Letters, 2/20: Candidates ‘just politicians’

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Many of us Americans are disenchanted with this year’s presidential hopefuls. What we need in a candidate is someone who is qualified to tackle our nation’s financial woes. And we need someone with administrative experience.

We did have a candidate who has what we need: highly successful in private business — knows how to turn red ink to black — and has had administrative experience. But he suspended his campaign because too many caucus voters, ignoring the qualifications we need in our next leader, are choosing instead the silver-tongued rhetoric of the other candidates.

Three of the four currently vying for the biggest administrative job in the world have no administrative experience; none has ever managed a corporate budget. Instead, they are offering us socialized medicine and pro-amnesty. To add insult to injury, they belong to the current Congress, which has a dismal 22 percent approval rating. As Paul Harvey says, they are lacking in what we need — “they are just politicians.”

I fear we voters are being painted into a corner.

Phyllis Roehl, Lincoln  

Americruise uses fairground

We talk about Nebraska football, order restored, returning to traditions, and we all feel good again. Then we have the university wanting to take our fairgrounds, telling us how great this will be. They can trade us that treeless land along 84th Street, and the future economic benefits will be great.

Being from one of the original pioneering families that settled in Lincoln in 1869, I have this to say: What about our traditions? Think of all the generations of families who went to the Nebraska State Fair, who remember all the historic buildings and good times.

 There is something that brings Lincoln national recognition besides Nebraska football. It’s called Americruise. It brings people from all over the United States and other countries.

Americruise comes to Lincoln because of the nice shaded fairgrounds, all the great car clubs in Lincoln, the nice people and the fact that Speedway Motors is here. Do you think they will want to come here to stand in the hot sun on the land out at 84th Street with no shade?

Do you know how much money Americruise brings into Lincoln and the surrounding towns in Nebraska? The word is spreading on how great the fairgrounds is for events like that and others. With no shade on 84th Street, that will be over.

The fair belongs to the people of this state. So the people and only the people of this state should decide if the fair should move and to where.

The university has land on its East Campus it can use. How would the university feel about trading the whole East Campus for the fairgrounds? I bet they wouldn’t like that. Well, that’s how we feel about the fair being moved.

Dan Meier, Lincoln

Diversity of educational value

The latest issue facing Lincoln and our education system is that of affirmative action at the university. A petition led by Californian Ward Connerly has targeted Nebraska in his campaign to ban affirmative action.

The article that ran in the Lincoln Journal Star on Jan. 19 quoted University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman saying that “this petition sends a message that Nebraskans don’t care about diversity.” As a student who attends a small high school that doesn’t even recognize Martin Luther King’s birthday as a holiday, I could not agree more. 

For the past two years, every Sunday I have driven to Lincoln to be a member of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally and March Planning Committee because it has been my opportunity to gain experiences I cannot get in my rural community.

Preparing to begin my higher education, I fortunately was lucky enough to find what I was looking for right here in Lincoln. Within the year, I will enroll at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been waiting for a chance to live and experience a world that I’ve been unable to as a student growing up in a rural community. 

My excitement for this experience will undoubtedly be in jeopardy if Ward Connerly is successful in his quest for the ban of affirmative action in our state. As Nebraskans, now is the time to fight for the diversity of our community, because everyone not only deserves to learn from an institution, but we also deserve the great gift to be able learn from each other. 

Emily Koopmann, Raymond, co-chair, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Rally and March

Interest rate cuts not good

A favorite investment for those in the middle class has been certificates of deposit. They are relatively safe as far as capital investment is concerned and ordinarily pay a modest but reasonably good return.

That situation has changed drastically in recent months. The Fed, in its attempt to heal the economy, has dropped rates more drastically than it has in many years (1.25 percentage points in just a couple of weeks, on top of several previous drops).

The result: The income percentage on our certificates has dropped in recent months, and the recent action of the Fed will have a drastic effect.

The total income drop for those middle class investors will surely be in the billions. That’s money we will be unable to spend or use to pay our bills. Many of us also have some investments in stock (401ks, mutual funds, etc.), and they’ve taken some hard hits.

Financial experts praise to the heavens all the Fed cuts and call for more. Are they completely blind to the effect on many of us?

Dan A. Williams, Lincoln