Opinions

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of the national news. From political turmoil to corporate mishaps, it seems like the world is teetering on the edge. But here in our little bubble of Central City, life is still pretty great, and it’s important to remember that amidst the chaos, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic and proud of our community.

We’ve been waiting months since the close of the Unicameral’s 2024 legislative session and now we have an answer. Gov. Jim Pillen has announced the special session of the Nebraska Legislature to tackle lowering property taxes will convene on Thursday, July 25 in Lincoln. A daunting challenge looms before me and my fellow senators from across the state—how to lower property taxes without unfairly shifting the tax burden to others?

What a week it has been! Lone Tree Days has come and gone, and let me tell you, it was an event for the ages. This year’s festivities saw the triumphant return of the annual parade to Highway 30. The turnout was fantastic, and the weather? A perfect 72 degrees. I don’t know who we have to thank for that, but if there’s a weather deity out there, they deserve a parade float next year.

Loren Lippincott, District 34 Senator Why ‘Help Wanted’ goes wanting This past spring in Nebraska more than 54,000 business “Help Wanted” signs and newspaper employment want ads were left wanting as those jobs remained unfilled. Meanwhile, our state’s unemployment rate is sixth lowest in the nation at 2.5 percent.

Ladies and gentlemen, strap in for a ride through the rollercoaster that was this past week. If you tuned in to the presidential debate, you might have wondered if you’d accidentally stumbled into a senior league golf dispute at Valley View. Honestly, those seasoned golfers could teach our current politicians a thing or two about dignity and class. But hey, who’s counting?

Our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain was signed 248 years ago July 4th. Our Constitution was signed 11 years later in 1787. With each new year we break a world record for the longest standing constitution. Stunningly, the average lifespan of a national constitution is just 17 years. For instance, in its history China has had four constitutions. Russia has had four; Brazil, seven; France, 16; Ecuador, 20, Haiti, 23 and Venezuela, 25. We must ask, what makes America the exception?