Spirit of the West

Yesterday we flew to Colorado. We will be staying the week at a dude ranch. I will probably only post 3 times this week as there is only WiFi in the main house.

The ranch, Lost Valley Ranch, is 2 hours from the airport. There is no cell phone coverage. In fact you get the "no service" signal 45 minutes before you even arrive at the ranch. The final road you turn onto is dirt, bumpy (really bumpy) with hairpin twists and turns and 9 miles long. There is no TV, no phones in the rooms and no one locks their doors. After you find your room, the first thing you do is get fitted for a saddle and get your horse. The horse I'm riding is named Dust Bottoms which I assume is descriptive of his and mine after a few hours on the trail.

Spirit of the West!
On the drive here, there are a few things that caught my attention. First, there are LOTS of motorcycles. Unlike Tennesee, most of the riders do not wear helmets. You see, there isn't a helmet law in Colorado. When I asked about how far schools were, I was told that a lot of families home school in the area. When I asked about 9 mile road to the ranch closing in the winter and staying repaired and drivable, the answer was "we do it." You see, the spirit of the west...the spirit of independence ... is still alive and well here in Colorado!

Compare this to the nanny state of California. In California, they are seriously considering banning use of trans-fats, banning fast food restaurants in poor neighborhoods and banning or heavily regulating home schooling. The spirit of the west.... the spirit of Reagan... died long ago in California.

Founding of the Libertarian Party
Then I remembered, the Libertarian Party was founded here in Colorado in 1971! Most libertarians are not anarchists. They have a strong bias toward freedom: individual and economic. The chart below was published by The Cato Institute. It is a terrific illustration of the basics of each core political position: Liberal, Libertarian, Conservative and Populist.

Regardless of the presidential election returns, the voters in Colorado have a strong Libertarian bias. It is everywhere. It is refreshing.

It is time we all went out, bought some cowboy boots, and decided to take care of ourselves and our families...

Saddle Up!

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