Columns

The most fulfilling aspect about representing the people of Nebraska’s Third District is the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of my constituents. Through casework and timely constituent services, my staff in Nebraska and Washington assist individuals on a daily basis who are trying to maneuver through the federal bureaucracy.

Our nation faces unprecedented economic challenges, and rural communities are certainly not immune. Agriculture plays a critical role in the economic outlook of Nebraska, and certainly our country and the entire world. In fact, the typical Nebraska farmer feeds 155 people per year, a great source of pride for our state.

Religious liberty is America’s first and founding principle. Our nation was built and settled by generations of people who fled the tyranny and religious oppression of their homelands. Our Founders sought to preserve religious liberty by ensuring this nation protected against the establishment of any law impeding the free exercise of one's religious beliefs.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the “stimulus,” turned three years old on Friday. When properly accounted, the price tag for this historic spending law is more than $1.1 trillion. To put this figure in perspective, the stimulus is more than twice the size of the New Deal and more than the entire value of Australia’s economy.

As a former chairman of the House Budget Committee once said, “If you can’t budget, you can’t govern.” Budgeting is one of the most basic things people do. Families and businesses in Nebraska budget every day, figuring out what their needs are and how they are to be met.

When talking to residents in the Third District, issues of access are often discussed: access to health care, veteran services, and, certainly, transportation. One important initiative which facilitates transportation access is the Essential Air Service (EAS). This program provides airline service to smaller, rural areas and ensures access to the national transportation system.

This past week President Obama delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. Traditionally this speech has been a chance for the President to outline his agenda for the coming year. After more than three years of economic hardship, this was the time to chart a new path forward to put our nation back on a sounder fiscal and economic footing.

Thomas Jefferson once opined, “History convinces me that most bad government has grown out of too much government.” Never has this sentiment proven to be more true than today. Certainly, I could point to numerous examples of the ill effects of bureaucratic largesse.