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Opinion

Tough to get citizen-led initiatives on the ballot

Back in the day, our high school basketball team used to employ a full-court press when we’d fallen behind. It was mostly a desperation measure toward the end of a game, a frantic effort in hopes that we could suddenly trip up our opponent, and turn a defeat into a victory.

At home in Nebraska

insights frOm d.C . Our home of Nebraska is home to an array of people, places, and pursuits.

The cost of predators

As I wrap my time in the legislature, I think about things I wish I would have gotten done for the people of Nebraska and my district. One of those things is predator control to protect Nebraska’s game bird population.

Fixing the IRS

W In August 2022, when President Biden signed into law the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, it included an $80 billion increase in IRS funding. According to a 2021 Treasury Department report, this funding was intended to increase the IRS workforce by 87,000 employees, primarily dedicated to increasing IRS’s capacity to audit taxpayers.

Immigration is a hot topic!

A few years back, a lucky tip came my way about an impending immigration raid in O’Neill. I don’t recall a lot of details about what was expected to happen, but the tip was “you’d better be there tomorrow morning.” As I drove up Highway 281 toward the north-central Nebraska town, I settled in behind what seemed like an endless line of SUVs with blackened windows also driving northward.

Keeping Americans safe

nOte frOm d.C . It’s been 23 years since radical Islamic terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001.

Grit and commitment

insights frOm d.C . To serve is an honor.

Include surety bond for wind and solar

Senators each represent about 40,000 Nebraskans in their district, but we all receive calls and letters from citizens across the state on a wide variety of topics. I have received many thousands of emails and calls over the years concerning renewable energy.

An EV mandate lie from VP Harris

nOte frOm d.C . For years, Vice President Kamala Harris has supported some of the most extreme electric vehicle (EV) mandates proposed by her Party.

The special session was the beginning of the tax discussion not the end

Nebraska Award Winning Newspaper This past week I was invited to attend the Garfield County Commissioners meeting. It was good to be in Burwell again. They were very interested in hearing about what the special session of the legislature did to lower property taxes. They were especially interested in the caps placed on local units of government ability to raise spending. I imagine most of Nebraska’s 93 counties, and 244 school districts and all the other government we have that relies on their ability to levy, collect, and spend property taxes, are all just as concerned.