The Skin You’re In
Skin is the largest organ in the human body, but it’s easy to take it for granted. Unless we notice pain or itching or funny spots, most people don’t give it much thought.
Opinion
Read MoreThe Skin You’re In
Biden’s border crisis
There is a crisis at our southern border, and President Biden is only making it worse. At the end of March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced it was on track to surpass one million encounters with immigrants illegally crossing our borders over the last six months. CBP data show there were 164,973 migrant encounters at our southern border in February, up 7 percent from January and 63 percent from February of last year. These staggering numbers do not include the number of illegal migrants who eluded border agents.
How the border crisis harms Nebraska
It’s 965 miles from Lincoln, Nebraska to the border town of Del Rio, Texas. But that doesn’t mean our nation’s border crisis isn’t felt a thousand miles away. The Biden-Harris administration’s failure to secure our broken southern border has caused a host of issues. It’s weakened our national security and overwhelmed our court system. It’s strained our economy. Most devastating, however, is the human cost it’s imposed. Our failure to secure the southern border has enabled sophisticated drug trafficking to run rampant. These deadly drugs are killing Nebraskans, leaving a wake of devastation throughout our communities.
Triggers into Tabemacles
Psalm 84:1-2 “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Stress, people, money, and deadlines put us into a dogfight with multiple bogeys. Then Satan conveniently offers us an escape route through an idol.
Our Southern Border
Presidents, especially those of different parties, have a history of reversing their predecessor’s policies once they are sworn in. This is not unusual. But a president inheriting a policy with bipartisan support that has helped keep America safe for two years, and choosing to reverse it anyway? That is very unusual.
Temporary tax relief
I’m certainly glad that the Republican controlled Nebraska non-partisan Unicameral saw fit to pass Senator Bret Lindstrom’s Legislative Bill to eliminate over a fiveyear period Nebraska’s income tax on Social Security benefits. For once, Nebraska’s low- and middle-fixed income residence are getting some “TEMPORARY” tax relief.
Legislative Update with Julie Slama: Tax Relief Passes
A couple of weeks ago, I provided an update LB 825, a tax relief bill that failed to get the necessary votes to break a filibuster. This week, the story is quite different. The same $1 billion structural tax relief package (focused on addressing our income, property, and Social Security taxes) passed through the final round of debate this past Thursday!
Higher wages, lower buying power
According to a new Bloomberg Economics analysis, the average American family will spend an additional $5,200 this year because of our recordhigh inflation rate. Polling data show that a majority of Americans are seriously concerned about inflation, a sign Americans already burdened with higher costs at the grocery store and gas pump are bracing for additional financial pressures. As our nation struggles to overcome the economic damage caused by COVID-19 shutdowns, the unnecessary stimulus bill President Biden signed last year and continued efforts by congressional Democrats to continue the spending spree have deepened our economic troubles.
Did you know?
Thought they might be most often associated with dogs, ticks can affect cats as well. According to Blue Cross for Pets, cats are most likely to encounter ticks if they live near areas with lots of deer and sheep or in regions where other wildlife, such as hedgehogs and rabbits, are present. While ticks are active throughout the year, cats are most likely to encounter them between spring and autumn. That's due in part to the climate during these seasons, which tends to be warmer and therefore more inviting to cats, compelling them to spend more time outdoors than they do in winter. Ticks, which are egg-shaped, are big enough to spot, so cat owners should conduct a careful examination of their cats' fur each time they come into the house after spending time in the yard. Blue Cross for Pets notes that ticks feel like small bumps on a cat's skin. Ticks are most likely to attach themselves to particular areas of a cat's body. These areas include the head, neck, ears, and feet. Routine brushing, especially whenever cats come inside after time spent outdoors, can help cat owners spot and remove ticks from their cats. It's important to recognize that indoor cats are not invulnerable to ticks, as other pets and humans can track ticks indoors. Periodic inspections and brushing of indoor cats' can protect them from ticks and the diseases ticks carry.
Controlling spending to cut taxes
In the remaining days of the 2022 Legislative Session, we must work together to strike the appropriate balance between managing government spending and returning excess revenue to the people. That is how we responsibly steward taxpayer money.