To the average cowboy, religion meant living by the Golden Rule. In my research, I found that Grey strayed from the truth on only a few issues. Those who lived by the gun usually died young. Women were rarely abducted. I submit that it does.
Self reliance continues to be a Western trait.
For the first time since the Civil War, the federal bureaucracy is being seriously challenged. Washington is being asked to prove why it is a more effective trustee of Western lands and their resources than the locals who live, work, and play on those lands. I think welfare especially rankles Westerners because of its implied insult - that men and women are incapable of earning a living on their own, or are unwilling to help those temporarily down on their luck to get back on their feet. Westerners, armed with the initiative and referendum, have led the fight for taxing and spending limits, term limits, deregulation and the fight for tort reform. Back to top.