The study, entitled "What Will They Learn," is a study of 1,007 four-year higher learning institutions in all 50 states examining whether the schools require seven core subjects: Composition, Literature, Foreign Language, U.S. Government or History, Economics, Mathematics, and Natural or Physical Science. In most cases, the study focused on the Arts and Sciences or Liberal Arts divisions for the examination.[1]

Earlier this month, Kiplinger released its list of the nation's "Retiree Tax Heavens and Hells," and Nebraska earned its label by being considered one of the 10 worst states for a retiree to live in from a tax standpoint. Meanwhile, Nebraska's neighbors to the west, Colorado and Wyoming, are both considered retiree Heavens.

Taxpayers in Omaha have put a lot of trust and faith in the City of Omaha and the Omaha Fire Department over the years and, according to information released by Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley, it has been unwarranted. A letter from Foley to Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle dated October 20, 2010, is filled with evidence of mismanagement, blatant disregard for public funds, and loads of misplaced trust. This untenable situation is made even worse because the Omaha Fire Department has been essentially running itself independent of the mayor and City Council for years.

The more property taxes counties collect from its residents on a per-capita basis, the greater the population exodus from those counties. Meanwhile, Nebraska counties that saw the greatest population increase from 2000-2009 collected the least amount in property taxes on a per-capita basis.

As Thomas Jefferson once said, "The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors."  Yet, a quick glance at how much cities in Nebraska collect in property taxes from their residents clearly shows that some communities feel like their residents should pay much more for that safety and happiness than other communities do.

Coinciding with the event was the release of a pair of academic research studies commissioned by the Platte Institute on the subject of water management. The first study was authored by Dr. Ray Supalla, an agricultural economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The study, "Addressing Nebraska's Economic Issues in Water Policy," examines the unique and diverse water policy challenges in the state. The study focuses on the need to either reduce our consumptive use of water in irrigation or to find cost effective ways of augmenting water supplies. The study concludes that water policy officials should encourage increased use of land retirement programs as an alternative to allocation, make greater use of water markets, minimize taxpayer payments for irrigation reductions, and encourage the state to invest more in research and water planning to insure that we meet future needs at a low cost.

 Addressing Nebraska's Economic Issues in Water Policy 

 Nebraska's Evolving Water Law: Overview of Challenges & Opportunities 

Hiner joins Warren Arganbright of Valentine, Mike Groene of North Platte, Pete Ricketts of Omaha, Gail Werner-Robertson of Omaha and Jay Vavricek of Grand Island on the board. The addition of Hiner means four of the six board members are located in Grand Island or further west, which is important for an organization with a state-wide focus.

Last month, Omaha's city council voted to impose new taxes not only on those living in Omaha, but also on those who work and visit the city. In addition to a 2.5% (after tax) tax on dining, bar, and catering tabs and a 2.335 cent increase in the property tax rate, there will also be a $15 increase in wheel tax and a new $50 wheel tax for those who work in Omaha but live outside the city[1]. This seems to completely contradict previously stated objectives from the city's leadership. Major Jim Suttle has said that we need to attract more businesses and tourism to the state[2]. The College World Series and the Qwest Center's conventions and entertainment events seemingly should help Omaha accomplish those goals; especially with the additional four new hotels to accommodate our guests: Holiday Inn, Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Element. Unfortunately, these new taxes could be a step backwards.

The Common Core State Standards, frequently referred to as the "Common Core," are the fruits of a state-led collaboration coordinated by both the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to develop nation-wide educational standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. As it stands now, 32 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories have adopted the new standards, and a majority of the remaining states are still considering their adoption.

Please join us for our 2010 Water Management Summit at the world-class Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center, located in Gothenburg, Nebraska. This Summit will include lecture series and panel discussions from Nebraska's leading water resource experts.

REGISTER FOR THE 2010 WATER SUMMIT HERE

SEE THE COMPLETE SUMMIT AGENDA HERE

The summit is Thursday, Sept. 23, at features several national and state water experts, including former U.S. Representative Tom Osborne, Director of the Department of Natural Resources Brian Dunnigan and several others.

The Platte Institute recognizes that effective water management is a multifaceted issue, and the Water Management Summit focuses on long term ideas and solutions that protect this vital resource while leveraging it for economic growth.

To download a PDF of the 68-page report, please CLICK HERE.

The study Where Did the Money Go? is authored by Adam Summers, Leonard Gilroy and Lisa Snell of the Reason Foundation. It examines spending and revenue in Nebraska compared to surrounding states from 2002-2008.

As of late, the status of economic knowledge among Americans has become a topic of concern for many educators, policy makers, and citizens. Indeed, several stories and studies concern themselves with the general lack of basic economic understanding in the population at large, even going so far as to declare it a "crisis."[1] Reports such as these draw life from an attentive audience primed by concerns over the financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting sluggish economy; an audience more sensitive than ever to the implications of an ill-informed populace making economic policy through the democratic process.

The school choice movement promotes the idea that competition amongst schools driven by parent discretion will bring vitality to the educational system in America, and is now one of the greatest vessels for educational reform in the United States. Supporters advocate solutions as diverse as tax credits, charter schools, and school voucher programs, but each aims at enabling families with the autonomy required to select the school of their choice. They argue that this independence will force schools to perform well or risk losing their discontent constituency.

Everyone knows that the second most electrifying subject after economics is professional sports! So when LeBron James' recent selection of Miami narrowly fell into the purview of the Platte Institute's economic mandate the temptation to amalgamate these two exhilarating topics was too much. As most are well aware, immediately prior to James' decision, speculation about what factors would ultimately play into the star basketball player's choice began to dominate the news cycle. One of these factors in particular ought to be of interest to any policy buff/sports fan in Nebraska. That is, the varying tax burdens found in each state with teams courting James' favor, and how these taxes, or lack thereof, likely influenced James' final decision.

That’s because when the entire country is hurting and the private sector continues to lose jobs, bureaucrats are being hired.

Here are some basic facts on Nebraska’s tax system and how it compares to other states:

In 2008, the Omaha City Council passed an ordinance which included breed-specific legislation directed towards Pit Bulls in order to reduce Pit Bull bites in the city. This ordinance went into effect in 2009, and a report on its success is due to the City Council before October 1st of this year. A potential response to the evaluation of this ordinance could be the consideration of a Pit Bull ban by the City Council. A Pit Bull ban will most likely have no effect on dog bites in the city and cost hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars. Dog bites are a serious problem in the United States, with approximately 350,000 injurious bites reported per year.

It's rather common knowledge among politicos and perceptive observers that when it comes to politics, details lead to division. That is why the successful candidate frequently seems to be the one who divulged the least about any particular issue during the campaign. For this reason, campaigns do their best to give as generic a message as possible, thus maximizing their appeal. This is not necessarily because more detailed political messages are too complicated for the casual observer, but rather that even in a room of the most like-minded people the small print tends to be divisive.

Compensation includes health and retirement benefits (roughly 30% of compensation), salary (roughly 70% of compensation), and legally required benefits such as payments for Social Security and Medicare. The sectors examined here employ over 65 million workers, or nearly half of all employed Americans. These sectors are (in order from largest to smallest by total employment): Office and Administrative Support, Sales, Food Preparation and Service, Production, and Transportation and Material Moving.

As the largest city in Nebraska, Omaha has an opportunity to demonstrate to other municipalities how to negotiate with unions while protecting taxpayers from financial ruin.

Richard O'Gara, the City of Omaha's human resources director said recently that "[t]hese are uncommon times. You've got to do uncommon things,"[1] to get a new union agreement in place with the city's police department that doesn't further jeopardize the city's economic future. He couldn't be more right.