Their agenda, known as the Five and Dime Plan, aims to immediately tighten election rules, invalidate drivers’ licenses issued to undocumented immigrants by other states, prohibit college diversity initiatives, prohibit the state from considering environmental concerns when making investment decisions and reduce property taxes.
Do they have a college? Are they trying to be the next Wesr Virginia?
They can do all they want to maintain an uneducated exploited population where businesses are free to exploit natural resources and inflict the cost on the public and their future, but there is the Constitution
We should make them merge with Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota. Then import just enough normal Americans into places like Boseman to turn it blue.
We’d need around 130,000 votes to flip Wyoming according to the 2024 results.
It maybe doesn’t seem like a lot but to move that number of people would be a massive increase in their current population (586,485).
I’m sure even more would be needed in my hypothetical scenario. Bozeman (Montana) has around only 58,459 total, and so yeah, the kind of strain on infrastructure to suddenly add huge numbers to a place like that would be incredibly disruptive.
In all seriousness, during the peak of the pandemic, I entertained the notion (mostly in my head, some of it shared with my family, but not too serious about it) of moving to Bozeman or maybe the surrounding area and working from there. Or maybe buying/renting a very small place and spending part of the time there.
But it seems like the cost of living went up there a lot during that time, too, and places like public parks were overrun, because many others had similar ideas. Also, the cost of living was already above average. I was under the impression it was fairly low, but that was very wrong. So yeah, in all honesty, not that this would ever happen anyway, but people would have to be spread around between the 4 states.
Even combining several of these states together would be a huge win, even if they stay deeply red. It would curtail the over-representation that qons and rural interests get. Throw Nebraska, Kansas, and Idaho in there, too, maybe.
Ha no kidding - I also entertained (still do a bit) the idea of moving to WY. I do really like the idea of flipping these low population places. A long term effort to encourage people to do it really would be worthwhile I think.
Combining some of them also makes a ton of sense for combating overrepresentation, especially because most of the time these low-pop states are very similar to their low-pop neighbors. Just wish there were a more politically plausible solution. DC/PR statehood seems more likely but not exactly likely either. Probably easiest is still just working to bring over some blue-collar high school educated rural voters.
How? By you doing what you do NYT. That’s how. Better both sides this one into oblivion.
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In the late 1970s, psychologist Bruce K. Alexander and his team at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia sought to challenge the prevailing theories about addiction at the time. The standard experiment involved placing a single rat in a small, barren cage with two drink dispensers: one contained plain water and the other had water laced with morphine. Time and again, the isolated rats chose the morphine water, often drinking it to the point of overdose. Alexander hypothesized that these results were influenced by the conditions of the experiment itself. The rats weren’t just drinking morphine; they were drinking to escape their miserable, solitary existence.
To test this, he designed Rat Park, an experimental setup 200 times larger than a typical lab cage. It was a rat paradise: plenty of space, toys, exercise wheels, and room for 16 to 20 rats to socialize and mate. Once the rats were acclimated, they were given the same choice: plain water or morphine-laced water. Here, Alexander said the environmental effects were crystal clear. No matter how much the researchers tempted the Rat Park rats, they resisted the morphine sugar solution, while the caged rats drank plenty. They concluded that if rats in a reasonably normal environment resist opiate drugs, then the natural affinity idea is wrong.
Why does isolation have such a powerful effect? The answer lies in the brain itself. Loneliness and deprivation warp the brain’s reward system. In isolation, stress levels spike, and the brain becomes hyper-focused on finding relief. Activities like watching porn or doom scrolling exploit this vulnerability, flooding the brain with dopamine and providing temporary escape. But it’s not just about these distractions. Isolation changes the way the brain processes emotions, disrupts sleep, and diminishes the ability to cope with stress. Over time, these effects compound, leading to anxiety, depression, and even cognitive decline.
In the Book of Genesis, God says it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him. This divine declaration highlights something deeply ingrained in human nature: the need for companionship and connection. Modern science has echoed this truth. Studies following the groundbreaking Rat Park experiment have reinforced the power of the environment in shaping behavior. Mice placed in enriched settings, filled with toys, space, and companions, are far less likely to develop addiction-related behaviors. Even animals forced into addiction can recover when moved to these more stimulating environments.
The COVID-19 pandemic offered a stark reminder of this. As social distancing measures were enforced, rates of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse soared. People turned to alcohol, drugs, and overeating, not because they lacked willpower, but because they lacked connection. This isn’t a flaw in human nature; it’s a survival mechanism. When deprived of community, the brain seeks other ways to cope. The solution, then, isn’t punishment or shame; it’s creating environments that foster connection and support. Building a Rat Park doesn’t mean creating a physical space for humans; it means cultivating relationships, joining communities, and prioritizing meaningful interactions. It’s about breaking free from the physical, emotional, or societal traps that trap us in cycles of loneliness and despair. Isolation kills your brain, but connection saves it. The good news is that connection is within reach.
