What Did the Founders Say About Democracy?
The story goes that Benjamin Franklin was approached by a woman as he left the Constitutional Convention [1. Recorded by Constitution signer James McHenry in his diary which was reprinted…
NE Public Employee Pay, Benefits: Even the Journal Star Sees Need for Reform
By Shelli Dawdy GiN is frequently at odds with the Lincoln Journal Star’s editorial board, but for once we agree. Nebraska’s municipalities, counties, and the State simply cannot afford the status quo regarding how public employees’ salaries and benefits are determined. In an editorial published December 16, Lincoln Journal Star cited the recent raises granted [...]
Nebraska Needs A State Treasurer! Vote NO on Amendment 2
By Shelli Dawdy There are two proposed amendments to the State Constitution on the ballot next Tuesday. To read about Amendment 1, click HERE. Amendment 2 is a proposal put forward by Nebraska’s legislature to eliminate the State Treasurer’s office. We are intuitively opposed to the elimination of a core constitutional office. Someone needs to [...]
Fur Flying Over Journal Star Column on Progressivism By Shelli
By Shelli Dawdy The publishing of my editorial in the Lincoln Journal Star on Wednesday and resulting comments on the paper’s website is a good time to recall other GiN members’ articles and urge GiN members and site visitors to engage in the debate. At the beginning of October, the Lincoln Journal Star published three [...]
GiN Whine List First Honorees: The Green Shirts
The City of Lincoln budget has been in trouble year after year. One of the reasons is the very loud folks who show up at every turn to demanding that every city program remain in place. Grassroots in Nebraska has a new feature: The Whine List. Some recent attendees of a City Council meeting are a first "honorees".
A Republic If You Can Keep It
The story goes that Benjamin Franklin was approached by a woman as he left the Constitutional Convention (1, 2). She asked, “What have you given us?” Franklin is said to have replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” This exchange was common knowledge 50 years or so ago, as commonly taught to schoolchildren as [...]
Ignorance is Bliss? No. Ignorance is Ignorance.
“More than 200 years later, we’re still trying to nail down who exactly these men were and what exactly they believed.” Upon reading this line from Micah Mertes’ article “Whose Side are the Founders On?” in the July 4th edition of the Lincoln Journal Star, I wanted to ask a few questions of my own. [...]
Whose Side ARE the Founders On? Easy.
By Shelli Dawdy This is the third and final in a series examining an article in the Lincoln Journal Star on July 4 entitled “Whose side are the Founding Fathers on?” Just click one of the titles to read the first part: “The Founding? Move Along Folks, Nothing to See There. Onward Progress!” or second part: [...]
Efforts to Muddle History of the Founding Don’t Change Its Facts
By Shelli Dawdy This is the second of a three part piece examining an article in the Lincoln Journal Star on July 4 entitled “Whose side are the Founding Fathers on?” Just click the title to read the first part: “The Founding? Move Along Folks, Nothing to See There. Onward Progress!“ There is a related piece in [...]
The Founding? Move Along Folks NOTHING To See There. Onward Progress!
By Shelli Dawdy This is part one of a two part piece. The Lincoln Journal Star featured a piece in their Independence Day edition entitled “Whose Side Are the Founding Fathers On?” The piece was written with a bottom-line message: there’s no clear answer. It’ll be a topic of perpetual debate. According to the article, the Founders [...]