Southeast Nebraska speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of May. 22, 2026
Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
- Updated
"I didn't come here. And I'm not leaving," Willie Nelson wrote.
I was born in Nebraska. And I live in Nebraska. Nebraska is a big tent. Jim Pillen doesn't represent me!
- Updated
“It is good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy." — George Lorimer
Last year, I wrote about the planned reseating process at Devaney and the impact it would have on longtime volleyball season ticket holders. The issue reared its head earlier than next season, during postseason ticket selection. Tickets were offered by donation tier, with season ticket holders receiving priority within their tier, followed by non-season ticket holders with disappointing results: Many were unable to get their usual seats, some could not secure the same number of tickets, others were shut out entirely.
- Updated
I was quite interested to see that challenger Scott Petersen handily defeated incumbent Bob Evnen for the GOP Secretary of State nomination. Mr. Petersen has called for restrictions in voting by mail and has questioned the widespread use of mail-in ballots, claiming that “I consistently hear concerns about trust in elections…” (LJS Voter’s Guide, April 29, 2026).
If there is mistrust in Nebraska elections, I’d have to wonder why? After all, Nebraska hasn’t had a Democratic Secretary of State since 1941, so a single political party has overseen elections in our state since then. Voting by mail for entire counties was made possible by the Nebraska Legislature in 2005, with the legislation having been introduced by none other than then state Sen. Deb Fischer. Currently there are 11 Nebraska counties, all rural, which conduct elections solely by mail. Per the Flatwater Free Press, voter turnout in these 11 counties has reflected a participation increase since they transitioned to 100% voting by mail, and in the 2020 election, Donald Trump received a total of 79% of the votes cast for president in these counties. Would Mr. Petersen question those results as well?
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Unsurprisingly, every proposed local school bond and funding item for emergency services (in Norris, Waverly, and Syracuse, respectively) has failed. These results pair conspicuously with efforts across the country to either exempt adults over 65 from paying property taxes, or even to abolish property taxes entirely. Should such radical changes to how our communities are kept afloat come to pass, I will refuse to hear another word about our "crumbling infrastructure" or the quality of other public services. Throwing money at public works is not a panacea, but the ascendance of the "I've got mine" mindset in public life is a little too on the nose. Prior generations were bequeathed the happiest, healthiest, most developed, most pro-social society in the history of the world in the second half of the 20th century and have flushed it down the drain. Contempt for the young is nothing new. The profound, almost infantile selfishness of America's "elders" certainly is.
Maxwell Curry, Lincoln
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Information from “Luxury car drivers get food stamps, USDA targets loophole,” Susan Ferrechio – the Washington Times, April 28:
The study involved 2023 SNAP information from 27 red states and two blue states. The study asked for dates of birth, Social Security number and immigration status. In just one anonymous red state, the study found that SNAP recipients were driving to the grocery store in a 2020 Rolls-Royce valued at $346,000 and a 2018 Lamborghini worth $220,000. The Foundation for Government Accountability found 14,000 luxury cars linked to SNAP recipients.
- Updated
Recently James Michael Bowers introduced an ordinance to re-establish the will of Lincoln voters. A super-majority of Lincoln City Council supported this change. Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and state Sen. Danielle Conrad championed the restoration of Initiative 433. Thank you! (Nebraska Legislature and Governor Pillen weakened Initiative 433 this past session despite a 59% to 41% voter margin in 2022).
Since the 1970s working households have seen sustained wage/benefit erosion, accelerating the “affordability” crisis. The last time the federal minimum wage was increased was 2009 when it was set at $7.25/ hour. Over the past 17 years, inflation increased 117%, greatly eroding household spending power.
More like this...
"I didn't come here. And I'm not leaving," Willie Nelson wrote.
I was born in Nebraska. And I live in Nebraska. Nebraska is a big tent. Jim Pillen doesn't represent me!
“It is good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy." — George Lorimer
Last year, I wrote about the planned reseating process at Devaney and the impact it would have on longtime volleyball season ticket holders. The issue reared its head earlier than next season, during postseason ticket selection. Tickets were offered by donation tier, with season ticket holders receiving priority within their tier, followed by non-season ticket holders with disappointing results: Many were unable to get their usual seats, some could not secure the same number of tickets, others were shut out entirely.
I was quite interested to see that challenger Scott Petersen handily defeated incumbent Bob Evnen for the GOP Secretary of State nomination. Mr. Petersen has called for restrictions in voting by mail and has questioned the widespread use of mail-in ballots, claiming that “I consistently hear concerns about trust in elections…” (LJS Voter’s Guide, April 29, 2026).
If there is mistrust in Nebraska elections, I’d have to wonder why? After all, Nebraska hasn’t had a Democratic Secretary of State since 1941, so a single political party has overseen elections in our state since then. Voting by mail for entire counties was made possible by the Nebraska Legislature in 2005, with the legislation having been introduced by none other than then state Sen. Deb Fischer. Currently there are 11 Nebraska counties, all rural, which conduct elections solely by mail. Per the Flatwater Free Press, voter turnout in these 11 counties has reflected a participation increase since they transitioned to 100% voting by mail, and in the 2020 election, Donald Trump received a total of 79% of the votes cast for president in these counties. Would Mr. Petersen question those results as well?
Unsurprisingly, every proposed local school bond and funding item for emergency services (in Norris, Waverly, and Syracuse, respectively) has failed. These results pair conspicuously with efforts across the country to either exempt adults over 65 from paying property taxes, or even to abolish property taxes entirely. Should such radical changes to how our communities are kept afloat come to pass, I will refuse to hear another word about our "crumbling infrastructure" or the quality of other public services. Throwing money at public works is not a panacea, but the ascendance of the "I've got mine" mindset in public life is a little too on the nose. Prior generations were bequeathed the happiest, healthiest, most developed, most pro-social society in the history of the world in the second half of the 20th century and have flushed it down the drain. Contempt for the young is nothing new. The profound, almost infantile selfishness of America's "elders" certainly is.
Maxwell Curry, Lincoln
Information from “Luxury car drivers get food stamps, USDA targets loophole,” Susan Ferrechio – the Washington Times, April 28:
The study involved 2023 SNAP information from 27 red states and two blue states. The study asked for dates of birth, Social Security number and immigration status. In just one anonymous red state, the study found that SNAP recipients were driving to the grocery store in a 2020 Rolls-Royce valued at $346,000 and a 2018 Lamborghini worth $220,000. The Foundation for Government Accountability found 14,000 luxury cars linked to SNAP recipients.
Recently James Michael Bowers introduced an ordinance to re-establish the will of Lincoln voters. A super-majority of Lincoln City Council supported this change. Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and state Sen. Danielle Conrad championed the restoration of Initiative 433. Thank you! (Nebraska Legislature and Governor Pillen weakened Initiative 433 this past session despite a 59% to 41% voter margin in 2022).
Since the 1970s working households have seen sustained wage/benefit erosion, accelerating the “affordability” crisis. The last time the federal minimum wage was increased was 2009 when it was set at $7.25/ hour. Over the past 17 years, inflation increased 117%, greatly eroding household spending power.
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