Is Kanye West Good For Wyoming? (OPINION)

Western Wyoming is filling, fast, with celebrities. They bring their millions and billions with them. They also bring their eccentric personalities and the press.

Much of what the rich and famous brings does not play well with the people of Wyoming, who prefer to keep the least populated state as it is. It's been quiet out here. Government is small and conservative by most state standards. Taxes and regulations are low. Most of the troubles of the world have passed Wyoming by, and folks like it that way.

So you can imagine the reaction on social media when a name like Kanye West is mentioned along with his wife Kim Kardashian. But if we are to be honest with ourselves, we have to ask the question - has Kanye West been all that bad for Wyoming? 

It is true that the western part of Wyoming has become outrageously expensive due to the influx of all that money that the typical Wyomingite cannot afford to live there.

With all that money, the mega-rich build massive homes. Kanye owns two enormous ranches in Wyoming. But that means construction jobs and jobs working to maintain those massive estates.

People are needed at the local airport maintaining all of those corporate jets. Then there is the ripple effect of jobs into the town and county.

Big homes and overpriced land means high property taxes for the state revenue stream.

Kanye West also brings jobs to the state when he records albums and puts on events.

Now Kanye is diversifying his portfolio in Cowboy State with an adidas deal - YEEZY “sample lab” will make shoes. The town of Cody will have a factory and new jobs. He often talks about domestic production. These will be local jobs. He moved the project out of California declaring Wyoming a better place to do business.

Many of these big name, rich celebrities are not residents of Wyoming. So while they do create jobs and pay a load in taxes, they can't vote. That means their far left leaning politics don't effect the state.

As for his politics, Kanye walks around wearing a MAGA hat and has been long time friends with Donald Trump. That may not play well in Jackson Wyoming, but most of the rest of the state is just fine with it.

So while his personality is, to be sure, far too eccentric for the average Wyomingite to understand, he has actually been, in many ways, a benefit to the state since he has moved here.