State of MY politics

I am a Nebraskan. A Husker, wandering lost on the Eastern Coast.From a cultural standpoint, this means I appreciate a well-seasoned Runza, and know what steak is actually supposed to taste like.I also appreciate how it is to be cooked, and what you put on it when it’s “done.”If these observations leave a question mark in your mind, it’s because you aren’t as well cultured as we Huskers, lol.It also means that for me, High School civics was a series of lessons about the Unicameral.Wikipedia might tell you a bit more about us, but I haven’t checked it lately, and don’t know if any of my fellow red-blooders have taken the time off from harvest, or planting, or milking to bother to inform you about how an effective government works.You might have heard about the Unicam in the news this year, if you’re a news junkie like me.I still have friends at the television station where I wrote newscasts in the valley of uncertainty after I ended my military stint. And I still watch my hometown news.I have a favorite Senator. His name is Ernie Chambers, and he represents North Omaha. His picture is the one at the top of this blog. He made national headlines by proposing that the only public school district I ever attended be broken up into a triumvirate of separate administrations representing Black, White, and Hispanic school districts.Insane is what they called him.Not so much, but that’s because the rest of the world doesn’t understand the good Senator.He’s not. He’s just a throwback.I haven’t seen Mr. Chambers for almost 20 years, but when my co-worker knocked on my office door to tell me that there was a black Nebraska state Senator on CNN I remembered him well enough to ask if he was wearing a gray sweatshirt, and jeans.He’s a genius who used to cut hair on 24th Street.He raises the kinda unrest and hell in the Senate back home that I’d like to cause in life.He’s “one of us.” He’s ALWAYS been, but sadly you’ll probably never hear of him. When I was growing up, Nebraska was a state that had fewer than a million people, about 13 percent of whom were black.I don’t know the exact number, but I’ll bet Senator Chambers represented just about all of us.Nebraskans decided we don’t need two separate houses of legislation. Unless you’re one of us, YOUR state has a House of Representatives, and a Senate. You ALSO probably pick your committee chairmen by majority party. My Congress can kick YOUR congresses ass.You don’t need both.In Nebraska, you are elected from a neighborhood. To run, you just get your name put on the ballot. You're neither a Republican nor Democrat--you are a name. People either know you, and are willing to vote for you, or not. You don't go to the Unicameral to represent the interests of some generic political party, you go there to represent the people who sent you there. You become chair of a committee because the people on that committee believe you can get the job done. You stay for 4 years, divided into 4 legislative sessions that last 90 days in odd numbered years, and 60 days in even. You make $12,000 each year for performing the service, then you go home. We also split our electoral college votes. Hasn't happened in recent history, because the State has gone solidly one way or the other, but when its significantly split ... the winner get a majority, not a totality.The NATION needs two houses of legislation. The NATION has 300 million people, plus an estimated 30-million illegal “immigrants.Your state … not so much.My state … is smarter than your state because they figured this out early in the game.Two houses means you have to pay a lot more people out of your paycheck. And unless they’re putting money back INTO your check, you’ve got too many people on the payroll.Next time you’re on the internet and none of your friends is around to chat with, look us up.You’ll be surprised that we’re more than just the best football in the nation.

(Originally posted 12 Aug 06)