The wokes are at it again
The movies, television and other media, with their woke and political correctness and crude jokes, blasphemous words and innuendos, are now accepted as our way of life in the USA. How much lower will our morals sink? Our motto we displayed on both our coins and bills state, “In God We Trust,” has become a mockery. We don’t trust God and we can hardly trust our currency.
As a veteran, I hate to see our flag disrespected and those guilty are influencing our vulnerable youth who admire their gifts and talents. The flag represents those who died for us, the wounded physically, mentally, emotionally and their families and those imprisoned even now.
As a retired minister, do we mention sin as the Bible calls it? What kind of examples are we? None of us are perfect and should not have a “holier than thou attitude,” but we should be different — not sinless but sin less. Preach the truth in love truthfully. The truth hurts but it brings conviction, repentance and restoration. People are broken and chained by harmful habits — Christ is the solution.
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There is a promise, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (Note the word “if”)
Doug De Neui
Pleasanton
Senate appointment reeks to high Heaven
I don’t care for politics, but I do care about Nebraska and what is best for our state. In regards to the opening of Nebraska’s seat in the U.S. Senate, never has there been a more obvious example of how the “money talks” and “good old boy” systems work. I am disappointed in both the former and new governors.
I will hope for more, but I am expecting less.
Julie Vock
Grand Island
GOP a party of lies
The mountain of lies told by newly elected Rep. George Santos can be dismissed as unique to a disturbed person. But the failure of the Republican Party to condemn the lies cannot be dismissed. It is a continuation of the Republican failure to speak truth to the lies espoused by the powerful. Allowing a plethora of lies about crowd size to stolen elections to go unchallenged has led to an atmosphere where honesty and integrity are no longer the foundation for political discourse, much to the detriment of us all.
Marvin Andersen
Grand Island
Prescription drug cost relief
Here in Nebraska and across the country, a law passed last year will reduce the cost of prescription drugs and provide new benefits for millions of seniors.
After years of pressing Congress to make prescriptions more affordable, we won the fight for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and help seniors save money on their medications. And there’s more.
Starting now in January, the law limits the cost of insulin to $35 a month for people on Medicare. Also, Medicare enrollees won’t have any out-of-pocket costs for vaccines that the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends for adults. This includes the shingles vaccine, which has had a high cost share but is now free for all Medicare enrollees.
The law will penalize drug companies if they raise prescription drug prices higher than the inflation rate. And starting in 2025 there will be a $2,000 annual cap on what seniors in Medicare plans will have to pay out of pocket for their medications.
The law is expected to save taxpayers and Medicare hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. Americans have had to pay three times more for their medications than people in other countries pay for the same drugs. With the impact of inflation on all of us, seniors who worked hard their entire lives shouldn’t have to choose between filling a prescription or buying gas and groceries.
Suzan DeCamp,
State president, AARP Nebraska
Omaha
Thinking of some amazing individuals
Learning more about the amazing person Damar Hamlin is. Even at a younger age, he was selfless, caring, compassionate and an upstanding kid. Heartbreaking. My thoughts go out to him, his family, the Buffalo Bills and all involved.
Pope Benedict XVI will be greatly missed by Catholics worldwide. He was a great theologian, who shaped the modern Catholic Church in many ways.
Pope Benedict XVI, RIP.
Barbara Walters was a trailblazing journalist. She broke down doors for many female journalists. Her interview style was legendary — often imitated and never replicated.
We will remember Barbara Walters always and forever.
Barbara Walters, RIP.
Paul Bacon
Hallendale, Fla.
Trouble with state education testing
One of the worse misrepresentations required by the federal government in our statewide educational testing is that any student not taking the test is counted in the average scores with a zero score. For Grand Island High School, this has a significant impact.
Comparing the average scores at Grand Island Senior High in the mandatory 11th grade ACT test in 2021-22 using the method required by the U.S. Department of Education to the method that includes only those that are actually tested results in:
• English — 13.56 goes to 14.38 when the 35 students not tested are excluded
• Math — 15.10 goes to 16.05 when the 36 students not tested are excluded
• Science — 15.48 goes to 16.56 when the 40 students not tested are excluded
It is important to understand that the ACT test is a test to measure the likelihood of success at a major college or university — a discriminatory test for many GISH students who do not aspire to attend college.
Most of the schools that had large increases in students opting out of testing, were high poverty schools. At GISH, during the pandemic, the number of students not tested increase by about 300%. That means, comparing GISH to other schools or even comparing GISH to other years at GISH is likely misleading.
There is no doubt that the outstanding teachers at GISH will make up the shortfall from the pandemic in short order. The challenge is, as it has been for a half century, to get GISH scores close to those at schools like the more affluent Elkhorn South where the average English score was over 23 points in each of the three subjects tested. That will take federal and state legislators to address child poverty and its horrific impacts on education.
Bert Peterson
Hastings
McCarthy a fool, Trump a bully
So Kevin McCarthy is the Speaker of the House. His behavior made him a bigger fool. He must have taken lessons from his pal, Donald Trump — a 10-year-old bully on a school ground.
Patricia Northrop
Grand Island