Editorial

Thinking About Amtrak Service Where It Isn’t

Published by jason@omahadail... on Wed, 02/28/2024 - 12:00pm

A story last week in Wyoming’s Cowboy State Daily calls to mind the one transportation mode no longer available on Nebraska’s Great Platte River Road: passenger trains.

U.S. Federal Railroad Administration officials are taking comments on adding 15 routes to Amtrak’s passenger system, one of them touching the Panhandle.

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On The Wealth Tax

Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/27/2024 - 4:00am

Wealth taxes are like a specter in search of a host, and an already overtaxed New England state may be the first to succumb. Vermont lawmakers want to tax residents’ unrealized gains, hoping to finally break the barrier that’s kept them from draining asset values year after year.

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To The Victor Goes The Spoils

Published by jason@omahadail... on Mon, 02/26/2024 - 4:00am

I’ve always been a bit of a history buff. Many times my traveling companions have humored me as I pulled off the side of the road to read an historical marker, or stop at some hidden time-worn gem I found as I drove the backroads of America.

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Cigarette Excise Tax Increase Is Not Good For Nebraska, And Here’s Why

Published by jason@omahadail... on Fri, 02/23/2024 - 4:00am

During my time in the Nebraska Legislature, including time as chairman of the Revenue Committee, I witnessed many attempts to increase the state’s cigarette excise tax. These attempts were often accompanied by well-meaning arguments for improved public health, but they were always driven by an ambition to increase state tax revenues for one purpose or another.

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The Next Great Biofuels Revolution

Published by jason@omahadail... on Wed, 02/21/2024 - 4:00am

Almost two decades ago, the advent of the Renewable Fuel Standard led to an economic revolution in rural Midwestern communities. Biofuel plants popped up across Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and other states. Good-paying jobs came with them along with private sector price support for one of America’s most important commodities.

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Believing Professionals Doing Professional Things

Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/20/2024 - 4:00am

Now that the Super Bowl is over and we’ve survived Taylor Swift’s attempt to undo the Republic, perhaps we should consider more mundane endeavors.

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If The People Lead The Leaders Will Follow

Published by jason@omahadail... on Mon, 02/19/2024 - 4:00am

On one hand I have to give Governor Pillen a lot of credit. It takes guts for a politician to admit that they are wrong these days and change course. Though he never uttered the word, Governor Pillen admitted he was wrong when he decided to enroll the state of Nebraska into a Federal Governments program to help feed children during the summer months.

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Changing Clocks Annoying? Might Fixes Be Worse?

Published by jason@omahadail... on Wed, 02/14/2024 - 4:00am

Likely you’ve heard of the “law of unintended consequences”: Anything we humans do yields effects we don’t intend or expect.

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A Roadmap To Help Men Of Color Thrive As Leaders At Their Schools And Districts

Published by jason@omahadail... on Tue, 02/13/2024 - 4:00am

What students see is what they become. As school system officials, we want all young people to become leaders who make a positive difference in the world, no matter their next steps in life.

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Uncensored: The Chocolate War

Published by josie@omahadail... on Mon, 02/12/2024 - 9:41am

Continuing to look at books that have been banned across the United States, we are looking this time at ‘The Chocolate War’ by Robert Cormier. Published in 1974, this book has been continuously put on the Top Ten Most Banned Books across the country for its themes of violence, sexual ideas held by teenagers, language and criticisms of the Catholic Church.