Before we officially enter into the summer months, let’s give Nebraska’s agricultural economy a check-up, so is time to take an honest look at how Nebraska’s agricultural economy is really doing this year.

Last week the Farm Bureau’s chief economist, Jay Remke, released his own assessment of how Nebraska’s agricultural economy is doing. According to Remke, the outlook is not good. Remke warned that Nebraska’s farms and ranches stand in danger of losing 3.7 billion dollars this year. The primary culprit for these losses being the COVID-19 restrictions.

To break it down, Remke estimates that the beef cattle sector of the economy could lose one billion dollars alone. Corn and soybean losses could total 1.2 billion dollars, and ethanol stands to lose another 1.3 billion dollars. Pork stands to lose 166 million dollars, dairy could lose 66 million dollars, and wheat could lose 9 million dollars. So, Remke’s outlook for Nebraska’s agricultural economy is not good for this year.

Creighton University economist, Ernie Goss, also weighed in on Nebraska’s agricultural economy last week. Goss referenced an economic index for a region comprised of 10 Plains and Western states. Accordingly, the economic index for the month of June was said to be 37.9, where any score below 50 points to a struggling or shrinking economy. Only 3 percent of bankers in the studied area reported economic growth. Goss blamed the poor report on low crop prices as well as the coronavirus restrictions.

There is some good news on the horizon. The good news is that the economic index score for May was only 12.5, so the score for June shows that the agricultural economy is at least moving in the right direction.

Some more good news relates to Nebraska’s unemployment rate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nebraska now has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Nebraska’s unemployment rate currently sits at 5.2 percent. There are 54,879 workers who are unemployed in Nebraska, but this number has fallen from April’s high of 92,638 unemployed workers. While this is certainly good news, we should remember that the last time Nebraska experienced an unemployment rate this high was back in May 1983, which occurred in the middle of the farm crisis of the 1980’s.

So, the big question is this: Will Nebraska’s agricultural economy recover in time for farmers and ranchers to make ends meet? Nebraska ranks as the second worst state in the nation for farm and ranch bankruptcies, so the question remains open about whether or not we will be able to weather the current economic storm.

Because the coronavirus has made this a most unusual year for agricultural businesses in our state, I would like to encourage anyone with a small business, including farmers and ranchers, to apply for a Small Business Stabilization Grant. The State of Nebraska has appropriated some of the Cares Act monies into this program in order to help save our small businesses, farms, and ranches.

Last week I received several calls from farmers and ranchers who had trouble applying for these grants. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development temporarily shut down the program until Monday, June 22 due to concerns that too many applicants were being rejected. So, even if you were denied, please consider reapplying. Apply online at:  https://getnebraskagrowing.nebraska.gov/

Economic Development Grant Announcement – Small Business and Livestock Producers

As you know, the nation has been rocked by violent protests for the past three weeks due to the wrongful death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Last week some of these protestors even took over control of a six block section of Seattle, including a police precinct.

Nebraska has not been immune to these kinds of violent protests. Rioters in Lincoln, for example, destroyed several buildings along the Lincoln Mall near the Capitol Building, including the Blue Cross/Blue Shield building, the headquarters for the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO), and the Universal-Inland Insurance Building, which they completely torched, just to name a few.

The tragic death of George Floyd by an uncaring and reckless police officer does not justify the kind of violence we’ve been seeing in the news for the past three weeks. Two wrongs do not make a right. If it was wrong for Officer Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd, then it is also wrong for protesters to harm police officers. Even as I write this, it is being reported how another police officer was shot in the head by a gunmen in Paso Robles, California. The violence simply needs to stop!

Law enforcement officers are necessary to establish and to keep the peace. American civil society wholeheartedly depends upon our ability to govern ourselves in a civil manner. For this reason, the Preamble to the United States Constitution includes insuring “domestic Tranquility” as an essential component of forming “a more perfect Union.” That is what police officers do. They insure our domestic tranquility. Consequently, those who demand the elimination of our police departments do not understand this most basic tenet of our constitutional republic.

Conversely, those law enforcement officers who abuse their powers and who use more force than what is necessary to deescalate a situation are guilty of violating a most sacred trust placed upon them by the American people. The badge is not a license to kill or abuse. So, the United States of America is neither a police state nor an anarchy; instead, we are a nation of laws, which must be respected by all, regardless of where one stands in relationship to the thin blue line.

Having said this, I believe the time has come for all Americans to restate their appreciation and support for our law enforcement officers. Over the course of the last three weeks, we have seen several police officers pay the ultimate price for our peace and safety. Unfortunately, their lives will mostly be forgotten, save for their loved ones. Who will march in the streets or lead a protest for them? And who will defend their right to live?

Well, today I can proudly report that there are a few Americans who still care about the safety and security of their law enforcement officers. On Saturday June 13 at 11:00 a.m. a parade ran through the streets of Lincoln, honoring and supporting our law enforcement officials. By the way, that parade honored the Directive Health Measures set in place by the Department of Health and Human Services by keeping participants in cars and by marching six feet apart.

Also occurring in Lincoln on Saturday June 13 was another protest rally sponsored by the Black Lives Matter movement. While I am unable to report about how social distancing went down at that rally, it has become readily apparent that social distancing has never mattered or been respected at these rallies. In fact, it can now be safely said that social distancing matters…that is, unless you are protesting against the police.

This is the time of year when farmers and ranchers are receiving the valuations on their parcels of agricultural and horticultural lands.  While most of these valuations have been fair and accurate, some have not been.  This week I received numerous phone calls from agricultural landowners all across the state complaining about how their valuations rose astronomically this year.  Worse yet, these landowners reported to me how the rise in their valuation was due to LB372, a bill I introduced in 2019.  So, today I would like to address the concerns of these landowners and set the record straight.

LB372 was designed to correct the way the Property Assessment Division had been assessing grassland.  Prior to LB372 all agricultural land was being assessed by dryland criteria.  LB372 required the Property Assessment Division to begin using grassland specific data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as their primary source for assessing grassland. 

LB372 corrected an already known and established error in the way the Property Assessment Division had been assessing grassland.  I call it a “known error” because twice the Tax Equalization & Review Commission had recognized the Property Assessment Division’s method as an erroneous.

To illustrate this error, consider how the Property Assessment Division had been assessing grassland in the Sandhills.  The Sandhills is important because it comprises approximately one quarter of the land mass in Nebraska and about half of all the pasture land in the state.  The Property Assessment Division had been assessing all parcels of grassland with dryland cropland criteria, even though those particular soils could not hold crops.  Had they used the appropriate data from the NRCS, the soil classifications for those parcels of land would have been based upon forage production instead, making the method much more fair and accurate.

County assessors should welcome this change as it will help to bring their appraisal process into compliance with the law.  Applying a dryland farming criteria to grassland is something no reputable appraiser would ever do as it is unacceptable.

This year the Property Assessment Division began implementing the method prescribed in LB372.  Although the Property Assessment Division has gone through great lengths to train the assessors in how to use the NRCS data correctly, many discrepancies have already been found.

Before I contacted the Property Assessment Division about these problems, I set out to see for myself if assessments were being done correctly.  Consequently, I asked my own expert to reassess a certain parcel of agricultural land where the valuation had gone up $40,000 this year.  Sure enough, several discrepancies were found in the way the assessor had valuated the land.

When the Property Assessment Division trained the assessors earlier this year, they explicitly told them not to use Land Capability Groupings (LCG) as the sole basis for changing agricultural land values, yet this is precisely what some assessors have been doing this year.  For instance, slide number 14 in the training presentation specifically states:  “Agricultural land values should not change based on LCG conversion only,” and “Analysis will be required to avoid raising agricultural values in a declining market.”

As a result of the widespread confusion surrounding this conversion issue, Ruth Sorenson, who heads up the Property Assessment Division, sent out a corrective email to the assessors in all counties.  Please know that I would never introduce legislation that would adversely affect agricultural land valuations.

If you believe your land has been adversely assessed, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (402) 471-2616.  You will need to file your protest and contact your county assessor before the deadline of June 30.

Today we know a lot more about COVID-19 than we did before the outbreak first occurred in China’s Wuhan Province. Unfortunately, those who make the policies for our states, do not always get their information from the right sources.

We’ve known since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in America that the elderly were most at risk, especially those living in nursing homes and long term care facilities. We’ve known this about the coronavirus because on March 17 Stanford epidemiologist, John Ioannidis, warned the American public that “…even some mild or common-cold-like coronaviruses have been known for decades [to] have case fatality rates as high as 8 percent when they affect people in nursing homes.”

Dr. Ioannidis’s statement has since been confirmed by the data we now have about the coronavirus. Here in the United States, the problem has been greatest in our nursing homes and in our long term care facilities. In Minnesota, for example, 81 percent of all COVID-19 deaths have occurred in nursing homes and long term care facilities. In Ohio the number is 70 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, and in Pennsylvania it is 69 percent. Here in Nebraska, 55 percent of all COVID-19 deaths have occurred in nursing homes and long term care facilities.

On the national level, an average of 43 percent of all COVID-19 deaths have occurred in nursing homes and long term care facilities. So, it can be safely said that 43 percent of all COVID-19 deaths occur in facilities which house only 0.62 percent of the American population.

Therefore, America does not have a COVID-19 problem; instead, we have a nursing home problem. Because the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths occur in nursing homes and long term care facilities, I believe it is time for us to start taking the care of our elders a lot more seriously. Moreover, there is no reason to lockdown society any longer. The COVID-19 fatality rate for those under age 65 in the USA is no different than the seasonal flu.

Nebraska needs to adopt policies that are similar to Florida’s. Whereas many states have required their nursing homes and long term care facilities to accept COVID-19 patients, Florida has not. Instead, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on March 15 prohibiting nursing homes and other long term care facilities from accepting COVID-19 patients. The head of Florida’s agency for Healthcare Administration said at the time, “I understand that for 20 years it’s been ingrained, especially through Medicare reimbursement policy, to get individuals in and out [of hospitals]. That is not our focus today. I’m not going to send anyone back to a nursing home who has the slightest risk of being positive…”

In Florida all healthcare workers are required to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before entering a nursing home or other long term care facility. Florida also prioritized personal protective equipment for their nursing homes and long term care facilities early on, and the result has been that Florida’s COVID-19 death rate has paled in comparison to other states. The COVID-19 death rate in Florida is currently 4 percent compared to the national average of almost 6 percent.

While Nebraska currently enjoys a very low COVID-19 death rate, we share many of the same bad policies as New York and New Jersey, which have accelerated their death rates above 6.5 percent. New Jersey’s COVID-19 death rate is 7.2 percent. Unless we begin to care for our elderly in a similar way as Florida, we could see our COVID-19 death rate begin to accelerate. Therefore, Nebraska needs to prohibit hospitals from sending patients back to these kinds of facilities before self-isolating for 14 days.

Sen. Halloran of Hastings has drafted a letter to Gov. Ricketts which I have co-signed. That letter asks the Governor to create a new policy to protect our most vulnerable citizens by requiring those residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 to be quarantined at another location before returning to a nursing home or long term care facility. Our hospitals are not being overwhelmed, but our nursing homes and long term care facilities are being overwhelmed. Nebraska’s elderly are not expendable, and our state’s COVID-19 policies should reflect how much we care about them!

While some may read this after Memoria Day, remembering
our fallen soldiers is something we should never forget. So,
on this Memorial Day I am reminded of this poem written by
Lawrence Vaincourt back in 1987 called “A Soldier Died today”:

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.

And tho’ sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world’s a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won’t note his passing, though a soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?

A politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.

It’s so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier’s part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor while he’s here to hear the praise,
Then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.”

Enough is enough! We are now 60 days into the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic first reached American soil, predictions were made by medical experts about its severity and mortality rate. At that time they said the virus was going to be horrific because they were basing their opinions upon insufficient information about the virus. But, at that time it was all they had to go on.

Now we know the facts about COVID-19, and the facts do not back up what was originally projected to happen. The hospitals have not been overrun, we have not exceeded our ventilator usage, and the real death toll from the coronavirus has been much lower than expected. In fact, it has been very similar to an epidemic of influenza.

There is scientific proof that sunlight kills the virus. Likewise, there is no proof that anyone has ever contracted the virus by being outside. The motto to “stay home and stay safe” may not be your best option! It is now known that going outside is far safer than staying indoors.

I have received numerous emails, phone calls, and text messages from across the state. People are trying to make sense out of the Directive Health Measures that have been placed on them, especially the one limiting group sizes to ten people or less. Because of this rule, the Governor has announced that there will be no group gatherings at cemeteries on Memorial Day to honor our veterans. Instead, he plans to hold a virtual Memorial Day observance in the rotunda at the State Capitol Building, which will be televised on NET.

The veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice did so to protect our freedoms! The people currently serving in our armed forces are defending our freedoms as well. They have not, and are not currently serving in order to protect our virtual freedoms! Americans have given up a lot of their freedoms in the past 60 days, yet there is no such thing as a virtual freedom! Liberty either exists, or it does not.

The extinguishing of our freedoms has extended all the way out to include youth sports, especially Little League baseball. The restrictions placed on a child to participate in youth baseball are ridiculous. There is no way for a coach to adhere to all of the restrictions or enforce all of the new rules that have now been put into place. Instead, I believe the players and coaches need to be allowed to abide by the same rules they have had in place for years.

Even the swimming pools have been closed! The reasons for closing the pools are tenuous, at best. Why? Because chlorine kills the coronavirus. So, why are we closing the pools?

Now, the county fairs are even in jeopardy. One county official shared with me how the Extension Office is training people on how to conduct a virtual fair. Our young people have worked very hard to perfect their projects and spent their savings on them, but they will not have an opportunity to show their work or present their animals live at the county fair. It is time to lift these restrictions and let our kids be kids.

Please remember this principle: If the government is big enough to supply all of your needs, then it is also big enough to take everything you have! Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening to many of us during this pandemic. For many people these restrictions have taken away from them everything they’ve ever worked for, such as their small business or farm.

Therefore, we need to open up the economy now. Restricting businesses to 50% of their capacity does not accomplish anything at all. We as Nebraskans need to be able to make decisions about our own lives, where we go, and what we do without a government official deciding these matters for us.

People can decide for themselves whether the activity they want to engage in is dangerous or if it affects others. When it affects others, they can decide what precautions need to be taken in order to protect themselves and others.

It is peculiar that the same restrictions apply to counties that have no COVID-19 cases as those with the most numbers of cases. One size does not fit all. The Governor has already admitted that one size doesn’t fit all. Therefore, it is time for him to start differentiating between those counties which have many cases of the coronavirus from those which have zero or very few cases!

The Liberty Bell

As I write this morning, it seems that spring just cannot seem to break loose! The air is crisp and cool, which reduces my urge to go fishing down to a dream. How I love the great outdoors!

For those of you who have not seen the latest restrictions released by the Nebraska Game and Parks Department: If you own a recreational vehicle that is a self-contained vehicle, has a potable water system, and can connect to an electrical outlet, then you will be allowed to stay at select outdoor recreational areas beginning May 20. However, if you camp in a tent, you will not be allowed to stay overnight at any Game and Parks controlled facilities.

So enjoying the outdoors is not available, except for those who can afford a self-contained recreational vehicle or RV. The rest of us folks, who do not own an RV, well, we are not allowed to camp at any Nebraska Game and Park recreational areas. We can buy a park sticker and we can pay taxes, but we are not allowed to enjoy these parks which we help support.

There is no evidence to prove that anyone has ever contacted the COVID-19 virus outdoors; in fact, sunlight actually kills the virus. So, when Bill Bryan, who is the acting homeland security undersecretary for science and technology said at a White House briefing on April 23 that sunlight kills the virus, he was correct and his statement has been corroborated by infectious disease experts, such as Dr. Amesh A. Adaljah, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who has stated that ultra-violet rays from the sun kills the virus on surfaces.

For this reason, Florida refused to close all of its beaches and other outdoor venues. Some of them have stayed open and have never been closed throughout this pandemic. Florida is the Sunshine State, where UV rays from the sun kills the coronavirus on contact. So, the great outdoors really is the safest place on earth to be during a coronavirus pandemic!

We now know that a vast majority of all of those who have contacted the Covid-19 virus have done so inside their homes. As many as 80 percent of those infected were infected indoors and at home. So the Directive Health Measure which says to, “Stay Home and Stay Safe” may not be the safest thing for you to be doing after all.

With the knowledge that being outdoors is safe, why would the Nebraska Game and Parks Department restrict people from being outdoors? If the people leading the Game and Parks Department really believe that the Governor is somehow responsible for restricting visitors at our state parks, then I want to remind them about what Gov. Ricketts said last week. When asked about the restrictions the Game and Parks Department has placed on these recreational areas, he said they are an agency which makes decisions for themselves.

So, the Game and Parks Department can no longer blame Gov. Ricketts for their own uninformed decision making. It is time for the Game and Parks Department to reopen these parks for everyone, not just a select few who can afford it. It is time for them to make a decision based upon the scientific facts about being outdoors, being safe, and the coronavirus.

If you are a person who likes to camp in a tent or any other way that does not include an RV please reach out to your Game and Parks Commissioners and the management and share what you believe about who should be allowed to use these public parks. Then, go out and enjoy the great outdoors!

Indian Cave State Park

We are now approaching six weeks of America in lock down! Here is what needs to be done to reopen our economy.

First, we must protect the most vulnerable. We need to test workers in our nursing homes, hospitals and healthcare clinics, and those working in the food chain.

I have heard from many people about the financial burden that the Governor’s Directive Health Measures have put on them. One business owner shared with me how he has two businesses in two different communities. His business hasn’t been good and he will have to close both businesses and start over.

I have also heard about the lack of processing in both hogs and cattle. The plants are having a difficult time with their employees not coming to work for fear of the coronavirus. They are functioning at less than 40% capacity. So, the buck stops with the producer! The ranchers, cattle feeders, feedlot operators, and hog producers.  We will soon discover how important these folks are. There will be shortages of meat products because of these policies. What is worse is that many in the groups I just mentioned won’t be around to pick up the slack!

Another person shared with me his story about how 40 years of his work will be lost in one year. There are many of you reading this who can relate to this issue. The Governor’s policies have not only affected agriculture but manufacturing and businesses on Main Street as well. It is an equal opportunity offender!

Williams Jennings Byran once said: “Burn down our cities and leave the farms, and our cities will spring up like magic, but destroy our farms and grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country”! We are about to find out if he was right!!

A lot of people are living in fear. I understand that. We seldom ever hear any good news, such as the ten patients of coronavirus in Kimball County who have all recovered. Not everyone who gets the virus dies!

It is becoming more evident that the real number of deaths associated with the virus is not accurate. For instance, a doctor in Italy concluded that only 12% of Italians who have died in that country this year actually died from the coronavirus. That means that 88% percent died from some other cause.

Stanford University has released a report which says the number of folks who have been exposed to the virus is 85 times greater than the original estimates. So what does that mean statistically? The denominator is growing exponentially which means the percentage of deaths from the coronavirus will be no greater than the seasonal flu.

When you analyze what happened in some of our neighboring states. We realize that the leadership in those states made some very wise decisions on how to manage the virus. South Dakota is a prime example. Some will say they have a lot less population, but half of our counties have a very similar population to those in South Dakota. Yet every county in Nebraska was restricted in the same way. One size doesn’t fit all.

The cure or should I say the flattening of the curve has now extended the period of time that we can be exposed to the virus. What the Directive Health Measures have done is kill our economy and prolonged our financial agony! Isn’t it peculiar that you can sell your scrap metal for cash, but you can’t go to church! It is past time to reopen all of the economy.

Last week  we, Sen. Steve Erdman and Sen. Steve Halloran, offered a joint article challenging the current response to COVID-19.  The current policy that is being used was based upon a flawed model provided by Dr. Neil M. Ferguson, which originally projected the American death toll to be around 2.2 million on March 16. Following that wildly irresponsible projection, on March 29 Dr. Fauci stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the death toll would range from 100,000 to 200,000, then two days later, on March 31, he told the American people during a White House press conference to anticipate as much as 240,000 deaths. Finally, on April 9 he revised the number down to 60,000 deaths during an interview on NBC’s “Today Show”.

Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx are now trying to convince the American public that social distancing is the reason for these drastically revised numbers and that they should somehow be credited for these diminished numbers.  However, it defies common sense to attribute social distancing as the reason for a decline from 2.2 million down to 60,000.  Instead, the initial projection was intentionally set high in order to make these carryover bureaucrats from the Clinton and Obama administrations look credible once the actual numbers came in.  These two physicians acted immorally when they advised the President to implement a policy that was based upon flawed models.

In order to help you see this more clearly, consider that Dr. Fauci played a similar role in curbing the H1N1 pandemic ten years ago. He counseled President Obama in the same way that he counsels President Trump today.  However, when the H1N1 pandemic first hit back in 2009 he did not give the same kind of advice to President Obama that he gave to President Trump.  Under Dr. Fauci’s watch, from April 12, 2009 to April 10, 2010 the CDC recorded that there were 60.8 million cases of H1N1 in the United States, along with 274,304 hospitalizations, and 12,469 deaths. So, why didn’t Dr. Fauci advise President Obama to lock down the nation? Obama never implemented these kinds of draconian measures that we see today, such as closing down schools, even though the H1N1 posed a bigger threat to school age children than the coronavirus.  According to a January 2010 article written in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the H1N1 virus, “…caused disproportionate disease among young people…”

We have received many emails concerning the article we wrote last week.  While many were supportive, some took an opposing view.  We respect those who disagree with our perspective, but few gave any compelling data, facts or other information to counter our argument for herd immunity.

We regret that some have drawn the conclusion that we were emphasizing money over lives.  That could not be further from the truth!  Instead, we are concerned that when people lose their source of income, it will result in additional health issues.  Many of the 22 million unemployed are now without health insurance.   Moreover, domestic abuse and suicide hotlines have become overloaded.  Alcohol and drug abuse are ramping up, and long lines are now forming at food pantries.  Poverty kills.  Just as health issues skyrocketed during the days of the Great Depression, why should today be any different?

The current mitigation policies are putting undue strain on our healthcare system.  Hospitals are furloughing employees because they cannot perform elective surgeries.  Colonoscopies, breast cancer screenings, and ultrasounds are being delayed, yet these are the procedures we need in order to prevent premature deaths.  The longer we make hospitals and medical clinics forgo these procedures, the more we risk losing them altogether.

Our current methodology of flattening the curve will not reduce the number of coronavirus deaths; instead, it will simply spread those deaths out over a longer period of time.  Therefore, we have only two options before us:  (1) We can wait 12-18 months for a vaccine, or (2) we can protect those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly, those with compromised auto-immune systems, and those with hazardous medical preconditions, and allow those who are stronger and more able-bodied to interact with the virus and develop the antibodies we need to develop a herd immunity. 

God designed the human body with the ability to form a natural defense against these kinds of viruses.  That natural defense system produces the antibodies we need to fight the coronavirus. The mitigation procedures that we’ve currently set in place actually work against the body’s natural defenses. This is why we prefer the second option.

Finally, we appreciate how Nebraskans have come together in unity during this healthcare crisis.  Many deserve our gratitude, especially those doctors, nurses and first responders, who put themselves in harm’s way in order to care for us.  Thank you for your faithful service to our communities.

Now it is time to liberate Nebraska…we need to get back to living and making a living.