Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 347 - 371 of 1718
One of the bills that I co-signed this year is LB 712. LB 712 was introduced by Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering. This bill is important because it would help with the needs of the Panhandle once they add an additional 3,000 people to the workforce for a new ballistic missile upgrading project. Seldom does the Panhandle ever get to be the recipient of legislation that would significantly benefit the economy of the Panhandle and this bill would do just that. LB 712 appropriates $26 million to the Grou...
Presumably, Donald Trump will never produce the dark secrets promised about Ron DeSantis' past. But his team thinks it already has one -- the Florida governor once was a Reagan Republican. "There's a pre-Trump Ron and there's a post-Trump Ron," someone in the Trump camp told Axios. "He used to be a Reagan Republican. That's where he comes from. He's now awkwardly trying to square his views up with the populist nationalist feeling of that party." In his CPAC speech doubling down on "MAGA," Trump...
Picking up from the previous Historical Argument article, I'll continue in the same vein with some United States Constitutional arguments. Recently our country has seen activities by various levels of government, from states to our national government that, at the very least, could be assessed as unconstitutional. Unfortunately our educational systems around the nation have failed in many schools to teach our young for some time about the Constitution of the United States. There are few today...
"Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the Light and your justice as the noon day." Psalm 37:5, 6. Some 200 names for Jesus exist in the Bible. For the Patriots, He was, simply, King Jesus. His Name became a battle cry in the church's Great Awakening preceding the American Revolution. The Bible was their Playbook; prayer and fasting their avenue to Divine correction, direction, protection and victory. July 10, 1774 Elbridge Gerry, 5th U.S....
Agriculture producers in Nebraska have earned their standing as world leaders in agriculture through their excellence and tradition of respecting the natural resources with which our state is blessed. No one cares more about the land and water of our state than the farmers and ranchers whose livelihoods depend on careful management of these resources. Unfortunately, top-down overreach from Washington – such as the President Biden's "30 by 30" Executive Order, which created an arbitrary target o...
"I became, at ten years old, a little labouring hind in the service of Murdstone and Grinby." Thus relates David Copperfield in the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. Of course, Dickens was a crusader against the exploitation of children. The edge is taken off the depictions of the heartless treatment of children in his fiction, though, by the funny and memorable portrayals of the malefactors, the upward trajectory of the lives of the likes of David Copperfield and Oliver Twist, and the...
In recent days, I have begun reading John Barry's book, "Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty." Although published in 2012, Barry tells the story of how the Puritans chose to leave old England to build a plantation on the rocky New England coast of Massachusetts. In England, the Puritans wanted to purify and simplify their church. Hence, the title of Puritans. They wanted a rustic sanctuary, without stained glass windows and gaudy...
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Jehovah Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts). A fire goes before Him to burn up His enemies round about." Psalm 97:4, 5 Elbridge Gerry was a wealthy cod fisherman from Marblehead, Massachusetts. He was among the first Founding Fathers to finance a new nation. Because of his wealth, sea going ships and intrepid workmen, Britain's King George III targeted him, directly, with the Tea Stamp Act in 1773, in order to pay for the costly French and Indian War. George...
Everyone has an opinion. When it comes to change, however, it would seem not everyone has a voice. Not one they want to use anyways. It is curious how big and brave people can be from behind a keyboard. Demanding answers, screaming for change but when the need arises for their voices to be heard, it is instead replaced with the sound of crickets. There have been some very reasonable questions being asked in our community regarding a variety of issues within our county. Bullying at the schools,...
First, they came for Roald Dahl. Anyone who thought the politically correct rewriting would stop at the irreverent author of such children's classics as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" was, of course, sadly mistaken. The news that hundreds of changes have been made in Dahl's classics is now followed by word that Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, is getting an emergency rewrite as well. This is a very bad idea. For a start, where does it end? There's no limiting...
I believe a major failing of our national education system is the general lack of teaching the historical foundations of our Nation and its governmental system. Even though it is not close to the Fourth of July, I believe it is time to look at the Declaration of Independence that was passed by the fledgling American Congress on July 4, 1776. Let's examine just a few parts of this document and see how they apply to the state of the Union today. The second paragraph makes a concise and logical...
"Come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Jesus said. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. Here is the light and easy life! "If you be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land," Isaiah 1:19 God is on the 'lookout' for a willing, obedient soul, who will say, "YES, I WILL!" Yes, I will seek Your face. Yes, I will...
We all agree that our kids are our future. In every community across our state, no matter the size, we all want the same thing – a better future for our kids than we had. Our highest priority is to protect our kids and their adolescent minds until they are old enough to discern and make their own decisions. That is why I support Senator Kauth's bill, LB 574, that will keep misinformed parents from allowing their kid to have irreversible, gender-altering surgery. There is a reason why kids in N...
On February 17, 2023, David Remnick of the New Yorker podcast interviewed Steven Kotkin, history professor at Stanford, and biographer of Joseph Stalin. Kotkin said, "Let's think of a house with ten rooms, and let's say I barge in and take two of those rooms. I wreck those two rooms, and I also wreck your other eight rooms. You try to evict me, but I'm still there wrecking your entire house. "You need your house. That's where you live. You don't have another house. Me, I've got another house,...
Only in 21st-century America can you call yourself the "proud daughter of Indian immigrants" and get accused of whitewashing your background. For the left, the verdict is in and has been for a long time - Nikki Haley is not Indian American enough. The offenses of the former South Carolina governor are myriad, from using an easily pronounceable name to converting to Christianity, to once checking "white" on a voter registration card, to touting the value of hard work in getting ahead, to defendin...
"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his work is done by the meekness of wisdom." James 3:13 Meekness is not timidity, but a strong resolve when under fire. Moses portrayed meekness as he went against Pharaoh to deliver Hebrews from Egypt's slavery, thereby creating the nation of Israel. O! Friend! We have been here, before! Matthew 6:24, Jesus reveals that we cannot serve God and Mammon. Is Mammon simply material things? I Timothy 6:10 declares the love of...
A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected our nation will add nearly $19 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years. CBO projects the debt will equal 118 percent of gross domestic product 2033. With the national debt already in excess of $31 trillion, inflation hammering American families, and economic uncertainty threatening American small businesses, it's clearer than ever we must put a stop to runaway spending in Washington. As recent numbers from the...
Last week we started floor debates in the Nebraska State Legislature, and the first thing on the agenda was to confirm the governor's appointments. In the past, this process would usually take three to four hours of floor debate to complete. The appointments would be confirmed and the Legislature would then move on to other business, such as debating bills. That has not been the case this year. A few Democrats have decided to hold up the confirmation process. Consequently, we spent the first...
Reaching back into the not so far distant past, one of the activities I participated in during my high school years was debate. Monroe High School in Fairbanks, Alaska had a debate club that I joined shortly after leaving the high school choir. My voice had changed and I couldn't hold a note without ending up screeching in C above high C. That simple change ended up making a great change in many things in my life over the following years. Among the things we were taught in the debate club,...
"'I have loved you.' says the LORD. Yet, you say, 'In what way have You loved us?'" Malachi 1:1 Can Mankind truly understand the Father's love? I Corinthian 13 tells us, briefly, what love is and is not. 1, 2 and 3 John add detail. Now, let us look at Galatians 5:22, 23 with fresh eyes, starting at the bottom. Faith believes that Jesus is Messiah. He told the Disciples, "You believe in God. Also believe in Me." John 14:1 If we don't believe in Jesus, we cannot please the Father (Hebrews 11:6)...
Last weekend, the United States shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that entered our airspace. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is constantly looking for opportunities to spy on our nation's military facilities, steal intellectual property, and threaten the United States' position as the leader of the free world. The CCP cannot be trusted, and it's critical that we present a united front against any attempt to chip away at our national security. That's why my colleagues and I are...
State agencies are supposed to work for the State of Nebraska. State Senators represent the people of Nebraska because they are elected by the people of Nebraska. So, it is inappropriate for the director of any state agency to tell the Legislature what to do. Instead, it is the job of the Legislature to make the laws, and it is the job of each state agency to carry out those laws. That is, unless you work for the Game and Parks Commission. Protocol for the director of any state agency is to...
We celebrated St. Valentine's Day two days ago, February 14, a day when we reflect upon our good fortune that we have that special person in our life, our Valentine. Next Monday, February 20, government officials grant us a holiday to consider the forty-five Presidents, all men. Because Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, officials count him twice, as #24 and #26. Thus, we give honor to forty-four men. First President George Washington was born on February 11, 1731, by the Julian...
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Lord, Jesus, the Anointed One, that He may dwell in your hearts, being rooted and grounded in His love and able to comprehend, within you, how His love is able to do exceeding abundantly above what you are able to ask or think." Ephesians 3:14-21 Pastor Bill Gothard produced the book "The Power for True Success, How to Build Character in Your Life"; 12th printing 2001, published by Institute of Basic Life Principles, PO Box One, Oak Brook, Illinois 60522-30...
By now many of you have received a postcard or two in the mail indicting me for trying to repeal term limits. Since these postcards went out in the mail, I have received numerous phone calls and emails about term limits. I deeply appreciate the phone calls and the emails I have received. I have been especially blessed by constituents who have sought me out to find out the truth about what this is all about, so today I would like to set the record straight about what the Legislature is trying to...
