Nebraska Citizen

Of course, the next questions are, what are the best interests of Jerry’s family, and what he believes are his community’s interests.

“I think there are several things. Economic development. Property taxes need to be reduced, and methamphetamine is a major problem. Cass and Otoe counties rank number one and number two, and it is a major problem and going to be a major expense on the State. I want to be involved in those issues, besides being able to benefit agriculture with my experience in that area.”

Economic development, property taxes and meth, along with the funding of schools, will be the primary issues for Jerry’s campaign. He wants to be a voice of the people.

Jerry farms 400 acres in addition to operating his dairy. He and his father raise corn, beans and hay.

I asked Jerry if he had been involved in politics before. He said he has served on corporate boards and the Cass County Extension Board for 13 years. That was an elected position for many years. He was on the Dairy Council and the Nebraska Dairy Industry Development Board as the chairman. He has been involved in agriculture issues on the State level.

We switched topics and talked about Jerry’s position on life. Jerry believes that life begins at conception. He would permit abortions to protect the life of the mother and in the cases of rape and incest. Jerry does not believe that stem cell research based on fetal stem cells is appropriate. He is not willing to exchange one life for another. He supports stem cell research based on the umbilical cord.

We spoke briefly about the death penalty. Jerry supports the death penalty and believes there should be a limit on the number of appeals that can be made.

We then talked about the prisons. I noted the prisons are above capacity and asked Jerry if he would prefer to see another prison built or if he felt it was better to reduce the sentences for drug use, which is the primary reason for the increase in the prison population. Jerry said, “I think we need to look at what type of treatments we can do to help with drug treatment and to help reduce the costs. For example, I believe the cost for meth treatment is $50,000 a year for three years, for a total cost of $150,000. I think we need to look at better ways to treat individuals and to look at creative ways to help. I think we need to look at both sides. We should not let a hardened criminal out, but we should look at treatment for drugs. We need to look at the best use of our money. We need to consider if that is treatment or the construction of a facility. We need to look at all of the angles and the best dollar-for-dollar use of money. But, the safety of the community has to be priority number one.”

I asked about helping those on a fixed income pay for the ever-increasing costs of prescription drugs. Jerry feels that we are going to have to do something to help those on fixed incomes, or they will not be able to afford their drugs. As a legislator, Jerry would look at ways to help. He wants to look at all of the factors and consider the best way to do that.

Nebraska is receiving more tax revenue than it is committed to spending. Jerry would replenish the reserve and then return the rest to the taxpayer. He would also like to use some of the money to help reduce property taxes and to help create economic development opportunities. He feels that we need to return as much money to the individual taxpayers as possible.

Sales via the Internet are becoming more common. I asked if those sales should be taxed. Jerry felt that it would be very difficult to collect such taxes. He doesn’t believe we can tax the Internet and expect to get a lot of revenue for the State. We talked briefly about taxing Internet-based phone calls. Jerry does not believe that phone calls made through the Internet should be taxed.

We talked about guns. Jerry owns guns. He believes that guns should be in the open. He also believes there should be minimal limits on gun rights.

We also talked about schools. Jerry feels that it is important that schools receive a consistent amount of State aid so that their revenues streams are not fluctuating a large amount each year. We also talked about the right of a school to expel a student permanently. Jerry believes that going to school is a privilege and that riding a school bus is a privilege. “If it gets to a point where there is no respect and it is causing problems, then those privileges can be removed.”

I asked if he believes in global warming. He said “No.” I asked if his cows were causing things to heat up. He said they might cause a minute increase but that there are much bigger issues.

I asked if he would support nuclear power plants being built in Nebraska. Jerry said, “Yes.”

Water is a huge issue. I asked Jerry if he irrigates. He does not. He is a dryland farmer. However, he is familiar with the irrigation issues in the western portion of the State. I asked what he thought should happen. He believes we need to make sure that there is water for both farmers and the cities.

I mentioned that it appears that Nebraska is going to have to pay about $20 million to Kansas for Nebraska being over its allocation of water. I asked if Nebraska should take irrigated land out of production or find some other solution. Jerry said that he thought there were other solutions that could work. “There are some things that the State can do to help increase the amount of water available and work things out between States. The State has considered moving water from the Missouri to ponds and rivers, but that didn’t happen because it rained. There are things we can do to improve our natural resources. Having water also means that people can have places to recreate.”

I then asked about gay marriages. Jerry does not believe that gays should be permitted to marry in Nebraska. I asked if they should be permitted civil unions. He also opposes that.

I asked about the idea of tax breaks to encourage businesses to expand in Nebraska. Jerry believes that is a good thing to do. I asked if the State should fund venture capital funds to help create new businesses. Jerry thinks the State should. He also supports continued State support for ethanol development.

We talked about tax discounts or financial incentives to help persuade doctors and nurses to locate in rural Nebraska. He believes that is a benefit to the community and it is something he can support.

We talked about gambling. Jerry opposes casino gambling. Jerry supports continued charity gambling. He sees them as being on a different scale. He does not like the impact more intense gambling will have on communities and families.

I asked what committees Jerry wants to be on. He believes his district is about 50% urban and 50% agriculture. He wants to be on committees that deal with economic development, agriculture, and veterans’ affairs. He wants to be on the committees that will best help his district.

Jerry is a 3rd generation dairy farmer and milks three times a day. I asked how a dairy farmer could have time to serve in the Legislature. He said he would hire someone to cover the dairy while in session. Jerry has been active in 4H and boy scouts, has served as a basketball coach and in politics, and gets involved in issues that are important. He has always made time to take care of his family and made time to farm. “You take care of the issues that are important.”

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