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Editorial

PROTECTING MEDICARE AS OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGINS

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There are two approaches to meet the health care needs of Americans. The first way is a command economy approach, such as the Medicare for All effort, which uses mandates to force patients, providers, and insurers to take action – demonstrated under Obamacare to worsen access and drive up costs. The second way is to use the marketplace to drive down costs and improve consumer access like we used in constructing Medicare Part D to improve prescription access for seniors. An important part of this process is Medicare Open Enrollment, which runs from October 15 through December 7.

CORNHUSKERS IN DEMAND:

Cornhusking was once an annual autumn activity on many Nebraska farms. Before the advent of the mechanical corn picker, the corn crop was harvested by hand and “shucked” in the field. This activity usually called for extra hired men, whose only tools were pegs or hooks strapped to their palms.

SLASHING RED TAPE

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In 2016, the last year of the Obama administration, 3,853 federal regulations were issued. While some regulations, such as those explaining how the executive branch will implement new laws or setting how much Medicare pays medical providers each year, are necessary, many merely pile new bureaucracy onto old in an effort to micromanage our nation from Washington. Fortunately, Congress has a mechanism to provide expedited consideration of disapproving of overreaching regulations, and in 2017 we passed and President Trump signed into law 14 bills repealing many of the most egregious overreaches of the outgoing Obama administration. The Trump Administration has also rolled back many of these regulations, such as Waters of the United States, or WOTUS, which we could not repeal legislatively because the resolutions were vetoed by President Obama.

A Fortune In Spain - Maybe!!!

Modern attempts to defraud the unwary via the internet by offering cash rewards in exchange for helping someone recover funds (with the helper required to make an upfront payment for "minor expenses" or to prove good faith) are nothing new. The Kearney Daily Hub on March 29, 1933, reported that several Kearney residents had been offered the chance to earn $120,000 in return for sending a cablegram and a few $20 dollar bills to Spain.

A V-SHAPED RECOVERY

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In a typical year, the six months from the start of spring to the start of fall fly by: we celebrate summer breaks, family vacations, weddings, and graduations; crops are planted and grown, and harvest begins. These last six months could not have felt more different. Almost every portion of our lives was somehow impacted by the coronavirus and our efforts to fight it. To get back to “normal,” we have work to do.

Beauty Hints From The Early 20th Century

Tanned skin has not always been a mark of beauty. Mollie Dorsey Sanford's diary from 1867 described the problem and an unusual solution used by Mollie and her young sister: "We are tanned awfully and look a little rough I know. The little boys have been, for sport, besmearing their faces with the black mud that settles in the bottom of the creek. They discovered it took the tan and sunburn off. . . . So one day last week we donned our bathing suits and sneaked off to the creek. Doing our heads up in cotton handkerchiefs, we plastered our faces thickly over with the black mud. Although we have found ourselves a few shades whiter, I think we will not try it again soon."

STRENGTHENING OUR TIES

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The United States has enjoyed a strategic partnership and friendship with Israel since President Truman recognized the modern state only eleven minutes after its founding in 1948. They remain our most important ally in the Middle East as the only true democratic republic in the region. From the early days of this republic until now, the U.S. has worked steadfastly to help Israel defend itself while remaining committed to the ultimate goal of peace in the region. We have not lost sight of this goal, even as COVID-19 has impacted day-to-day life in both our nations.

Gaining & Losing: Dahlman and Taft

James C. Dahlman, the colorful “perpetual mayor of Omaha,” made a jovial offer to President William Howard Taft just prior to Taft’s brief visit to Omaha in September of 1909. Mayor Dahlman, said the Omaha Daily News of August 14th, “has become imbued with a strong desire to take on a little adipose tissue. He wants to add to his stage presence (when delivering Chautauqua lectures) by increasing his girth an inch or so and otherwise making his anatomical perspective more pleasing spective more pleasing when viewed from a chautauqua seat. . . . On the other hand, President Taft wants to rid himself of something like fifty pounds of embonpoint. He has engaged a masseur and is taking daily exercises.”

ON TO PHASE II WITH JAPAN

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Expanding trade opportunities by opening more markets for U.S. ag producers, manufacturers, and service providers is one of the best ways to strengthen our economy and provide stability for producers and consumers. Finding new trading partners while strengthening existing relationships with allies like Japan, is of the utmost importance. The market access we gained in Phase One of the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement, which President Trump signed last year, was significant and we should not squander the opportunity to complete the deal.

OSCAR WILDE IN OMAHA:

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In the spring of 1882, Oscar Wilde, English poet and self-styled aesthetic, visited the unpolished State of Nebraska during a lecture tour. Wilde, his business manager, and a servant arrived in Omaha on March 21st, from Sioux City and checked into the Withnell House. That evening he spoke at Boyd’s Opera House, where he discussed his theory of beauty.