In my talk radio days from the mid 90’s till around 2014, before I went on the air, I would sometimes ask myself, “What am I going to be outraged about today?”

I knew that if I found an extreme story about a person or group doing something outlandish, I could make it into a bigger issue than it was and get the phone lines buzzing. It would make for good talk radio and get me through the show.

I never made up an opinion or lied about how I felt about the story, but I often blew it out of proportion for the benefit of the show.

There have been times in my life when I’ve been dead-ass broke. Too much month at the end of my money, as the old country and western song goes. Thankfully, I’ve never been in a situation where I had to apply for SNAP benefits or government assistance of any kind, but I came close.

As a single man, my economic condition only affected me. And whether it was because of the way I was raised or just an inherent attitude, I knew my monetary setback was only temporary and that the hard times weren’t going to last forever.

Question: How many Americans does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: It takes 100. One to change the bulb and ninety-nine others to talk about how much better the old one was.

OK, I’ll admit that’s not a very funny joke.

But I’ve always been a big believer in the power of one. One person who sees a problem, an injustice, or a need and believes that they can do something to make things a little better. One person who can then motivate other individuals to work together to get things done.

Pete Ricketts has always had a hard time reading the room.

I remember when he was first running for governor. I heard him give a speech at Big Mama’s Kitchen in North Omaha. The room was filled with North Omaha residents concerned about urban issues like jobs, education and crime.

But instead of talking about those issues, Senator Ricketts gave his stump speech about his ag proposals. I’m sure the farmers in rural Nebraska could appreciate a speech like that, but it fell on deaf ears. By not reading the room, Pete Ricketts wasted his time and that of those in the crowd.