Day 4 - Jackson Hole, Wyoming

We were in absolute jaw-dropping awe of nature's extravagance in Jackson Hole today - and also reminded of our great responsibility to care for our planet home.

I had two interesting conversations at the plush Jackson Lake Lodge, one with a busboy in one of the Lodge's restaurants who was being paid $5 an hour by the Lodge's concessionaire, not even the Federal minimum of $7.25 since 2009. He is paid $5 because he shares in tips and in a good week can make $11 an hour with no benefits. He had no plans to go to the university so, lucky for him, he didn't need to take out a student loan. Our federal parks are filled with young workers like him who are willing to take lousy jobs and lousy salaries because back home it's even worse - and the concessionaires are very happy to take advantage of them. They even import thousands of workers from other countries to exploit them, as well.

Outside the restaurant I met a man from Texas whose son was attending a meeting at the lodge. He told me his son was the CEO of an oil company. This man was a nature lover and especially loved the Grand Tetons because he had honeymooned there 48 years ago. He was a Democrat  who didn't believe there was any reason to panic about the climate, economy, or wars. Of course, when you're staying in $500 a night rooms in beautiful national parks, there doesnt seem to be any reason to panic about anything. And, certainly, not to panic about most of the workers in his plush hotel who earn lousy wages. 

He wasn't interested in taking my leaflet but we had a 20-minute conversation in which he parroted all the arguments for voting for the lesser evil (Hillary) to keep Trump from winning. I said the Democrats are losing because they screwed Bernie out of the nomination when the polls showed Bernie would defeat Trump. I also argued that if Bernie had joined Jill Stein instead of endorsing Hillary, the Trump thing would have been history. I always expect more from lovers of nature and I'm disappointed when we can't find common ground.

As we left the restaurant tonight, I talked with two young hostesses who had friends with student debts. They wanted extra leaflets to share so I gave them the ten I was carrying. I get very excited about Jill's chances when I see how eagerly millennials take the leaflets and when I hear their intentions to share the good news on social media. It was the same with a young Ranger working in the Visitor's Center. I reminded him how important it was for millennials to take the lead. He gave me a very reassuring smile and said, "I'm on it!"