Loren Lippincott
With the recent election behind us, voters may be asking what happens now to the ballot questions that passed or failed? Initiative 434 passed and will place into our state constitution our current state law which protects the unborn after twelve weeks gestation. The measure also makes exceptions for rape and incest. This Initiative allows the legislature to place greater restrictions on abortion in the future. Meanwhile Initiative 439 would have made further restrictions nearly impossible. The passage of 434 was our state’s (and the nation’s) first line in the sand against the aggressive abortion industry. Many thanks to the pro-life groups that wisely countered 439 with their own initiative. Meanwhile, the proabortion groups used extremely confusing, misleading wording on the ballot and in their advertising and petition drive. To successfully run a petition drive to get something onto the statewide ballot costs well over a million dollars, but the abortion industry was happily willing to spend it because it is motivated by the millions it will make by taking advantage of young women at a very vulnerable moment in their lives. Meanwhile, they would have you believe they are motivated by a desire to protect women’s rights and health. And while one third of their budgets comes from our federal government, 439 would have allowed them to get their hands into our state budget as well! I am so thankful our fellow Nebraskans saw through this underhanded scheme.
In regard to other ballot issues, the passage of Initiative 436 will increase government regulations for small businesses. Companies with 20 or fewer employees will now be mandated to pay for 40 hours of sick leave a year, while companies with more than 20 employees are mandated to provide 56 hours of paid sick leave. It will be the duty of the legislature to put the will of the people into state law during our next session in January.
With Nebraska choosing to allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes, voters also moved to protect the marijuana industry’s possession, manufacturing, dispensing, delivery and distribution of cannabis. It will now be up to the legislature to put into law the will of the people on this matter. The marijuana industry is a wealthy and powerful influence and it continues to creep into more states. This is just a first step here in Nebraska.
The sole referendum item on the ballot was to rescind the latest legislative effort through LB 1402 to offer school choice to students from low income families as well as students with disabilities, those who were denied open enrollment, students who have been bullied or harassed in public schools or students of military families. The powerful teacher unions spent $5 million in this election to take those choices away. Under LB 1402, $10 million would come out of the state treasury, not from local property taxes where public schools are funded, as suggested by the distorted, inflammatory ads. To watch the campaign from the anti-school choice crowd was quite frustrating. On the farm we call it lying! I am always suspicious of a campaign that relies on spreading falsehoods to make its case.
With this vote, Nebraska will return to being the only state in the nation without school choice. If American education led the world, I would say “bravo” but it doesn’t. We need to let market forces and competition improve both public and private education. Competition always leads to a better product, always!
On each of the above issues I have heard the arguments both for and against. As I listen, I remind myself of an observation made by Chuck Missler: “The only sure barrier to truth is to assume you have it.” This is why a constitutional republic is the best form of government. It allows voters to vet representatives through the campaign process to make sure candidates share their core principles. The elected representative is then to consider all sides of an argument before voting. Sadly today we are seeing a move toward direct democracy in which big-moneyed interests take the issues directly to the voters using lies and half truths in order to line their own pockets.
Loren Lippincott represents Legislative District 34 in the Nebraska State Senate. Read his column in the Nance County Journal.