in high public office, the real explanation for the wrath she incurred from the entrenched political class, and the reason she needs to be the next governor of Wyoming.

Christopher G. Adamo is chief editorial writer for The Proud Americans, a membership advocacy group for America’s seniors, and for all Americans. Contact him at chrisadamo.com, and follow him on Twitter @CGAdamo.