Opinion

g OVernOr We’re less than a month away from our state’s biggest annual celebration—the Nebraska State Fair. From August 26 through September 5, Nebraskans from across the state will gather to share all that Nebraska agriculture has to offer.

W As families begin to think about back-to-school purchases, Americans received a series of bad news about the economy this week. According to analysis by Deloitte, back to school shoppers will spend, on average, a whopping $661 per student shopping for supplies.

ieW by J.L. Schmidt It appears that Nebraska voters will decide at the November election if they want to require voter identification cards for elections.

As Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine continues with no end in sight, it is as important as ever for the U.S. to strengthen our ties with allies in the region. Standing in solidarity with states at risk of Russian aggression requires us to send a clear message we are working on behalf of the friends of freedom and economic prosperity.

Nebraska closed out its fiscal year on a record high note, with net tax revenues nearing $6.35 billion. A state Department of Revenue report says the state collected $624 million more for the fiscal year that ended June 30 than predicted just four months earlier.

This month, I issued a proclamation declaring July 2022 as “Victims of Communism Month” in Nebraska. This is the second year in a row that I’ve issued this proclamation as a way to highlight the atrocities committed by Communist governments. There’s no clearer example than the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), whose regime is a human rights abuser to its own people. In recent years, the CCP has ruthlessly crushed dissent in Hong Kong. It has committed genocide against ethnic Uighurs. And it is one of the world’s worst abusers of religious freedom.

Every fall, spring, and summer, my office provides some outstanding college students with the opportunity to intern in Washington, D.C. or at one of our state offices. These internships give students the chance to learn more about public policy, our system of government, and constituent service. This summer, I welcomed four interns to our D.C. team. These college students are all from Nebraska, and over the last eight weeks they have done important work on behalf of the state. I am always delighted to welcome young people to our nation’s capital and am consistently impressed with the motivation and skills of our next generation of Nebraskans.

While I have been in Ukraine, I have been closely following the plight of service members being forced out of the United States military because they refuse the Covid vaccine. What is happening to these American patriots is absolutely despicable, and the most shameful thing I have seen done to American military personnel since the Vietnam war.

As the American people continue to suffer under President Biden’s broken economy, disconcerting data in the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed June as having the weakest overall job growth in the last 14 months. The data also revealed the workforce participation rate is decreasing at a time when employers need workers most. According to BLS, the number of Americans in the workforce decreased to 62.2 percent in June. For context, workforce participation was at 63.4 percent prior to the CO- VID-19 pandemic and comfortably over 66 percent prior to the 2008 financial crisis.

A demolition permit has been issued for a 100-year-old Lincoln house that once belonged to a retail giant in the Capital City. A preservationist has come out of A preservationist has come out of retirement to lead the fight against plans to tear down a historic elevator at the Neligh Mills in north central Nebraska.