Krusin' the Capitol
By Nebraska State Senator Lowen Kruse
2004
Week 15
April 16, 2004
Hi
We are adjourned "Sine Die." Our staffs roasted us appropriately at a Sine
Die party. They do a really fun job of that. So we are quite done.
I came straight home, to prepare to go to the airport to pick up our
granddaughter and her mother. So am a bit distracted. Will add final comments, in a
more reflective way, in a Post Script letter next week.
Very few bills receive 49 votes (all the votes we have) on final reading.
Senator Chambers made it this week, with his bill to protect dogs and cats. He
is a tiger advocate of pets.
Our big gong sound, "DONG" -- signaling a vote -- broke down recently. A
staff member in the building brought the Chair a little "ding" bell, such as is
used in Catholic mass.
Since I am seated in the back and still have a lot of free child in me, the
next time he tapped it for a quiet "ding, ding" I said in a clear, strong,
liturgical voice, "All congregants please rise." Catholics smiled, but none
stood.
What a prize location I have in the chamber. I sit directly beneath the
beautiful gold-inlaid fresco of Lewis and Clark. Thirty feet above my head is a
mahogany wall, six feet high, setting off the large ceiling. Lewis and Clark
have fifteen running feet of the wonderful artistry.
On the large beam supporting the ceiling over my head is my logo. Imagine,
my own personal logo. This is the familiar old lion emblem, from European
roots, walking on rear legs with fierce talons stretching from its paws. And a
split tail, with a knot tying the split ends. My name, Lowen, means lion, so
this mascot is a really old Lowen. He has been in a few frays, had a split
tail, but does not quit. Just ties a knot in his tail and keeps going.
Lowenbrau means 'Lion's Brew.' I have never tasted it, since all beer smells
very repulsive to me. I cleaned out too many hot, moldy barley bins as a
kid. I maintain that anything I drink is, by definition, Lion's Brew. [That is
all thrown in free.]
The artistry in the capitol is truly exceptional. Quite a few nude figures
are in the floor mosaics, which often draw comments from fourth grade boys.
Girls are not as surprised. Adults note that diets were not in vogue. What
they do not know is that these beautiful pieces were created by very talented
"starving artists" in New York City in 1930, moved to large brown paper sheets
for transport by railroad flatcars to Lincoln, and installed by the original
artists as part of the contract with Mr. Goodhue, the Philadelphia architect.
Later mosaics had to equal or surpass a high standard.
We have a small initiation for the first favorite bill of a newer senator.
Other senators will vote red on final reading, lighting up the board in rich
color. When (he) looks properly dismayed we of course switch to green. Small
fun, but on long days you need a wee bit of fun.
On a more serious final note for the week, Nebraska can take great pride in
our new telecommunications network. It would appear we are first in the nation
in quality.
Why is that? We have sparsely settled areas, which electronic links serve
well, but our surprising actions come from more than that. We planned it! The
university, Department of Education, ESUs, hospitals and telephone companies
joined forces to install switching equipment, broad band capabilities and the
necessary support systems. The network is very fast, and running at only 10%
of capacity.
A physician in the middle of the state can consult on line with Med Center
personnel about a troubling diagnosis, with X-rays on screen. Children in any
school can witness President Jefferson's drama as the enactor shows how the
President directed the planning of the Lewis and Clark venture.
The plus in this remarkable system is the amount of public dollars it saves.
Wayne State College's access fees are reduced by $14,000 per year.
I am grateful for all who cooperated to take this giant step. It is a big
feather in our state cap.
Cheers,
Lowen
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