Many on the right say that government should be run like a business. So, I wonder if Senator Ricketts, a very successful businessman, would hire Pete Hegseth to run T.D.Ameritrade?

Obviously, Hegseth doesn’t have the business expertise. But would Senator Ricketts have hired a person who paid $50,000 to silence a woman who he allegedly drunkenly attacked in a hotel room while married to another woman? A man who has admitted to extramarital affairs and a drinking problem?  Would he hire a person who was let go from two different and much smaller organizations for financial mismanagement and trust them with handling billions of dollars in investments? Would Businessman Ricketts feel comfortable having someone head up TD Ameritrade with the comparable moral background and lack of qualifications that Hegseth has to head up the Department of Defense?

What if his father told him to hire that person because he looked good on TV? Would Pete stand up to his father and fight for a more qualified candidate? Or would he just buckle not wanting to upset his dad?

I know these are hypothetical questions, but if the answer is he would stand up to his dad and not hire a person like that to run TD Ameritrade, why did he hire Hegseth to head up the most powerful military in the world? Or would he just do what his dad wanted, knowing it would hurt the company?

I think the people of Nebraska have a right to know.

President Trump has killed all government DEI programs, saying that people should be hired on merit alone. Evidently, Senator Ricketts believes that Hegseth has the qualifications for the job. He owes it to the people of Nebraska to tell us what he sees in Hegseth that most Americans aren’t seeing.

I don’t know if Pete Hegseth is an alcoholic or not. I have been known to have a few too many from time to time myself. But then again, I’m not qualified to run the Defense Department either.

I do know that Hegseth has been fired from two different organizations. Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America. He was let go for numerous instances of intoxication and mismanagement of funds. These nonprofit organizations are much smaller than the one that he’ll be watching over now. If he couldn’t manage those groups, how can he manage the country’s largest federal agency that hires 2.8 million people?

Senator Ricketts thinks he’s qualified, and he owes it to Nebraskans and the brave men and women at Offutt to show us why he feels that way. We want a reason besides, “he looks good on TV.”

Senator Ricketts got the job after former senator Ben Sasse got fed up with what he called the jackassery of the institution. That jackassery was on full display during the Hegseth confirmation hearings. Something as important as heading up the Pentagon shouldn’t be an exercise in party loyalty. It should be about finding the best candidate for the job. Especially if you believe that government should be run like a business.

The main reason I’m bringing up Senator Ricketts is because of his extensive business background. I really don’t have any hope for Deb Fischer. When President Trump tells her to jump, she’ll say “How high?”

I still have hope for Pete Ricketts. I hope that he still has a backbone and will remember that the Senate is a separate and equal branch of government. Not a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Enterprises.

A couple of President Trump’s nominees have already passed with bipartisan support. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

If government is to be run like a business, the Senate is the Board of Directors if you will.

While the Board of a major company must work with its CEO, it is their responsibility to ensure the CEO isn’t making stupid decisions that can bankrupt a company.

America’s CEO made a stupid decision in nominating Pete Hegseth and in his heart of hearts, I have to believe that our Senator knows that.

I hope that I’m wrong. There is no upside in hoping Hegseth fails. I hope he has turned his life around and will be a marvelous Secretary of Defense. I hope and pray he can rise to the occasion.

Because if America is going to be run like a business it needs to be successful like the one Joe Ricketts founded, and not run like some of the ones Donald Trump has bankrupted and run into the ground.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.