Tom Becka

Only Time Will Tell If Democracy Can Survive

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Mon, 07/22/2024 - 7:00am

I was in the second grade when the school’s principal came over the PA system and announced that President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas. I have a vivid memory of Mrs. Cusak slamming her glasses on the desk as she ran out of the room crying.

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Lead Us Not Into Temptation...

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 07/10/2024 - 6:00am

Dear Nebraska Legislators,

I know you’re thinking about it but DON’T DO IT! I have no doubt some of you are looking at what Louisiana and Oklahoma have done and you’re thinking “Maybe we should demand they put the Ten Commandments in our public schools as well. DON’T! Just DON’T!

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We Are On The Edge Of Our Seats With Our Popcorn, What Happens Next?

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Tue, 07/09/2024 - 6:00am

I keep hoping that I’ll wake up to find that this was nothing more than a bad dream.

Or maybe that it was the plot of a poorly written Netflix series that involved a likeable but befuddled old president, and his challenger, a convicted felon. A felon who was a reality TV star is more likely to lie to you than tell the truth.

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Omaha’s Streetcar, In Theory

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Tue, 07/02/2024 - 7:00am

Before I begin let me state for the record that, in theory, I am a fan of the streetcar.

The, “in theory” part is very important because, in theory, I can see how it will benefit Omaha’s urban core. In theory, I can see how it’s a starter track that eventually will run to the airport, the zoo, and maybe even to Elkhorn and over the river to Council Bluffs.

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Ben Nelson Saw It Coming

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 06/26/2024 - 7:00am

A few years ago I had the honor to speak with former Senator Ben Nelson. He was promoting his book “The Death of the Senate. My front row seat to the demise of the world’s greatest deliberative body.”

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Does Pillen Have Something Up His Sleeve?

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Mon, 06/17/2024 - 6:00am

The Governor is planning on calling a special session of the Unicameral later this summer. He is determined to get his property tax reductions passed come hell or high water. Also bubbling under the radar is his plan to make Nebraska a “Winner Take All” state when it comes to electoral votes.

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David Against Goliath

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 06/12/2024 - 6:00am

When I was a kid and my sister or brother were allowed to have something or do something I couldn’t, my father said it wasn’t fair. His go-to response to that every time was, “Life isn’t fair.”

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Can Governor Pillen Lower Nebraska Property Tax?

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Thu, 05/02/2024 - 5:00am

Governor Pillen and I have something in common. Neither one of us has a clue on how to pass a 40% reduction in property taxes. The Governor said he was planning on calling a special session of the Unicameral after he failed to get his priority legislation passed this year.

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We Don’t Need Voter ID; We Need Voter IQ

Published by maggie@omahadai... on Wed, 05/01/2024 - 12:00am

Law Day is May 1st. It’s a day where we celebrate our legal system. A system that’s gotten a lot of publicity lately as a former President goes before the criminal courts for the first time in history.

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Make The Unicameral Civil Again

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 03/29/2024 - 3:00am

During the summer of 2016 I was doing a talk radio program in Kansas City. You will recall this was the time when the Donald Trump phenomime was really gaining steam. I’ll admit I was and still am perplexed about the attraction to the former President, so I asked my callers to tell me what they saw in him that I wasn’t seeing.