It could be argued that many of the core values and traditional activities cherished by most Wyoming people do not match up with the values of the majority of American citizens.

         If not so today, how will those values match up in the distant future?

         This column is being written looking ahead to the year 2040, when another generation has approached middle age.

         Trends concerning hunting, guns, rodeo, treatment of animals, gender stereotypes and our love affair with fossil fuels that are rapidly taking hold across the country often do not seem to be catching on here, at least not yet.

         My premise is that Wyoming in 2040 could be a lot different than today. The year 2040 is when my oldest grandchild will be 50, and, if I am still around, will be approaching 95 years old.

         Let me be more specific:

         • The 47 percent factor. Most Wyoming folks want to believe they are self-reliant conservatives and are opposed to federal government programs providing so much to citizens. The stern reaction by the recent legislature to turn down $33 million in federal Medicaid funds reflects this mind-set.

         Here in Wyoming, we have a huge federal land footprint and low population. Yet the statistics might show, as some critics suggest, that Wyoming citizens are among the biggest welfare beneficiaries in the country when it comes to federal money doled out on a per-capita basis.

         But off in the future, 24 years hence, perhaps the Europeanization of America will have been completed.  It looks like a lot of Millennials are “feeling the Bern,” meaning they are followers of the socialist programs espoused by Bernie Sanders.

         • Man’s dominion over animals. This is somewhat biblical but we are a state whose residents love hunting and whose official statewide sport is rodeo.

         Big national groups like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) are making headway in establishing that animals have rights and in some cases, feelings, too

         One example is that some radicals want to give personhood to apes and the higher forms of primates because they exhibit human characteristics.

         Not long ago, a major news organization featured a story where some scientists claimed to have proved that dogs have feelings. As a result, they posited that dogs should not be “owned.” 

         Such attitudes toward the rights of animals are in full glory on both of our coasts, so get ready.  As a pet owner, I wonder what will be different in 2040 than back here in 2016?

         • This carries over to rodeo.  These groups feel rodeo animals are being exploited and purposely subjected to injury. Will there be rodeos in 2040? I hope so.

         To me, right now, the biggest group needing protection during a rodeo are the bull riders.  Got to be the toughest sport in the country. Any man who would strap himself on the back of a 2,000-pound belching behemoth is taking his life in his hands. At least give him an airbag, a roll bar and a parachute.

• Hunting is popular. In some parts of America, serious animal activists are making headway against hunting wild animals. Hard to believe, but hunting is losing popularity around the country.

• Gun ownership in America is always under attack. In the wake of school shootings and terrorist attacks like Orlando, anti-gun folks argue against gun ownership. By 2040, we will definitely have two populations in America, one armed and one unarmed.

         • Sexual and gender boundaries are being pushed across the country.  It just seems like an over-reaction that all schools are going to be affected by a small percentage of conflicted transgender kids. Most of Wyoming is resisting this today. But what will be the national norm in 2040?

         I heard a boy mention during his valedictory speech at a graduation this year that one of his most anxious moments of his high school career was “whether to invite that cute boy to the prom.”  Yes, things are changing.

         • Wyoming folks appreciate fossil fuels. Most of our state government leaders deny the advent of worldwide global warming.  Much of the country wants to move on to renewable energy. People on both coasts dislike the thought of all that smelly smoke coming out of coal-fired power plants. Sorry, but I cannot help myself, in repeating this old joke on this subject:

         After all, most of these folks would say if you want electricity, why do you need coal? Duh, just plug your cord into the wall.