Added fan amenity
Three cheers to the Nebraska Board of Regents for their decision to allow beer sales for NU Baseball games. For too long, NU baseball fans have had to endure up to four whole hours without being able to suck up plenty of good old alcohol to obtain “added fan amenity.”
Another benefit of alcohol at NU baseball games: The casinos can add an over/under on the number of alcohol-related traffic accidents in Lincoln on game day.
Go Big $$!
Gean Clapper, Tabor, Iowa
Proposed tax bill
Nebraska taxed my money when I earned it, by taxing my income. Now they want to tax that same money again when I spend it with this additional sales tax. One thing you can be sure of is death and taxes, but double taxes?
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I will vote out my legislator if he votes for this double taxation.
Michael McLaughlin, Omaha
Seeking asylum
Since Joe Biden was elected, he has tried several times to reduce the flow of people coming into the U.S. from Mexico. Every time he tries, he is shot down by a federal judge. This is because a federal law allows anyone to claim asylum in America for a host of reasons. These include being afraid of being beat up, murdered or forced to join a gang. Anyone can state one of these reasons, true or not, and they get to come in. They also get to stay until they get a hearing.
Only Congress can change this situation by passing a new law. Biden can't. Recently, Trump stopped just such a law from being passed, and when he was president he never proposed such a law. He had a Republican Congress for two years and didn't lift a finger. He would rather build a wall — a wall full of gates that the asylum seekers can enter through.
Thomas Gruber, Omaha
Laborers wanted
I read that there is a need in Omaha for laborers. Why are these construction companies not hiring more people? If they had more workers, then they could get these jobs done faster. This will be good for the street construction and being done with one street and starting another. This will be good for drivers and emergency vehicles getting to their destination quickly.
Jim DiCola, Council Bluffs
Bad idea
The National Popular Vote Bill touted by Timothy Higgins (Pulse, April 11) is a bad idea and I believe it is unconstitutional. A better solution would be for more states to change their laws to follow the system used in Nebraska and Maine to allocate their Electoral College votes. The National Popular Vote would negate the votes of Nebraska's Republicans should the Democrat win the national popular vote count, just as the votes of Democrats in California would be negated by the National Popular Vote if the Republican wins the national popular vote count.
Stephen Hillman, Omaha
Wedge issues
State Sens. Kathleen Kauth and Brian Hardin are tilting at windmills and protecting us from an imaginary stampede of transgender athletes because "you don't close the gate after the cattle are out," as Hardin so eloquently put it. I wish these forward thinkers would move off of wedge issues and on to real problems like ensuring all Nebraska children are educated, balancing the tax burden on citizens and companies so as to remain competitive with surrounding states, and ensuring our drinking water is safe from agricultural waste.
I fear that Sens. Kauth and Hardin are not up to the challenge and want to use a wedge issue to garner votes in the upcoming election instead of making progress on these persistent challenges. I'm exasperated by the fact that it seems to work.
Jacob Barna, Omaha
Cops and Trump
Several days ago on television, I saw James Tignanellia, president of the Michigan Police Officers Union, announce the endorsement of Trump by the union. Seeing cops, the enforcers of law, standing up for Trump is a gut punch. Trump, who encouraged — through lies and violent rhetoric — a mob to attack the Capitol in an attempt to overthrow an election. That mob caused injury and death to other cops. Trump, whose words have threatened witnesses, judges, prosecutors, families of judges, called immigrants vermin. Trump who has so many trials waiting in the wings for fraud, election interference, and more. A man found liable for sexual assault. This is the man these cops are endorsing.
These same cops expect all of us to follow the law, listen to them and respect their work. “We stand between law-abiding citizens and Biden's border bloodbath,” says Tignanellia. Which border is this guy talking about, the one a few miles north of Detroit, Canada? Of course there is a challenge at our southern border, but please do not forget, it is the Republican House Speaker who refuses to bring the bipartisan border bill (H.R. 815) to a vote. Trump told him not to so it can be an issue to run on.
It is very important that we all look beyond the talking points and bluster of Trump and his sycophants. Democracies are only successful if we rely on facts, not propaganda, have respect for the government systems put in place, and follow the rule of law. Trump is promising to be the law. Do these cops really think that is what is best for our country?
Deanna Reilly, Omaha
Burning down the house
The members of Congress who are behind the effort to oust Speaker Mike Johnson over the foreign aid bills apparently don't understand the most basic principle of holding elected office.
Serving in a democratic institution such as the House of Representatives, you are one voice among many. Your role is to try to sway others to see your point of view and to steer legislation in the direction you want it to go. You don't burn the house down if the leadership doesn't do your exact bidding.
Only a small number of lawmakers have been involved in these antics and yet they've commanded a huge amount of media attention. Had they played it differently, they might have had more of a say on the bill that eventually passed ("House passes $95B foreign aid bills.")
Eric Foster, Lincoln
Shame on SCOTUS
A Newsweek article states that the Constitutional Court of Uganda cited our own U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization as justification to uphold a Ugandan law that proscribes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality." The Ugandan court said that the court's conservative majority "considered the nation's history and traditions, as well as the dictates of democracy and rule of law, to overrule the broader right to individual autonomy."
I cannot express how sad and angry this makes me.
If we don't stop the ultra-conservatives now, this is our future: without adequate women's health care, without contraception, without no-fault divorce, without same-sex marriage, and with a death penalty for loving someone of the same gender.
Cathy Lindmier, Omaha
Praise for BBB
Kudos to the Omaha Better Business Bureau.
Nearly two years ago I purchased a 32-inch flat screen TV. I also purchased a protection plan. For the last several months my TV has not been working properly. I submitted a claim to the protection plan provider. The protection plan provider continuously stalled and was quite uncooperative.
Disgusted, I filed a complaint with the Omaha Better Business Bureau. Within 1-2 days the protection plan company emailed and called me. They apologized and they promptly and fairly settled my claim. Wow — kudos to the Omaha Better Business Bureau!
Bob Gronstal, Omaha
Why Trump will win
Trump is going to win for one reason — he's a badass. Who wouldn't want to be represented by a person who can get away with the things a lot of us only wish we could do?
R. Elman, Omaha
OWH Public Pulse March 2024
A Public Pulse writer says a bill to expand the child tax credit is critical and Nebraska's U.S. senators should support it.
A Public Pulse writer invites readers to be join in the Red Cross' Giving Day to aid families affected by disasters.
Public Pulse writers discuss foreign aid and immigration.
Pulse writer disagrees with taxpayers having to pay the tuition for people wanting to send their children to private schools.
One Public Pulse writer likes Daylight Saving Time. Another has ideas about who deserve blame for evictions. And third thinks Democrats are responsible for illegal immigration woes.
A Public Pulse writer says that Omaha is the best place for a college baseball hall of fame museum.
A Public Pulse writer says that, deep down, the Republicans in Congress know that Biden is going to win a second term.
Millions of Americans count on the Affordable Care Act for their health plans, a Public Pulse writer says.
A Public Pulse writer says comparing Iowa's Caitlin Clark's scoring record to Pete Maravich's is like comparing apples to oranges.
A Public Pulse writer says his pet peeve is people who don't clean up after their fur babies.
A Public Pulse writer says Nebraska should not enable drug use by giving out hypodermic needles.
A Public Pulse writer says the University of Nebraska is experiencing a leadership drain.
A Public Pulse writer notes that humans are the ones responsible for the misuse of artificial intelligence tools.
A Public Pulse writer commends World-Herald photographers for outstanding images during the girls and boys state basketball tournaments.
A Public Pulse writer says he does not want to spend his tax dollars to speed up traffic so people can get home a few seconds earlier. Another Pulse writer is worried about drivers who go too fast.
A Public Pulse writer says that Rep. Don Bacon's endorsement of Donald Trump is against U.S. national security interests.
A Public Pulse writer disagrees with State Sen. Dave Murman on whether children see objectionable or obscene material in school.
A Public Pulse writer defends the hiring of former Omaha police official Greg Gonzalez for a job with the Douglas County 911 system.