Opinion

WashingtOn d.C . The average Nebraskan paid $10,519 in taxes to the federal government last year.

insights frOm d.C . The government closest to the people serves the people best.

“I believe I have the votes.” Those six words have become the curse of the Nebraska Legislature. The buzzkill.

One of the bills that I have brought to the floor this session concerns public power and private renewable energy generators. LB 399 has been prioritized by Senator Bostelman. This bill is about how privately-owned intermittent generators of “renewable” energy fit into our unique public power system we have in Nebraska. This is a subject I've worked on my entire eight years in the legislature. After scores of meetings with public power and the Power Review Board (PRB) last fall and numerous amendments, I believe this bill helps find the right fit for renewable energy inside of our unique Public Power State.

W The Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., home of the Thomas Jefferson, the Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials, is encircled by scenic cherry trees.

As a general internist who does primary care for adult and elderly patients, I talk to patients a lot about arthritis and joint replacement surgery. This type of surgery, also known as arthroplasty, is one of the most common types of elective surgery done in the United States. Knees, hips, and shoulders are the most frequently done arthroplasties, and most of those surgeries are done for severe osteoarthritis.

W As the 2024 tax deadline nears, Americans are well aware of the outsized impact the Internal Revenue Service can have on their time, attention, and pocketbooks. From supersized agency funding to new reporting requirements on Venmo and PayPal transactions which amount to a “Babysitter Tax” to expanding IRS efforts to take over Americans’ tax preparation and tell them what they owe, the Biden administration’s IRS has continued to expand its intrusion into the daily lives of American families.

WashingtOn d.C . Last week, I spoke at an exciting ceremony in York.

It’s easy to understand but hard to remember that the one task of the Nebraska Legislature is to pass a balanced budget during the 90-day session, and to make adjustments to, and pass that budget again in the 60-day session.