107TH LEGISLATURE INTERIM 

Mike and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving seeing the faces of our children and grandchildren around our table. I hope you and your family were able to spend some extended time together as well. It is always a busy time as a State Legislator during the holiday season. I am working to prepare our home for Christmas while I and my staff work to be prepared for the Legislative Session to kick off at the first of the year. There is nothing more refreshing to me than to be back home, surrounded by my friends and family.  They are the very reason we do what we do at the Capitol each Session. The life we live in rural Nebraska is a rare experience worth fighting for.

CRITICAL RACE THEORY

It is vital today that leaders in public policy, education fields and throughout our society focus on building environments that help all Americans become better citizens. I find myself very concerned about the divisive ideology of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that is tearing at the fabric of our nation. I think it is important to stop and get some clarity on the reality of what CRT really is.

By definition, Critical Race Theory (CRT) denies that race is a natural, biological or physical attribute of human beings and teaches instead that race is a socially constructed or invented category used to exploit people of color.  Consequently, CRT holds that every American social institution is inherently racist and that all white people are automatically born into a position of privilege. CRT, founded in Marxism, contends that America is fundamentally racist and that its institutions are tainted by this racism. Proponents of CRT seek to “fix” America’s racism and achieve “equity” by a process of racial discrimination in which people in our country would be pitted against one another. Rather than identifying specific instances of racism and rooting them out, CRT seeks to define communities based on racial lines and to build public policy and redistribute resources based on skin color.

According to Fox News, “the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics released their biannual Harvard youth poll. They’ve been doing the poll for 20 years, asking 18- to 29-year-olds…what they think about the state of our country. Over a thousand young Americans were polled. The margin of error was three percent. …31 percent said America is the greatest country in the world. …Here’s why…31 percent matters. If you go by the old adage, “The children are the future,” then plain as day, this poll shows that the future hates America, or at least they think there’s nothing special about America. “It’s just…one of many countries.” America was founded on Western Christian principles. Our founders? The product of the fusion, the beauty, the brilliance of Athens and Rome and Jerusalem. They knew and understood the Bible inside and out. They knew Latin. They understood the classics, and they understood human nature: who we are as sinful creatures…hell-bent on power and greed. They built the system – the first in human history – designed to restrain government and protect God-given rights for the individual: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness… So while for decades, patriots and conservatives fought for good things like free markets and defeating communists and Islamists, the left focused on culture and classrooms. They specifically targeted the way we educate our young people by focusing on removing the most important ingredients. They knew our Judeo-Christian faith and tradition were the key to our human freedoms. Our founders understood that; George Washington talked about it. So the progressives knew they had to get rid of it.”

In this day and age as social media has become a platform of misinformation it is vital that as parents and grandparents we know what is being taught to our children in our publicly funded schools. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars, our local school systems, and the heart of our communities are at risk of being infiltrated with an ideology that America and Amercians are bad. There is an attempt to rewrite the very history of this country and its formation. I appreciate Governor Ricketts recent comment about CRT and UNL where he said, “From racially motivated hiring practices to harmful trainings, the University’s plan would inject Critical Race Theory into every corner of campus,”  “It will pit people against each other by conditioning everyone to see others through the lens of race rather than as individuals with unique strengths.  UNL’s focus should be on educational excellence, not ideological indoctrination.”

I believe that if CRT continues to be taught to our children there will be no America left for our children.

PROUD OF WINSIDE

Winside Mutual Aid Meeting, Winside Fire Department

I want to congratulate Steve and Michele Jorgensen for receiving an honor from Governor Pete Ricketts as a result of their bravery in likely saving the lives of three people during a July 3 house fire. Steve and Michele were honored as Nebraska Navy admirals by Governor Ricketts in front of a crowd of volunteer firefighters. I am grateful to the Jorgensen’s for risking their lives in order to save others. We are proud to have you live in District 17!

NEBRASKA’S NEW 511 WEBSITE ADDS WEATHER RADAR

The new NE 511 site is mobile-responsive and includes new features such as the Weather Radar layer, My Favorite Cameras, and searchable list views of road reports, cameras, and weather stations. State officials said the additions to the 511 system will make it easier for motorists and truckers to determine whether it’s safe to travel. The update, which will cost $150,000, includes National Weather Service radar, a special page for commercial drivers and a new “crowdsourcing” feature, which will allow motorists to provide feedback on road conditions. The 511 app and website relay up-to-date information about road closures and road conditions (wet, snow-covered, etc.), and allow motorists to access roadside video cameras installed across the state. The website for the 511 system is dot.nebraska.gov/travel/511/. 

I always enjoy hearing from you. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact me at 402-471-2716 or jalbrecht@leg.ne.gov.