Goals matter, senator says

Rawlins Daily Times, Jerrett Raffety

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., engaged Rawlins High School students and others on a variety of topics from the next presidential election to how young people can achieve their goals when he spoke at the high school’s Fine Arts Auditorium Tuesday afternoon. He made stops in Hanna and Wamsutter while in the region.


By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

When U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., asked Rawlins high school students to vote for their preferred presidential candidate, about a third of the teens raised their hands, and it appeared the votes were split equally three ways.

At the senator’s Tuesday afternoon visit to Rawlins High School, students found energy at the end of the day to engage in political discussion.

The cliché, “follow your heart, follow your dreams and never give up, no matter what,” summarizes the senator’s brief motivational speech that kicked off the half-hour question-and-answer session. Barrasso told the students they can achieve their goals if they think about them, practice them and make movements toward their achievement.

“We have so many opportunities in this world, but years go by and we don’t think about it,” Barrasso said. “Right now, we have many who will be experts in TV re-runs and video games. We should be dreaming really big dreams.”

Barrasso outlined two goal-setting techniques. He challenged students to make a list of 100 goals and check them off each year upon completion. The other is to make a goals collage, illustrating aspirations using magazine or newspaper clippings. “The idea is to keep our goals in our thoughts and to make steps each day toward them,” he said.

The discussion turned political when the senator asked who was following the presidential race.

Student Kyle Poplin asked if Barrasso supports Sen. John McCain’s health care policy. Since McCain is from Arizona, a state that has its share of rural health issues, “he gets it,” Barrasso said.

Barrasso refocused the conversation by asking about the Democratic candidates. Comments throughout the student audience echoed media statements of Barack Obama’s “fresh face and fresh view,” one student said.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton “can bring a lot to the presidency. She ran Bill’s presidency,” Poplin said.

English teacher Travis Moore asked the senator about preparing young voters to wade through the media spin and make informed decisions. “You have to find out what you’re looking for, and often that’s (a candidate with) beliefs similar to your own,” Barrasso responded.

“The interesting thing about this election is that it will be the first time two senators have run against each other,” Barrasso said. Regardless of the debates or the media framework, both candidates will have a political history. However, he said, often senators’ votes are swayed by a portion of a bill, not its entirety. Additionally, a senator’s responsibility is to his or her state’s interests, as opposed to the president’s responsibility to the nation, he said.

The visit was prompted by Barrasso’s intrigue with two of his aides, Ryan Taylor and Kelsey Campbell, who are Rawlins High School graduates. “Rawlins High School is very instrumental in our staff,” Barrasso said.