We The People

Over the course of the past several months, I continually use the phrase, “We The People.” When I think about this phrase, I think of our Founding Fathers who had the great vision in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America. To me, in many ways, this is a call to action!

We are lucky in our country to have had those who have fought before us to protect our great freedoms. During debates in the Legislature, City Council, County Board, School Board, and other levels of government, I constantly think, “We The People” need to stand up and let our voice be heard to those elected to serve us. I often talk about the importance of standing up and getting involved. “We The People” must make sure we invest the time in getting involved and in reaching out to our elected officials.

In Nebraska, we are blessed to have a system of government whereby each and every bill introduced in the Legislature has a hearing where “We The People” have the opportunity to go before our elected officials and share our stances, our beliefs, our passion for our state and community, and our support or opposition of the bills being taken up in the Legislature. In Lincoln, once a month, “We The People” have the chance to take part in an “open mic night” where we can address any issue of our choosing to the City Council. “We The People” have the chance to testify before the City Council on the agenda items being considered. What a great opportunity for our voices to be heard.

I will continue encouraging everyone to pay attention to what is happening at every level of government and be prepared to call or email our elected officials. “We The People” must make sure our voices are heard. It is vital to share our ideas and be civil in our communication to encourage our elected officials to consider our points of view when making policy decisions. It is so very important.

Let me share an example of making calls to ensure our voice is heard. Earlier this year, LIBA was involved in discussions and negotiating compromise to the Land Bank bill in the Nebraska Legislature. We had agreed upon a set of changes to which we felt were improving this legislation under consideration. As it was coming up for debate in the recent 17-day session, I noted several of the changes we had agreed upon had again been removed from the bill. I reached out to state senators and others with interest in the bill and shared LIBA’s disappointment with the elimination of the agreed upon compromises. After reaching out to others, we were able to get a meeting where a group of us were able to sit in a room and walk through the bill in order to make it better for the people of Lincoln and the people of Nebraska. This happened because “We The People” were able to share our voice and make contact.

I believe it is time for “We The People” to stand up and make sure our voices are heard and there are many ways to do so. We can make calls, send emails, show up to testify, and have others do the same. When “We The People” stand up and share our views, we can truly make an impact.

Right now, people all over our community are hurting because of the impacts of this pandemic on individuals, families, and business. “We The People” are going to need to band together in order to make sure we help one another get through these unprecedented times in our country.

I wish you and your family all the best as we continue dealing with this pandemic. “We The People” are strong and will persevere in order to get through this time of uncertainty.

LIBA studies and promotes these types of issues that are important to businesses and our community. If you have an interest in joining, please call LIBA at (402) 466-3419. LIBA membership is not restricted to just businesses. We also have “individual” memberships for those who want to help influence our local government decisions.