The Public Pulse: Winner-take-all voting is a loser; Solemn joy on Oct. 7
Represent Nebraska
It has been reported that Nebraska congressional leaders put pressure on Gov. Jim Pillen to return the state to winner-take-all in its Electoral College votes (" Nebraska switch to winner-take-all electoral votes unlikely before election, despite pressure ," Sept. 20). Nebraskans sent them to Washington to represent Nebraska. Now they are representing Washington in Nebraska. Did they drink the Washington Kool-Aid?
Rev. Richard Mannel,
Putting power with political parties
I love, respect and honor our tradition of the unicameral and splitting our electoral votes. Go Big Red!
Winner-take-all puts power with political parties and takes it from us, the voters.
Kim Moss-Allen,
Solemn joy on Oct. 7
As we approach the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 tragedy in Israel, the Jewish people must decide how to commemorate the day. The issue is complicated because Oct. 7, 2023, occurred on the holiday of Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah), one of the most joyous days of the year in Judaism, where the custom is to sing and dance in the synagogue while carrying the Torah scroll.
So how do we exercise this custom on the anniversary of one of the darkest days in Jewish history?
I have learned that a curse can be turned into a blessing and opportunity. In this case, we can rejoice that the tragedy of Oct. 7 has kindled Jewish pride in so many and brought people out of the woodwork to be more involved with their Jewish faith. That is at least one thing to be joyous about, even if it is a solemn joy.
Baruch Keit,
Right to vote
The vast majority of Nebraska legislators supported Legislative Bill 20 in 2024 to remove the two-year waiting period so individuals can vote once their felony sentences are completed. Exactly two days before the effective date of LB 20, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers released an advisory opinion that he disagreed with LB 20 and LB 53 (which established the two-year waiting period in 2005), stating that only the Nebraska Board of Pardons can restore voting rights. Subsequently, Secretary of State Bob Evnen directed election officials to immediately stop registering voters with past felony convictions, impacting individuals who had not registered since they committed their crime.
Past history shows that going before the very busy Pardons Board is difficult. Prior to 2005, felons had to wait 10 years after sentence completion to submit an application before the Pardons Board to restore their right to vote. In 2004, only 1.5% of individuals appeared before the Pardons Board.
These recent executive branch decisions undermine the will of the people and take Nebraska back in time by impacting individuals living in our communities and paying taxes. The right of every citizen to vote has been a basic principle of the League of Women Voters of Nebraska since its founding.
We stand with national organizations condemning these executive actions in Nebraska: The Brennan Center for Justice, The National Association of Social Workers, The Sentencing Project, Common Cause, Just Leadership USA, Campaign Legal Center and the Advancement Project.
A lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Nebraska on behalf of Civic Nebraska and impacted Nebraskans was heard on Aug. 28 by the Nebraska Supreme Court. We urge the court to issue a decision as soon as possible so that system-impacted individuals can be educated and registered to vote before Nebraska's Oct. 18 registration deadline, less than 30 days away.
Claudia Stevenson, Ogallala, Nebraska
Co-president, League of Women Voters of Nebraska
Janelle Stevenson, Lincoln
Co-president, League of Women Voters of Nebraska
Joanna Lindberg, Omaha
Co-director of government, League of Women Voters
of Nebraska
Hard lessons learned
Disasters serve as dreaded teachers, highlighting hard lessons learned from the most vulnerable in our community particularly those living with a disability. Amid recent crises the COVID-19 pandemic, April's tornados and the recent windstorm with extended power outages, those living with significant disabilities fared worse. Beneath this lies great disparities including lower incomes, inadequate transportation, limited accessible housing, social isolation and difficult access to healthcare. These inequities are magnified further in minorities and/or rural areas.
For example, if you were one of the 200,000-plus residents without power, you know the worry of an extended electrical outage affecting cell phones, refrigeration, air conditioning and lighting. It's harder to imagine relying on electricity ...to get out of bed. Individuals with significant disabilities present at birth or acquired, can experience paralysis, severe movement disorders, blindness or other limitations. Preferring to live in the community, these individuals rely on power for essential equipment like electric wheelchairs, adjustable beds, transfer-lifts, respiratory equipment and air-flow mattresses.
Community resources currently in place for emergencies are insufficient for these complex needs. After exhausting few available options, help is frequently sought through 911 calls and services, frequently culminating in emergency room visit and hospitalizations, generally with higher acuity of illnesses, and/or premature deaths. By treating these emergency events as a report card of sorts, our community can better understand and identify areas of needed improvement in emergency preparedness, prioritized resource allocation and address underlying health and social disparities in our most vulnerable.
A win-win community coalition of fierce stakeholders is possible including those with disabilities their families, working together with community leaders, private investors, health care providers, and policy makers. Furthermore given University of Nebraska Medical Center's national status in emergency preparedness we can create a more resilient, prepared, safe and equitable community for us all.
Katheen Healey,
Hate begets hate
Shooting/killing someone is against man's law and God's law. If a person is so filled with hate that they would risk going to jail (man's law), and hell (God's law), where does this hate come from? Who is preaching hate so strong that it motivates weak, unethical people to do such heinous, life-changing crimes? Be very careful of what you hate. Hate begets hate. Hate is what pulls the trigger.
Herb Rutz,
Cashless concessions
The University of Nebraska at Lincoln has made concessions at all of their athletic events cashless. In the past, when using cash, tax was included in the price on the menu board. Now, some menu boards, but no vendor bags state, "tax not included." Vendors have handheld machines that do not produce receipts. Upon checking my credit card account after buying a hot dog from a vendor advertising "$4" on his bag, the charge was $4.37. Doing the math, that is an additional charge of 9.25%. The sales tax rate in Lincoln is 7.25%. I sent an email to the UNL athletic director concerning this and got no response.
Husker fans, you are being charged an additional 2% on concessions. I'm guessing that this is to cover the credit card charge to the vendor. I think it is deceitful to call all of the additional charges on concessions "tax." How do you feel about that?
Rich Owen,
OWH Public Pulse August 2024"We ask legislators to recognize the very real impact this massive tax increase would have for Nebraska businesses like mine," Pulse contributor writes.
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