Protect the Good Life

The Good Life is about building safe communities and sustainable futures. We need to end the chaos. Working hard and doing things the right way should be enough to live comfortably. 

• A Nebraska-First Foreign Policy that begins by ending the wars that drive up prices and costs the lives of American servicemen and women. This means ending the war in Iran and cutting off aid to Israel until they end their aggression against Gaza and their neighbors. Other lawmakers may be okay allowing the violence to continue to justify giving their defense industry donors fat contracts. No weapon that says “Made in America” should ever be used on a school or hospital. I will stand up for Nebraskans.

• Bringing Back Shop Class in high school to teach students the value of working with their hands and introduce them to well-paying careers in the trades. We also need to value trade schools, apprenticeships and associates degrees, and make them more accessible to those who might not be inclined to pursue 4-year degrees. While a traditional bachelor’s degree can be great, there are many other paths to a middle-class life. I will work to ensure these paths remain open, and our young people can pursue them.

• Only 1% of Americans sign on the dotted line to serve their country in our armed forces. The quality of our Veterans Affairs services needs to match the magnitude of their commitment. When our servicemen and women return from their services, we need to have their back. There is no reason someone who served our country should end up homeless. We have to do better for our veterans; I will ensure that our veterans’ benefits are protected.

• When I ask voters at my townhalls what their #1 issue is, they almost always say the same thing: Healthcare. Our healthcare system is fundamentally broken. Big corporations own every step of the process, from the moment you have a sniffle all the way to the pharmacy. Healthcare providers across Nebraska are closing while business executives profit off sick Americans. I will end the vertical integration of our healthcare system, and stand up to the insurance companies that have run our politics with their money. 

• As a steamfitter, I know about water usage. When I see the cooling towers on the Data Centers being built across our state, I worry about the pressure that puts on our water supply. Our Ogallala Aquifer is a precious resource. It should be protected for Nebraskans, not tech billionaires in California who profit off of our resources. We need to put guardrails on data centers, and ensure that the things being built in Nebraska benefit Nebraskans. 

• The Good Life relies on having safe communities. We can’t live comfortably and build a life for our families unless we know that when we call for help, our First Responders will always be there to protect us. They have our backs. We need to have theirs. Our police and firefighters need to know that we’ll support them if they get sick or injured when they’re putting their lives on the line for us. Our first responders also need robust pensions worthy of their lives of service they’ve given us. We can’t take the safety they provide for granted.

• Many of our Nebraska communities can tie their history directly to the Railroads that crisscross our state. I believe in a Nebraska where our tracks move not only grain and beef, but Nebraskans themselves. In the senate, I will work with any administration's Department of Transportation to further connect our state to the national AMTRAK system, and ensure our state’s rail network is up to date and safe.