Letter to the Editor: Politicians who voted against feeding needy children now asking for your vote

Dear Editor: 

It’s not that we can’t feed the poor, it’s that we can’t satisfy the rich. Do you want to hear the most pathetic reason why Wyoming can’t or won’t feed over 32,000 under-privileged children this summer for the third year in a row? Rachel Rodriguiz-Williams urged her colleges to reject the amendment for SUN bucks; she said Wyoming should prioritize its resources toward those who are truly in need. 

Let’s reject expansion of welfare dependency. I don’t know, but underprivileged children in the summer I would think were needy. The SUN Bucks program would feed 32,000 underprivileged children. The $1.8 million would be matched by the feds. The federal government would then fully fund the actual benefits. We for some reason cannot come up with an investment in our children. 

Megan Degenfelder as school superintendent said we would do it the Wyoming way, which I guess is to ignore the neediest of children. And to think she wants us to vote her as governor when she refuses to help needy children. 

So here is the pathetic excuse: Mr. Haroldson of Wheatland, a freedom caucus member and pastor, defended the position saying, “What we are teaching our kids when we give them a card that gives them everything they need at the grocery store? We are teaching them socialism.” 

Now excuse me WFC, how do you pay for food in a grocery store, gas in your car, going out to eat, bills, auto ship, etc... I bet you use a piece of plastic, a card, pathetic. Here is a statistic for the WFC, Food Bank of Wyoming distributed over 10 million meals in 2025 and saw food distribution rise by 33% as demand surged. I guess the WFC does not seem to think underprivileged children deserve to eat. 

Mrs. Williams has now refused two times to feed children in the summer, and she is running for state office. Not a good look, feeding children should not be political. It’s so easy to pick on and deny poor children, they aren’t going to fight back. It’s not that we don’t have the money, we just choose (refuse) to let children go hungry in the summer and Mr. Banks and Mr. Winter seem to agree that hungry children is a good look for Wyoming. Is that who we have become a state that refuses to feed hungry children for political reasons? 

When these people come to our county, we need to ask why we won’t feed the neediest, children. I would also like to say that we do not need a Dollar General in Basin, why do we need this? It is only going to hurt our community and years ago I saw a documentary on these stores. After they blow in, they leave food deserts. I say no to Dollar General. 

“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” George Orwell, 1984. 

Lynn Meier

Basin