Does Pillen Have Something Up His Sleeve?
The Governor is planning on calling a special session of the Unicameral later this summer. He is determined to get his property tax reductions passed come hell or high water. Also bubbling under the radar is his plan to make Nebraska a “Winner Take All” state when it comes to electoral votes.
The Nebraska Examiner says that this special session could end up being the most expensive one in the state’s history. So, if the Governor is going to call it, he better make sure it will pay off and not just be political theater. I have to wonder what has changed since his failed attempts at getting both of these passed during the regular session.
I'd like to know what plans of the Governor have changed to lower property taxes without just shifting the burden onto some other taxpayers. If I save money on my property taxes but end up spending it on increased sales taxes how is that a win?
Maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t read anything where it looks like Governor Pillen has come up with some fresh, revolutionary idea for spending cuts or a plan to increase the tax base to bring the political victory the Governor so desperately wants.
I think we need to see what kind of revenue the casinos bring in and if it will be enough to lower property taxes. Gambling is a voluntary tax on the citizens. It’s also paid by visitors and tourists as well. Could Governor Pillen wait a year or two to learn of it’s impact before increasing the sales tax?
I do hope that when the special session is called there will be a viable plan that he can work with the state Senators to get things done. I hope that he isn’t just wasting their time on those hot summer days.
Which brings me to the second point of his planned special session. The “Winner Take All” plan. The idea of changing the way Nebraska awards its electoral votes needs to be dead on arrival.
You’ve probably seen that Joe Biden is already running TV ads in Omaha. These TV ads will bring in a lot of revenue to broadcast outlets. That revenue is then used to employ numerous reporters, advertising salespeople, office help and more. This election year, millions and millions of ad dollars will be spent by both the Biden and Trump campaigns, not to mention the dollars that will pour in from special interest groups and the so-called dark money supporting each candidate.
Changing the way that we award our electoral votes will make Nebraska irrelevant during Presidential campaigns and cost the state millions of dollars. Not only in ad revenue but in money spent by political operatives who come into the second district to coordinate the various campaigns.
Changing the way we award our electoral votes will take away the voice of thousands of Nebraskans. Let’s be honest. The voters east of Lincoln are different than the voters west of Grand Island. The Second District’s vote needs to be counted. Their voices need to be heard.
In effect Nebraska has had “Winner Take All” in every election but two. If the Governor and the Republican Party want to guarantee this one electoral vote, they need to run better candidates like the have all the years the so-called blue dot turned red.
So, there’s going to be a special session. I hope Governor Pillen has a new workable and equitable plan to lower property taxes. If he’s found a way to do it without hurting other businesses or citizens, I will sing his praises. I’ll be honest and say I don’t have high hopes for success since every governor for years has tried to lower property taxes with minimal success. But who knows? Maybe Governor Pillen has something up his sleeve we don’t know about. I’ll be rooting for him to succeed.
But when it comes to changing to ‘Winner Take All” Governor Pillen has to fail. If he and the Republican Senators in rural Nebraska want to take away our vote they must be stopped. The citizens in District two, both Republicans and Democrats, need to make sure we let the members of the Unicameral know that they can’t make Nebraska irrelevant in Presidential politics.
So as the days get hotter things in Lincoln will really be heating up. It will be interesting to see if the Governor will be able to pull this off.
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.
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