The following letters to the editor appeared in the March 4, 2026 edition of the Star Valley Independent.
SF-0082
Dear Editor,
SF-0082 is misguided.
Senate file: Duties of registered agents-amendments, is an attempt to prevent LLC fraud. It would require registered agents to maintain the names of all owners and members of each entity. This is an attempt to pierce LLC privacy protections which raises liability questions if the registry agent is breached opening thousands of Wyoming family trusts and legitimate businesses to lawfare.
In my 45 year career, I’ve focused on reducing single-point failures in mission critical software, and this bill tries to undermine privacy while simultaneously creating a hacker’s dream scenario.
Last fall, I submitted a review of Wyoming privacy laws which specifically critiqued Wyoming data protection regulations especially business registries. There are effective GDPR solutions that can be applied if Wyoming would strengthen its Digital ID (SSID) verification with standard blockchain methods (ZKP). Unbelievably, 4 of the bill’s Republican sponsors are also on the Blockchain and Digital Innovation select committee and have completely disregarded the protections afforded by the technology they’re legislating.
Secretary of State Gray says business filings generated $59.6M from over 830,000 filings in FY2025 state revenue, but Wyoming’s business filings could decrease by 35-40% if the bill becomes law due to legitimate business entities with a need or desire for privacy.
I understand the battle between individual privacy and Anti-Money-Laundering and Know Your Customer principles. I’m also aware of FinCEN’s BSA, CTA-BOI, and Real Estate Act to report your cash purchases in the name of National Security – 4th Amendment violations justified by fear mongering.
The solution to this can be a win-win. A win to enable Agents to maintain SSID data to counter fraud; A win to ensure personal privacy; A win to satisfy BSA requirements to open bank accounts for legal businesses; and a win to protect personal data from malicious lawfare.
The bill has been passed off to H07 – Corporations. Our Senators need to demand the best solutions, not haphazard band-aids that cause bigger problems for Wyomingites.
David Roland
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Thank you to Star Valley Independent for the publication of recent letters to the editor. I look forward to reading the thoughtful exchanges between local citizens on topics currently at issue, locally and nationally. Every week I learn something from the various perspectives of my neighbors and hope the free speech and respectful sharing of thoughts will continue.
In the existing climate of national division and polarization, it’s been refreshing to read a wide variety of views on many topics, all expressed with supporting facts and concern. It’s been my experience that in Star Valley we have much more in common than what divides us.
These letters are the wonderful example of our first amendment rights being exercised. Thanks to all.
Sincerely,
Barbara Tucker
Don’t Know Much About History
Dear Editor,
I have watched with mild interest what appears to be an ever-increasing number of “Letters to the Editor” that espouse how dreadful the present circumstances of our country are. These letter writers are horrified by the roundup of illegal immigrants across the country by ICE, decry the President’s use of executive authority, and generally lament how the Constitution is being abused.
According to one recent letter writer (a Mr. Simmons from Star Valley Ranch) we have descended into such chaos that our President is even allowing the Qataris to “build an air force base in Idaho”. Who knew! It would seem that Mr. Simmons does not understand the difference between a foreign military training facility and what would constitute a sovereign military base on U.S. soil.
What is sadly apparent in this escalating stream of bombast from incensed letter writers is their abject lack of knowledge about American history. This is not the “worst of times” as these letter writers believe, but it is in fact, just more of the same calumny that has been part of America’s history since its founding. The difference today is merely the speed at which information travels and the access to apply one’s factless vitriolic opinion across multiple mediums instantaneously.
Following the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War, the country soon became wickedly divided along partisan Federalist and Republican lines. (For the uninformed, those early Republicans are the direct forerunners of present-day Democratic Party members.) The slanderous rhetoric that occurred in John Fenno’s Federalist leaning “Gazette of the United States” and Philip Freneau’s Republican leaning “National Gazette” were on par with the rancorous diatribes printed across today’s media platforms.
For those who really want to understand and appreciate our American history and how that applies to the “chaos” of today, I recommend you pick up a well-researched biography of one or more of our country’s founding fathers—Ron Chernow’s “Washington” or Tim McGrath’s “Monroe” come to mind. You’ll learn more in those pages than you ever could from the ceaseless drivel that wends its way across the Internet or livestreams into your living room.
Rosie Day
Star Valley, Wyoming
