There has been a great deal of discussion lately concerning a number of social issue-based bills currently being debated in the Wyoming State House and Senate.

Much of this discussion has focused around HB74, which looks to close a loophole in Wyoming law that allows gay couples, who have legally attained a marriage license in another state, to receive legal recognition under Wyoming law.

The bill, which passed its third vote in the House on Monday, is largely a symbolic gesture by newly emboldened conservatives to show that they are strong on social issues considered important by many on the far right.

Other bills that have attracted controversy this legislative session include HB118, which offers women in Wyoming, who are receiving an abortion, the opportunity to view a free ultrasound of the fetus and SB47, which allows Wyoming residents to carry concealed guns without state permits. Finally, SB114 creates a teacher evaluation program that uses classroom cameras in four school districts.

Although the state of Wyoming is a historically conservative place, it has not been in our nature to spend what little time we allocate to our legislature on the meaningless business of governing individual values and norms. Historically, Wyoming has avoided passing legislation dealing with gay marriage or abortion, choosing instead to focus on the business of passing legislation that has a meaningful impact on the state’s ability to grow the economy and to improve public education and infrastructure.

Unfortunately, in the wake of the 2010 mid term elections, many conservatives have developed a false sense that they were successful—not because of poor democratic candidates or disapproval of the Obama administration—but, rather, many appear to have the perception that the republican victory was due to an overwhelming amount of support for conservative republican policy.

This perception of pro-conservative support is misplaced. The historical precedent is that the party in power will lose seats in a midterm. And the distinct libertarian nature of those who came out in dramatic numbers to support republicans should indicate that what was seen was not so much support for conservative social values, but, instead, traditional conservative values of fiscal responsibility and smaller government.

It is this contradiction that I find so puzzling, and it is one that I have been unable to have reconciled by conservatives with whom I have spoken. It is not the small government that puts cameras in its classrooms to monitor its teachers. Nor is it the usual business of a small government to involve itself in the business of legislating marriage.

Some of these bills, like HB74 and HB118, are nothing more than symbolic pieces of legislation meant to make it clear to the world that in Wyoming, the fetus is a living child and you should see its picture before killing it, and that we, supposedly, do not appreciate all “those gays” who insist on coming across our borders with their unholy east coast marriages. Although I am sure these are sentiments many people across the state agree with, how such legislation readily contributes to the quality of life here in Wyoming is not apparent.

And I think that is the central problem with all of this. We hire these people as representatives to go and find ways to help us make the State of Wyoming a better place. We need safer roads, higher paid teachers and incentives to encourage the development of new job sectors like green energy and telecommunications. The job of our representatives is, quite simply, to improve the quality of life in this state for our people.

This is not the time to make laws that divide our people. Now is the time for our lawmakers to focus on the task of building a better and more just world for the next generation.

To those in the state House and Senate I say this: You are better than this. We are better than this. We have confided in you, hoping that you will build our state with a vision towards a better life. But lose this confidence and you will never get it back. Do not let us down.

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