Krusin' the Capitol
By Nebraska State Senator Lowen Kruse
2004
Fall Bonus
October 27, 2004
Hi
One way to ignore these everlasting ads is to turn to my pledge to send a
Fall email. I have been waiting for earthshaking new info, but the campaigns
have the nation -- and people's minds -- in gridlock. I know the ads are aimed
at only 5% of the voters. In this new tech world is there not a way for the
rest of us to get on with our lives?
I must admit I am frustrated with the baloney in half of the attack ads. You
can see it coming when the victim is pictured in really bad light, with a
face not even a Mother could love. Twitching eyes and despair written across the
forehead. [Baloney is small bits, chewed up and removed from source, and
repackaged with other bits of unknown origin.]
Most annoying are the ones about persons I know well. Three of my colleagues
in the legislature ran for congress this year. One Republican, two
Democrats. Each and all are exceptionally well qualified, experienced and committed.
We have no question about their integrity even when the going gets tough.
Each has been trashed for 'raising taxes,' as one example. The correct
language is 'tax shift.' We have been trying to protect property taxes from being
raised. The tax load is determined by budgets and we have all voted to cut
budgets in the tough years. Nearly $400 million recently. These con artists
get a "raise" from the inflation factor over several years. Plain dishonest.
Scaring folks with carefully selected bits is unfair to baloney.
One of them is accused of not being present when she votes to abstain.
Hello? Abstaining is a vote, which I often do when the subject is not worthy of
even a "No" vote. Since we count only the "Yes" votes it is another way to say
"No." She is always there. The trashing is not true, but worse, it creates
distrust of legislators and distracts from the real issues.
I feel good about the upcoming session. It will be tough times economically,
but we will not have to do the impossible cuts. I foresee no new items, but
perhaps we can heal some of the hurt inflicted on a few programs. As usual, I
am looking long range. If it is a cut, does it really cut or does it simply
shift? If it is an increase, is it an investment which can pay dividends down
the road?
The Mental Health bill last year was massive and will require some tinkering
this year. However, several top people are stepping up to the plate.
K-12 funding will be the thorny one this year. School budgets are already
shorting the teachers so it is obvious $$$ are a key factor. "Leave No Child
Behind" has projected a worthy long-term goal, which I hope every one affirms.
We have left too many children behind, which has added a load on our society
and millions of dollars to our state budget.
How do we do it? The devil is in the details and so far we have depended too
much on the threats and promises of testing. When I was young, we had some
teachers who taught history by memorizing dates, which are easy to test. But
the real education comes in understanding how our culture, nation and values
were shaped by history. Who did what, why and for what end? That is not tested
in the same way!
Add to this the challenge every good educator feels: how can I help this
individual student develop, grow, learn about life and choices, and be prepared
to continue to study for the next sixty years?
This is not an attempt to summarize a complex problem, but to celebrate that
good people have taken the goal seriously -- yet are not anywhere near a
consensus on a winning plan.
Frankly, the greatest concern I have for our times is the federal deficit.
It is huge and will affect health care for our children, education, and
economic development for decades to come. I am not knocking any leader any more than
I am knocking all of us. We simply would rather not pay our bills on items
we really want to have.
How is it possible that the citizens are not in an uproar over the bills we
are sending to small children? Some say it is the war, so we should expect a
deficit. The war is less than 20% of our deficit and a small percentage of our
total budget. Whoever we elect, the war is going to be here a while, but it
does not give us an excuse to reduce taxes and spend the way we do. Plus, is
this really a war, with our leaders bravely leading? I think not. I remember
a war and it was nothing like this.
As long as you are being my therapists, I will grump on. Another major
challenge is that we are in a pluralistic world and still, in our heart of hearts,
want every one in it to be Christian. The rest have figured that out. They
resent it deeply. Until we come to a negotiated settlement within ourselves we
are not going to negotiate with them effectively.
A fun part of life this fall is the casino watch. For those of you not in
Nebraska, a coalition of casinos and other assorted gambling types proposed a
major influx of expanded gambling for Nebraska, with an out-of-control
management plan. Mostly in reaction, the legislature provided a modest alternative,
which can be controlled by the legislature. The casino and backers of the first
group have put up $3.4 million for the campaign, which buys a lot of ads in
Nebraska. The legislature's proposal has the backing of a casino which has put
up $1.7 million. They are dividing the gambling vote, so both proposals will
probably lose.
We senators are divided, with most feeling that a casino will cost the state
money and therefore opposed to any kind of expansion. I cannot find evidence
supporting any other conclusion. The bottom line is that economic development
needs new dollars and we have not located too many Texans who are going to
fly to Nebraska to gamble. How would draining $100 million a year out of the
Omaha economy help us?
A few say it could help the economy. Certainly it would be helpful to Indian
tribes who have been suffering financial depression and could start getting
even.
Quite aside from the adversarial fuss, I frankly cannot understand the person
who does business with someone who openly promises to give back less than
he/she takes in. If you keep coming you will be broke. What is so great about
that? Plus, it now becomes apparent that the slots are dishonest. They are
not random. The deck is stacked. One is not spinning a wheel, with an equal
chance on each number. The computer has programmed it to stop next to the
winning space, more than any other space. Again, I cannot imagine why anyone would
gamble against a computer.
Be careful out there. It is a wild world.
And do vote.
Lowen
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