Young people want deeds, not words, Mr. Harshman

By D. Reed Eckhardt
There have been few times that I have agreed with state Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper. But the new speaker of the state House was dead right this week when he said Wyoming has to do more, much more, for its young people.

"Our goal has to be we've got to be No. 1 in the United States for young people ... to come here, raise their kids, build a future, start a business," Harshman told lawmakers as the 64th Legislature got underway. "Part of that is what we emphasize and what we talk about because in the end we're going to get what we emphasize."

State Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper.

Powerful words, wisely spoken. But the problem is that the Legislature -- where Harshman has toiled for years and where he has had a voice in leadership much of
that time -- rarely backs up its words with deeds. Rather, it rejects ideas, like a law that would ban discrimination against gays, lesbians and others in the workplace, in commerce and in housing. This sort of legislation is seen as essential by the young people Harshman wants to attract. Yet is it on his agenda for this legislative session? You can bet that it hasn't even crossed his mind, much less moved him to embrace it.

Similarly, the proposed bill by state Rep. Roy Edwards, R-Gillette, which would require people to bathrooms of their birth gender rather than those of their gender identity, sends a message precisely the opposite of the preachings from  Harshman. It shouts that the LGBT-plus community should take a back seat on the Equality State Express -- and young people will flee a state that acts that way, not "come here, raise their kids."

If Harshman and those who support his vision really want young people here, they need to get off social agenda issues and focus on things that actually will serve as attractions.

One example: How about raising the awards for the Hathaway Scholarships instead of allowing them to continually degrade? I sat with Harshman on the committee that formed that essential program, and he was among the lawmakers who promised that the awards would be increased over time. That hasn't happened, and now there is a built-in excuse not to do so: the state's fiscal crisis. Yet it's always amazing how lawmakers can find money for their pet projects. This is one pet that Harshman should make his own, especially since young people tend to live where they go to school.

Similarly, Harshman and friends should find ways to relieve the college debt that is weighing down young people. There are numerous programs across the nation -- including some that forgive the debt if college grads will work and live in a state. Yet, again, none of them is on the Legislature's current agenda. How about appointing a committee to consider options? That would at least indicate the speaker is serious about his words.

And then there are amenities. Lawmakers' opposition to even talking about bike paths, much less funding them, in previous sessions is another example of their ignorance regarding the young people they say they seek. This younger generation is multi-modal, and bikes are part of their lifestyle. It's time to stop demanding that these young people fit into Wyoming's culture and alter the culture to fit them.

Harshman is right: Without smart young people, this state is not going to flourish. The problem is, it is going to take more than a mountain of words to bring them here. It's time for action, Mr. Harshman. How about it?

D. Reed Eckhardt is the former executive editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.