Happy New Year! As is the case with most New Years, things change, and that is the case this year. This will be the last weekly article that I write as a Nebraska State Senator. Following me will be Nebraska State Senator, Paul Strommen, who will represent the people of Legislative District 47 in the Unicameral Legislature. Being a State Senator has not only been the most challenging job I have ever had, but in many ways, it has also been the most rewarding position I have ever held.

Helping the people of Nebraska resolve issues that were difficult was the best part of being a State Senator. I tried to respond to as many people as possible. Many people who contacted me or my office had problems which seemed to be unresolvable. In most cases we found solutions which made a difference and helped resolve the case. My attitude has always been that if someone contacted my office who lived anywhere in the State of Nebraska, I would respond and try to help in any way that I could. I considered myself a State Senator and not just the Senator for Legislative District 47.

It has been good to hear from so many of the readers of my weekly column. Several readers have indicated to me how much they look forward to reading the articles. There have been times over the past eight years when it has been difficult for me to select a relevant topic that would connect with the readership. However, I discovered over time that there are a lot of people living in Western Nebraska who possess common sense and who share my values. Many have expressed to me personally how much they agree with what I write and they just needed someone to articulate it in print for them. It has been my sincere hope that that is what these weekly articles have done for you as well.

I will miss the interaction that I’ve had with so many Nebraskans who have reached out to me after reading one of my Straight Talk from Steve… articles. Some had the desire to further discuss the issue with me. Others would reach out just to express their gratitude to me for writing the articles.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my staff, Joel Hunt and Kathy Graham for their help, especially when I had difficulty coming up with an idea to write about. They would make recommendations, take down my thoughts, and arrange them into a readable article.

It is amazing how fast eight years passes. We have saved every article and press release that I have ever written. That amounts to more than 400 documents. I have reached out to a publisher with the intent to put all of these articles into book form.

Joel Hunt is an author who understands how to format these and has helped me arrange the articles into book form. Without his help the task would have been too difficult for me to accomplish on my own. The title of the book will be, “Common Sense is a Flower that Does Not Grow in Everyone’s Garden.” After the book is published, I will let readers know how they can get a copy of the book.

Thank you for supporting me these past eight years. Thank you for reading my articles, and thank you for allowing me to represent you in the Nebraska State Legislature! It has been an honor to serve you!  May God’s providential care keep watch over Nebraska and may God richly bless You!