Editorial

Double-Edged Oath

Published by josie@omahadail... on Mon, 02/12/2024 - 7:32am

I had an interesting random thought the other day — I doubt it will go anywhere politically but I think it’s a valid point — that I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the matter.

So, hear me out.

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Do You Feel Safer?

Published by josie@omahadail... on Wed, 02/07/2024 - 9:00am

Alabama put a man to death on Thursday.

Eyewitnesses in Atmore saw him convulse and gasp for air in his last minutes on Earth.

And I have a question.

Do you feel safer?

I’m not asking about Kenneth Eugene Smith’s guilt in the 1988 murder-for-hire of Elizabeth Sennett. If he weren’t executed last week, he would have spent his life behind bars with an infinitesimal chance of ever coming out.

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A System And Discipline

Published by josie@omahadail... on Wed, 02/07/2024 - 8:47am

I remember when I attended my first seminar back in the 80’s the speaker said you have to have a system and discipline. I knew what the system was because he was teaching it. But I did not know what the discipline was until I began to apply the system. The discipline is that you have to take the action to make the system work properly. Through months and years of trial and error, I now know what he meant by discipline. I had to discipline myself to always take action, even when I didn’t feel like it.

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OPPD Is Gambling On Our Future

Published by josie@omahadail... on Wed, 02/07/2024 - 8:36am

On Sunday, Jan. 14, the Omaha Public Power District posted an email to customers urging us to conserve energy, explaining that “high energy demand” brought about by the cold temperatures was causing this emergency. This plea was followed by a telephone message to customers, presumably to reach those who do not have access to email. Subsequent newspaper reports suggest that outages were avoided, luckily.

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Black Education Entrepreneurs — and Parents — Are Pushing the Boundaries of School Choice

Published by josie@omahadail... on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 12:07pm

Education entrepreneurship is having a moment.

After decades of frustration with traditional schools, after a pandemic that magnified the inadequacies and inequities of public education, and now with the rapid expansion of school choice programs in multiple states, entrepreneurs are remaking public education with a dizzying array of innovative models. These are ever more customized to the students they serve, ever more responsive to families who want something different and, thanks to school choice, easier than ever to sustain and scale.

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Healthcare Limbo

Published by josie@omahadail... on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 11:26am

I’ve been out of the loop for a while. You see I’ve been battling bladder cancer. On January 12th the day of that awful blizzard when temperatures dropped to fifteen below zero, I was on the operating table having my bladder and prostate removed.

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On College Campus Free Speech

Published by josie@omahadail... on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 11:12am

Universities have always been a home for the world’s great arguments. Professors and students are supposed to debate the issues of the moment, gaining understanding of the other side’s views, refining and strengthening their positions, and learning how to solve problems. Argument thrives in a culture of openness, and maintaining that culture ought to be paramount for universities, as well as any institution that wants to shape public policy or debate.

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The Dog Ate My Farm Bill And Other Republican Excuses

Published by josie@omahadail... on Mon, 02/05/2024 - 11:03am

The new five-year federal farm program, which was due on the president’s desk no later than Sept. 30, 2023, is missing. Republicans, who run the U.S. House of Representatives, don’t have a good answer about why it is missing.

In fact, the explanation for what happened to it is little more than a reworking of the age old “the dog ate my homework” excuse used to “explain” missing arithmetic homework assignments by school kids for years.

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Wise Water Use Vital To Future Of Agriculture, State

Published by josie@omahadail... on Thu, 02/01/2024 - 8:18am

In a recent study led by the University of Nebraska, alarming findings highlight the imminent threat to food production posed by the depletion of groundwater, particularly in the High Plains Aquifer—the largest in the United States. The study reveals a direct correlation between aquifer depletion and diminishing crop yields, emphasizing the urgent need for policymakers, resource managers, and growers to reevaluate their approach to water usage.

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Creative Thinking Needed To Save Rural Hospitals

Published by josie@omahadail... on Wed, 01/31/2024 - 2:48pm

Over the last 15 years, approximately 150 rural hospitals have closed nationwide. What does it mean? Are these facilities obsolete, no longer needed? Maybe in a few places, but in the vast majority of communities they provide critically important services.