Opinion

The act of breathing is essential to life and can be done with or without thinking about it. You can control your breath and vary it, but eventually air must come in, and air must go out.

April is known for April showers – ordinarily. This year, we didn’t see any of those until April was almost out the door.

As most Americans returned to normal, bureaucrats at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) refused to fully reopen the agency, despite heading into tax season with a backlog of more than 20 million tax returns. While this backlog has grown, calls to the IRS have also gone unanswered, leaving families and small businesses to navigate a complicated maze of red tape resulting from Democrats’ massive stimulus package on their own. Americans deserve to have their tax filings processed in a timely manner. Instead, the IRS is mired in delays. Further, economic recovery under the Biden administration is foundering, and, rather than build on successful reforms of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), Democrats are dead set on a tax and spend agenda that will only exacerbate challenges like inflation and slow wage growth.

Wednesday night’s Candidate Forum at Nebraska City High School belonged to Stacie Higgins. The incumbent member of the Nebraska City Public School Board seeking re-election in 2022 impressed, not only with her knowledge of the issues facing the Nebraska City Public School system, but also with a compassionate, cooperative and community spirit that seeks to unify and solve problems while providing opportunities for all learners in the system.

The 2022 Legislative Session will go down in history as one of the Nebraska Unicameral’s finest. In just 60 days, the Legislature passed record tax relief, made critical public safety enhancements, and invested in generational water resource projects. As if this wasn’t enough, Senators also allocated $1.04 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The other day I was challenged to write out the top characteristics I look for in a friend. I wrote trust, can keep their mouth shut, they know when to cut me slack but also when to hold my feet to the fire, they walk with God.

Recently, Nebraska lost a good man too soon. Brad Ashford, a former state senator and U.S.