Kick Nebraska Into The 21st Century!

We arent the most progressive folks in the country here in Nebraska. It takes us decades and decades to catch up to the rest of the country what with our sleepy state slogan "The Good Life" dominating the landscape. We are boring AF and it seems a helluva lot of people like it that way. We have no gambling here other than at dying horse tracks, powerball or pickles cards. We have no medical marijuana laws here as we have a Governor who says out loud that once you legalize the jazz cigarettes' like they did in Colorado people start getting all high and jumping off roofs and playing the piano really fast. Our Governor, a rich trust fund kid named Pete Ricketts who bought himself a state to lead, has no human compassion whatsoever. He refuses to protect Nebraskans from the Covid. You require masks in your county buildings and Pete will refuse your county Covid money. But I digress.

There are some ballot initiatives we Nebraskans have the opportunity to vote on along with the opportunity to vote out a monster in the White House and elect a progressive new Congresswoman named Kara Eastman in NE-02.

As I said before, we take some time here to get up to speed on the new century. I'd say right now we are still living in the Reagan years on most issues and living in the 19th century on one.

Did you know it is still legal here in Nebraska to enslave people? I mean yes, I doubt if its been done legally for many moons, but its still in the Nebraska Constitution that the enslavement of prison inmates to work on farms and ranches is a-ok with us. But now, in 2020, the state legislature, a gang of 49 people many of whom are so utterly 1875 minded, somehow managed to get a repeal of this language on the ballot. Its called Nebraska Amendment 1 and it would officially outlaw slavery of all people once and for all. The only thing about this that interests me more than doing the right thing is how many 19th century minds will vote no.

We have a chance to limit predatory lenders to a loan shark interest rate of 36%. This would be called Initiative 428 and it puts payday lenders on notice, you can only fuck people over at the rate of 36%. Again there isnt much opposition to this except from the bloodsuckers who lend out the money to desperate people and then metaphorically break kneecaps when they get behind. Again, I will be interested in how many Scrooges exist in this state.

Initiatives 429 430 and 431 will legalize casinos at the existing horse tracks here in the state. There are 6 of these dusty old tracks left and a couple of them dont even bother to hold meets any longer. Like the states that completely surround us, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota, we could have casinos here and keep the tax money in the state. I literally can drive 15 minutes and be betting on whatever I want. Horses, dogs, table games, slots or sports betting is right there. And whatever holdout for taxes they take, stays in Iowa. You're welcome Iowa. 

Is there opposition to this? Well, our Governor is spending a million dollars to stop it. Our old football coach hates gambling. Warren Buffett hates gambling. Excuse me? The ads paid for by Governor Trust Fund claim that there will "Indian" casinos on every street corner including "next to churches and schools". This is of course like everything else Nebraska Trump says a fucking lie. Even Warren Buffett distanced himself from the "Indian casinos" ad as being a bit racist. I give the passage a 50/50 shot. You have no idea how much rural Nebraska hates Omaha, Lincoln and any other city with stuff to do. They killed it before. Hopefully they cant do it again.

Its 2020, Nebraska. Please I beg you to at least attempt to make Y2K a thing of the past.