TORRINGTON – U.S. Sen. Dr. John Barrasso, M.D., made an appearance at Torrington High School (THS) Thursday morning, Feb. 18. THS Principal Chase Christensen welcomed the senator before handing over the microphone.
“Please join me in welcoming John Barrasso,” Christensen said.
Barrasso took the microphone and thanked Christensen for the invitation to come and speak to the school. He told the students he was glad to be able to come back to Torrington and see the children “all grown up.” He explained how he had been invited to Trail and Lincoln Elementary Schools about six years ago and had spoken with the student that were now before him.
“It was great visits at both Trail and Lincoln,” Barrasso said.
Barrasso told the students Wyoming had great opportunities for them. He mentioned the Hathaway Scholarship and how everyone could earn one by staying out of trouble and keeping their grades up.
He told the students Hathaway was Wyoming’s governor for two terms, was the Secretary of the Interior and came from Torrington before becoming the governor.
“Every one of you could do anything and be anything you want to be,” Barrasso said. “In so many ways, you could blaze your own trails.”
Barrasso then spoke of several of Wyoming’s historical figures and their delight in the state: Theodore Roosevelt, William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy. He told the students these men all had great appreciation for the people of Wyoming and hoped to encourage the students to accomplish great things. He told the students how they could do anything they wanted with their life, because Wyoming has opportunities nowhere else has.
“We’re Wyoming,” Barrasso said. “We have a commitment to education. We have the Hathaway Scholarship and with the culture of this community, you can do anything you want.”
Barrasso then opened up the floor to questions. One student asked him if teachers should be paid more for what they do.
“Over the years, Wyoming has done better than other places,” He said.
The senator said there is a lot to consider with education. He said money is part of it, but there is also a level of commitment to furthering the abilities of the teachers. it is essential to make sure all teachers are made into the best teachers they can possibly be, he said.
Another student asked who he was inspired by.
“If you ask most people, they start with their parents,” Barrasso said.
He explained how his father had fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and earned five bronze stars. He said his father had worked construction his whole life and hoped his son would get an education and go as far as he could. He said his father always told him he should thank God every day that he lived in America.
“I do thank God for that,” Barrasso said.
His mother, who passed away this past year, would tell Barrasso, “this is the most important year of your life.” He explained how he would focus on that and make certain he was living each year up to its fullest potential. He then challenged the students to look at doing the same. He explained how what the students chose to do this year, could make the difference in whether they are able to fulfill their full potential.
“You can only be excellent if you keep the door open for excellence,” Barrasso said.
One student asked Barrasso, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, about his plans to fund Wyoming with the Biden Administration’s moratorium on the development and use of natural resources.
“A government decision, because of an election, has put somebody in the White House who is attacking Wyoming’s oil and gas and our coal resources,” Barrasso said.
He explained how he and other members of the legislature are currently working in a bipartisan manner to help resolve this issue. He cited the hits to schools in both Wyoming and New Mexico.
“We are trying to battle it politically,” Barrasso said.
Barrasso explained how the number 2 and number 3 ranked members of the Wyoming state government, along with others in the government, are from Goshen County and encouraged the students to confer with them further about how to address the issues facing the state and natural resources.
Barrasso also discussed how he was working to deal with another potential coronavirus relief bill, and how it could affect students. He said he had introduced an amendment that addressed students, teachers and the educational construct within Wyoming.
“We got to help the kids in school. It’s not their fault, and the teachers, that all of a sudden Joe Biden has decided to go on the warpath against oil and gas and coal,” Barrasso said. “The amendment passed 98 to two. That’s a bipartisan commitment.”
One student asked what his views were on the Biden Administration.
Barrasso said Joe Biden was a senator he had served with. Barrasso called Biden a “survivor” for having been in the federal government for so long, and noted he was the oldest person to be elected president in the United States.
“I was there at his inaugural address and he talked a lot about unity,” Barrasso said. “And I agree. Then he got to the White House and I believe he threw the unity speech out the window and he started signing executive orders; that I don’t like.”
Barrasso said Biden had figuratively drawn a target on the back of Wyoming’s energy.
“I want to work together with people who want to grow the economy, not grow the government,” he said. “And I think that’s a fundamental difference between my view and his view.”
Barrasso addressed some of the projects the senate was working on with regard to energy and natural resources. He told the students how energy and natural resources affects everyone, as evidence by the current situation in Wyoming. He also expressed issues with the Biden Administration’s desire to move to the use of electricity and move away from using coal and oil for energy.
Barrasso also spoke about how he hopes to get the Capitol back to where it was before the attack on the Capitol and the emergence of the coronavirus. He hopes the Capitol will be able to host visitors again and be without guards and fences.
The final question asked was about the COVID vaccine. Barrasso told the crowd he was very impressed with the ability of the nation’s medical professionals to be able to come up with multiple vaccinations in a short time. He said he hopes the students would encourage the elders within their families to consider getting the vaccine as it could potentially save their lives.
“Encourage your parents or grandparents, when it becomes their time, to get the vaccine and take it,” he said. “It may save their life.”
Sen. Barrasso can be contacted at 307 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC, 20510 or by phone at 202-224-6441. His local office is at 2120 Capitol Avenue, No. 2013, Cheyenne, WY 82001 and his local phone number is 307-772-2451.
