Public Editor: Wolves in sheep’s clothing

Gilday doesn't like her politics and positions. Something wrong with that? Good for him for pointing out she lacks political backbone. She wants to please everyone which is a typical liberal position. Wishy washy describes her pretty well as does liberal. What's her stand on illegal immigrants in Jackson?
eyeson jackson

Well-said above. Petroff is absolutely an appropriate target, given her new-found political ambitions and calculating campaign. It will be interesting to see how she responds when she finally gives in, takes a stand on an issue and catches flack for it. Whether she is liberal or conservative matters not; staying republican was a clear business decision for Ruth Ann. Larger voter base here and throughout the state. And, I believe, most of her business colleagues ar republican as well. It would be interesting to watch her in a debate among fellow republican candidates. She better be ready.
Anonyholic II

To eyeson jackson, lostcontrol and Anonyholic II: You make good points; unfortunately neither Gilday or Mr. Schloss mentioned a single issue. They merely attacked Ms. Petroff for doing what I’m sure Mr. Schloss would do in a similar situation, help a neighbor regardless of party affiliation. While partisan disagreements occur on various issues, part of Mr. Petroff’s campaign is a commitment to not be a part of vicious partisan disputes that go beyond issues. She made it clear in an earlier Weekly interview that she is conservative on fiscal issues and government regulation, and leans more toward libertarian on social issues and that she is running not as an ideologue but a pragmatist. Eyeson Jackson, you say Ms. Petroff is a liberal? On what information do you base that comment on? Lostcontrol: you list off a bunch of issues that you would like addressed. Republicans, like the Democrats, represent a hodgepodge of interest groups. What is a social conservative who is also an environmentalist, a gay couple that wants to marry but are conservative on other issues? Ayn Rand was an atheist but help create the modern conservative movement. With which party should she belong? You have every right to have your concerns answered but I question any attempt to categorize someone by putting their X by a list of issues. Thank you all for reading and commenting on my column. Anonyholic II: You also make another good point. In 1914, twenty percent of all deaths were of babies under two years of age and many health professionals believed scarlet fever, diphtheria and typhoid was caused from drinking contaminated milk. In those days many dairies fed their cows debris from liquor distilleries and cows were kept in unhealthy conditions. It would seem to me this is a case that statutes need to catch up with modern conditions. Today certified raw milk meeting stringent health standards would certainly be possible. Would it be as safe as pasteurized milk? Who knows although the health benefits of raw milk also should considered. http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/
Mike Bressler

THE BURDEN OF PROOF FALLS ON Ruth Ann Pertroff. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE MRS. PERTROFF ISN'T A BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL. SHE MARRIED ONE, AFTERALL. IF THE JHW DID ITS JOB AND PROBED MORE DEEPLY INTO HER VIEWS ON ISSUES, WE MIGHT FIND OUT WHICH SIDE OF THE FENCE SHE SITS ON. THE WEEKLY IS SUPPORTING & DEFENDING HER WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT HER....OTHER THAN SHE DOESN'T SUPPORT HER OWN PARTY AS MUCH AS SHE SUPPORTS DEMOCRATS.
MORE_EMPTY_TALK

Do Ruth Ann's supporters actually know about her positions? I suspect that their support is as shallow as that of those who blindly back a single-party line. Lets see if they can answer any of the following questions on her bahalf since they are voting for the position she holds over the party affiliation. XXXXXXX YYYYYYY ZZZZZZZZ AAAAAAAAA BBBBBBBBB Does she consider herself more conservative than our current democratic governor? If so, in which way? Does she think Jackson is a sanctuary city? Does she support making it easier to get voter-initated ballot issues on the ballot? Does she support making English the official language of Wyoming and limiting all state, county & city documents to the English language? Does she support tax cuts for the wealthy? Did she support the government's giveaway to new car and new home buyers (rebates/tax credits)? Does she support the spirit of the Arizona immigration legislation? Does she support repealing the anchor-baby provision of the 14th amendment? Does she think illegal immigrants and visa holders depress wages for working-class Americans? Does she support inviting ICE to raid area businesses and fine owners who hire illegal immigrants? Does she support the business community in its efforts to hire visa workers during the recession? Does she support the re-listing of wolves to the endangered species list? Does she support the general direction of the health-care overhaul by Democrats? Did she support the Auto & Financial-Services bailout? Does she support Obama's Supreme Court choices? Does she support Obama's stimulus spending. Does she support the stimulus spending in Wyoming? Who did she vote for in the last Presidential election? Does she support unlimited corporate spending to influence elections? Does she support granting eminent domain for the benefit of private corporations? Does she support further limiting the eminent-domain powers of the government? Does she think man evolved from apes or God made man as man? Will she favor increases in Fees, Fines, or Taxes? Does she favor more government intervention in our lives—the nanny state? Does she favor a toll road in I-80? Does she support idling laws? Does she favor a helmet law? Does she favor the government's micro-managing of the private property of others as often is seen in Jackson? Does she support a national conceal-carry permit valid in all 50 states? Does she support the law allowing guns in National Parks? Does she support eliminating the state background check for conceal-carry permits if individuals have a hazmat endorsement on their driver's license (already fingerprinted & checked by TSA)? Does she support the right to purchase a firearm in any state other than one's home state? Does she support the war in Afghanistan? Did she support the war in Iraq? Would she have voted for the last Federal Farm Bill as our congressional reps did? Does she support abortion rights? Does she support same-sex marriage? Does she support civil unions? Who is her favorite political talking head on TV? What periodicals does she subscribe to, if any? Does she agree more with Rush Limbaugh or President Obama? Who does she support for Governor of Wyoming? Does she support more offshore drilling? Did she support the increase in the minimum wage? Does she support the Wikileaks leaks? What was the worst policy decision made by G. W. Bush? What was the best? What's the best thing about Obama being president? What's the best thing Obama's done for this country? Does she support a ban on cell phones while driving and fines for violators? Does she favor tax laws that favor renters as much as home owners? Does she favor govt spending on non-essential items at the expense of essential govt services as is often seen in Jackson? Does she support a Real-Estate transfer tax? Does she favor more regulation of industry to prevent financial meltdowns, oil spills, and other mishaps? Does she think frac fluids need more regulation? Does she favor fighting the bark beetle or letting nature run its course? Does she think global warming is real and, if so, how would she deal with it? How does she plan to diversify Wyoming's economy? How will she ensure a safe and plentiful water supply for Wyoming residents into the future? Does she feel that the buyer-beware concept is better than the seller-regulation idea? Does she support labor unions in their check-card efforts? Does she support spending more on education in Wyoming or are there better ways to improve academic output. Where would she cut the State's budget? Does she support cutting tuition rates at UW and state colleges? Does she think women, on average, are paid less than men in Wyoming mainly because of discrimination or because of the poor choices made by women? Will she release her tax returns? Would she support efforts to close Wyoming's military bases if the military deemed them unnecessary? What charities did she support in the last year? Does she think Jackson's schools should be receiving federal stimulus dollars while the school builds a new million dollar stadium and while other schools in this nation are in far greater need? Did she support laws requiring hunters to carry bear spray? Does she support a second bridge over the snake river? Does she support expanding hwy 89 south of town to 4 lanes to Hoback? Does she support reducing title and license fees for vehicles? Does she support reducing the State's gas tax? What taxes & fees does she support reducing? Should the State be leasing land for such a bargain price to ranchers using lands such as those in the National Park and by Teton Village when others are willing to pay higher prices to use the land? Should the State sell its land in GTNP to private developers? Should gay-rights organizations be allowed to sponsor events in State schools? Who is the best Supreme Court Justice currently on the bench? Which politician currently serving in the Federal Government do you most admire? Should the Feds release AML funds to Wyoming if Wyoming isn't using them for mine cleanup given the fact that the Feds are broke and don't really have any money to give away? Does she believe the payments in lieu of taxes paid by the Feds is justified given the fact that Federal land bring us so much revenue to begin with through extractive revenue, hunting, recreation and tourism? Which economic theories does she subscribe to to return this nation to economic health? Who's her favorite economists? What's her favorite movie? What's the last book she read?What's the best book she read besides the bible? Would she vote for Sarah Palin for President? Does she like the Tea Party and endorse their efforts?
eyson jackson

Wow eyeson jackson: Quite a post. You ask many good questions; however what book someone reads, their belief on evolution, or their favorite movie seems lacking in relevance and nobody’s business. Offshore drilling and the war in Afghanistan seem out of reach for a Wyoming State Rep. Still you ask many questions of local importance. I suppose it comes down to the philosophy of the candidate and why they are running. Mr. Schloss seems very issue driven, sees legislation as a way to move forward his and his supports agenda. Ruth Ann, like her hero Clarene Law, sees elected office more as public service. I remember voting against Clarene when she first ran because in her ads all she said was she wanted to “solve problems” and mentioned few issues. She turned out to be an outstanding legislator. She quietly worked on issues important to Teton County and rarely got involved in party politics. For example she is, I believe, pro-life, but it was not why she ran and she did not introduce any such legislation. A candidate may be pro-gun or anti-immigration or pro-choice but may run for office simply to serve their county. Plainly, in this political climate, such a view is not common. Perhaps I am naïve, but in a world where we call our fellow citizens socialist, communists, fascists, traitors, and the like, I can live with my lack of sophistication. You always write very provocative posts eyeson jackson, yet they always make a good point. I am sure other readers enjoy them as much as I do. Thanks!!
Mike Bressler

Maybe I can sum up eyeson's point. Or mine at least. Mike, while I accept your point about Clarene and how she didn't start out strong on her beliefs and ended up a fine legislator, it was always known that Clarene was a tried and true republican, if not full on conservative. And we all know many of these who went on to become,as you put it, outstanding legislators. At best for her, we don't know what Petroff stands for. At worst, her affiliation with democratic or liberal groups in the valley says she is not serious about her affiliation with the republican party. Not that you have to be a raging conservative to be a valuable GOP member. Ruth Ann is running, so far, only on her much-lovedness, and everyone is coming out of the woodwork to defend her. Fine. If she and her supporters are so hellbent on not having her pigeonholed one way or the other, certainly not as a republican, then she should run as what she is: an INDEPENDENT. All this support and supposed strength and she feels she needs to lean on the larger republican voter rolls to succeeed? Forget the primary and go right to the general election. She does need to answer the tough questions, some of them eyeson jackson stated. And focus on the state issues if you want. He's right. All these people know Ruth Ann personally as a sweetheart and that's it. THEY may know where she stands on certain things, but the rest of us don't. We're shortchanged. It's convenient for her that her husband, Mayor Mark Barron, runs for mayor in what's called non-partisan balloting. By definition he can be an independent and take certain views on either side as he sees fit and make it work. Ruth Ann latches on to Mark's direction and following, yet wants to be a republican. Fine. Tell us why. I say again, I'd like to see her in a debate with Joe Schloss. Or anyone for that matter.
Anonyholic II