Three thoughts …

Nebraskans know a mighty wind. We know whirling monsters tethered to a blackened firmament while wreaking havoc on fields and towns and lives.

Tornadoes are a fact of life here from March to the dog days of summer. When one touches us in some way — from death to destruction to simple awe — we ask how we can better keep ourselves safe.

When we ask such things, we are anything but “losers.”

“Losers” is what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called those who might question the response to the deadly floods that inundated central Texas on Independence Day. Specifically he said it to a reporter who had asked if there was to be an inquiry into what some officials have acknowledged could have been missteps during the unprecedented rise in the Guadalupe River. Over 120 deaths and more than 160 missing have been reported as of this writing.

“That’s the word choice of losers,” Abbott said, part of a wholly inappropriate metaphor about football champions. Parents of little girls at church camp or families and friends of anyone swept away are anything but losers for wondering what went wrong and if any human decision or lack thereof contributed.

Even without factoring in the DOGE cutbacks at NOAA and FEMA’s three-day delay to respond, the question is reasonable for loved ones … and reporters. Abbott chose name-calling over leadership.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, coming off a victory lap for cutting health care benefits to millions and taking food from hungry kids, was even less helpful. When asked on a television news program about the flood, Johnson said, “All we can do is pray.”

Seriously? I assume politics in Johnson’s home state of Louisiana works a similar way it does here in Nebraska, where elected representatives are expected to lead. That includes inquiries, asking tough questions and making changes to keep us safe where needed.

Want to pray? Fine. But do your job. For details see that whole faith without works thing.

Big Ugly Bill?

Lost under the garish light of the Big Ugly, signed into law on July 4, was the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement the day before to withhold $6.2 billion already promised to the nation’s public schools. Nebraska’s share of that money checks in at about $40 million.

The DOE, now apparently a federal agency in name only, said it was pausing the disbursements for further review even though Congress passed and the president signed the bill in March. Funds were to be allocated on July 1.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, money in “targeted districts” would be used to support “before and after school programs ($1.4 billion), English language learning ($890 million), migrant education ($375 million), academic enrichment ($1.3 billion) and professional development of staff and teachers ($2.2 billion).”

While that lineup stretches across a variety of areas in need of help, the specter of the administration’s obsession with immigration and preoccupation with DEI initiatives underscores its interest in at least a third of the money.

Obviously, Nebraska school districts, many of whom have already drawn up contingencies, will take a sizable hit. Worse, however, could be any further stopping and starting, making for nightmarish budgeting processes.

For comparison sake on the detritus left from the administration’s proclivity for teeter-totter economic policies, read no further than the current stop/start story of the nation’s tariff conundrum.

The Fourteenth Amendment

Finally, last Wednesday, July 9, we marked 157 years of living with the Fourteenth Amendment, the first line of which has as much relevance today as it did in 1868. That’s because while the current administration is playing fast and loose with the amendment’s due process requirement, what we call birthright citizenship is also being challenged.

The amendment has five sections, the first of which contains the two lines referenced above: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Section 5 says “The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.” Hmm? A joint session for a Fourteenth Amendment reading? Better yet, how about Congress using its power to insist we follow it?

Whatever … 157 years is something to celebrate.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/14/leadership-wanting-money-missing-and-an-anniversary/

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