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Common Sense

Butchering the Hog

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Boy, the career-politician establishment in Nebraska is a tough nut to crack. But we did it. By golly, we did it. I hope.

As last November’s election loomed, Nebraska State Senator Dave Landis opined that voters, quote, “ought to have a broad of range of possibilities, the maximum number of qualified people able to run.”

Landis didn’t seem to understand that qualified people often don’t run at all when their district is monopolized by an incumbent. Then again, he’s been in office since 1978, so maybe he does get it.

Guy Curtis, who leads the Nebraska Term Limits Committee, says, “We’ve been trying to get legislators to enact term limits for years. But a hog won’t butcher itself.”

Voters passed term limits in Nebraska in 1992 and in 1994. Each time, judges found some flimsy excuse to declare the vote of the people null and void. Now, however, because of their actions, several of these judges have been chased from office.

And the good citizens of Nebraska just won’t take No for an answer. They did it all over again in the year 2000. Got all the signatures needed to post a ballot question. Crossed every legal “t” and dotted every constitutional “i.” Got it on the ballot. And got it passed. Again.

By a whopping margin Nebraska became the 19th state to term-limit their legislators. Will the courts try to throw out the will of the people a third time? Well . . . that might look a little suspicious.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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