Columns

A couple of weeks ago, I shared my dilemma of Christmas shopping for grown children and grandchildren, and asked for feedback. One reader was kind enough to take the time to offer her advice: “We give ours the gift of meat. We get a hog/steer and get it butchered. Good food for the freezer. You could always do grocery gift certificates as well; who can say no to food?”

With the next legislative session rapidly approaching, we have been tirelessly working on the agenda for 2026, and my focus includes continued work to keep our communities safe for families and protect individual rights, foundational to our constitutional freedoms. Over the past year, Nebraska has witnessed a deeply troubling rise in domestic violence.

I have a confession to make. I am a notorious Christmas shopping procrastinator. It is not at all uncommon for me to be searching for someplace open on Christmas Eve to pick up a last-minute stocking stuffer or gift.

On her first day at the senior complex, the new manager addressed all the seniors pointing out some of her rules: “The female sleeping quarters will be out-of bounds for all males, and the male dormitory to the females.” “Anybody caught break ing this rule will be fined $20 the first time.” She continued, “Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will be fined $60.” “Being caught a third time will cost you a fine of $180.” Are there any questions?” At this point, an older gentleman stood up in the crowd inquired, “How much for a season pass?” Smiles A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who give it.

Where have all my birds gone? That’s a question that I’ve been asked a number of times. I really didn’t think much about it. I did, however, start to notice my feeder and realized that the same birds that they were concerned about were also absent from my feeder.

I’ve written about the Peyton tradition of planting a tree for a child’s birth. For our youngest son, we planted a red oak. That tree is now 35-years-old, and this year, for only the third time, it produced an abundance of acorns. According to the Internet, oak trees don’t start producing acorns until they are about 20-years-old. After that, about every three to five years is a “mast” year in which they produce a lot of acorns. That holds true for Alex’s Oak because it has been on a three to five-year cycle, producing acorns three times.

Growing Nebraska’s economy, including opportunities for family operations, is essential to sustainable tax relief for all Nebraskans, and that was the foundational purpose for the roundtable held last week in Lincoln. On Oct. 30, I partnered with the Platte Institute to host a roundtable discussion on the challenges producers and businesses face when trying to build or expand operations in Nebraska, specifically related to zoning. Participants included individual agricultural producers and representatives from organizations with expertise in zoning and land use. A recurring concern was the inconsistent and often unpredictable way counties handle zoning decisions. Attendees described tangible costs from these inconsistencies, including lost income due to delayed approvals, higher expenses while waiting for permits, and denials without clear justification. Several noted that basic opposition to growth can sometimes influence board decisions in ways that overlook the actual merits of a proposal or its potential benefit to the local economy. These obstacles make it difficult for producers and businesses to plan, invest, and grow, affecting both individual operations and the broader agricultural sector, and highlight the need for a more transparent and predictable permitting process.

Like many Americans from my generation, I grew up watching war movies and hearing battle stories at family get-togethers as retold by my uncles and cousins. And also like many, sadly, the atrocities of war have touched my family.

LB665, introduced in January of last year, was a bill intended to initiate a crucial discussion on both data security and food sovereignty in Nebraska agriculture, particularly related to the use of EID technology. This conversation continued during last week's October 31st Agriculture committee hearing on my LR153, a study aimed at helping policymakers and producers understand the risks associated with electronic identification (EID) technology concerning data privacy, cyber vulnerabilities, and foreign interference.

This will boggle your mind. Here are some statistics for the Year 1918: • The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.