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Editorial #66 It is always something.
There always seems to be something to worry about or with which to be concerned. No matter how good things are, there is always an issue that keeps things from being perfect. We all know this, but as responsible adults we all have a list of things we would like to fix in an effort to minimize future problems and make things better. A stitch in time saves nine!
Editorial #68 Term Limits
During my career I have moved to both extremes regarding the issue of term limits for politicians. Nebraska has a limit of two terms for state senators. The result causes a problem that is part of human nature. The second term they becomes a “lame duck” where accountability is no longer a priority. They can do anything and it will not impact their career in the legislature, often resulting in sponsoring extreme positions to gain favor with special interests groups.
Editorial #67 Legislative Run down
I receive several local and regional papers from surrounding communities with a legislative summary by various senators. I find them very interesting but these reports often sound like they were written by the same person. They are like scores from baseball games with the vote tallies on each bill. Each senator’s summary is amazing similar, leading me to think they originate from a single source. Their summaries usually do not address their personal position nor how they voted.
Editorial #65 Tax and Spending
There is an old Chinese Saying: The situation is impossible but not serious. This seems to be the attitude of our State Legislature in dealing with our huge property tax problem. The current excuse used by the state is they do not have control over local taxing authorities. This situation IS very serious and it is NOT impossible to fix. Since 1992 property taxes have consistently risen with every measure to reduce property tax resulting in tax increases after 2 years (the time of one legislative session)
Over the past 50 years our legislature has managed to place Nebraska #2 nationally in state and local taxes with 49% being property taxes.
Editorial #64 Erosion of Personal Rights
The erosion of personal rights seems to be a higher priority this session of the Unicameral not to mention the narrative from national candidates running for president. Of the hundreds of bills introduced in the legislature it is surprising how many unwittingly infringe on our rights of ownership while trying to be more fair to certain special interest groups. All the bill that address wealth redistribution, inspections,
Editorial #62 Environmental Movement Continues, April 25, 2019
There seems to be no end to using environmental issues to justify dishonest agendas, promote careers or advance socialistic causes. It has giving new life to retired politician, lobbyist and bureaucrats by promoting the man made global warming hoax. They call themselves leaders simply because they are standing in front of a parade of emotional (often misinformed) environmentalist. The irony is these self-appointed spokesmen have few qualifications to speak intelligently on the subject.
Editorial #61 Marijuana Legalization April 23, 2019
The Nebraska Legislature is contemplating another dilemma, the question of legalizing marijuana. LB 657 sponsored by Senator Justin Wayne proposes the plant be a cash crop for farmers with uses ranging from providing a replacement for plastic ropes and packaging materials to medicinal applications to reduce pain. As with most laws, there are no perfect solutions from any new regulation.
The arguments used to support this are the standard lists: other states have approved it,
Editorial #60 Invasions and why they happen.
The news is filled with threats, foreign and domestic with most of us scratching our heads wondering what to do about it. Everyone wants peace and tranquility but that only comes when we work for it. It is not automatic. The sad part about life: it is hard. Survival requires energy as entropy is always at work making things as random and disorganized as possible, requiring our hard work to keep things going normally.
Editorial #59 Taxes and better politicians April 16, 2019
This is the time of year where, besides the weather, taxes are on everyone’s mind. Taxes are the only way any community, state or country can function, providing things we need, like things as simple as water, roads and security.
Politicians are always looking for ways to raise that money in a way that is fair and equitable, with the least amount of pain to the tax payer.
Editorial #58 The Drive Regain Normality, April 11, 2019
The desire to get things back to normal after our epic floods of March is natural. Situations in our life always center around the average with the never ending need to invest energy and resources to keep things as close to normal as possible. In physics there is a principle known as entropy where everything wants to naturally reach a state of randomness and disorder.