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Letters, 2/15: Death penalty is archaic

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Friday, Feb 15, 2008 - 12:46:59 am CST

I cannot sit back any longer and watch the state of Nebraska continue the archaic criminal punishment called the death penalty without voicing my opinion that not all Nebraskans feel that getting tough on criminals means inflicting vengeance on the accused for the sole purpose of satisfying the victim’s need to have closure.

The only way for individuals to get closure is to forgive. Closure sometimes is used as another word for vengeance: “I hope they rot in hell for what they did to me/them/us,” or “they (Nebraska) can’t kill him/her fast enough for me!”

I have never seen any statistics showing that the death penalty is a deterrent to crimes committed that result in the death penalty. If such were the case, Texas would surely have no reason for the continuation of the death penalty because all the people about to commit such acts would see the given punishment in front of them and think twice.

Instead of putting these individuals away forever and keeping them off the streets, the state of Nebraska instead continues to lower itself to the depths of the original crime itself.

The justice system is not perfect — the wrong person is often found guilty!

The death penalty procedure costs more to facilitate than life without parole.

The state of Nebraska should not — must not — be in the business of inflicting vengeance.

Tom Wanser, Lincoln

We can’t afford to move fair

The majority of the working people are against moving the Nebraska State Fair. However, they feel that it can’t be stopped because in the past the state and city of Lincoln have given the University of Nebraska whatever it wants.

We are currently losing employers in the state and in Lincoln. We are heading into a recession, and people are losing their homes. Where is common sense? Certainly it does not appear that our state senators or the mayor and City Council members have it, or they would stop listening to costly foolish ideas.

As for the university, they have ground and buildings they are not using now. They will do the same thing with the fairgrounds. They should be required to pay the replacement cost of moving and building all of the new buildings that the fair will need as well as the land. If they cannot come up with that kind of money, then forget it.

We the taxpayers cannot afford to pay for all of these projects. Like the new jail, convention center, a mini central park, and moving the fair.

William R. Wood, Lincoln

Bury bill on home-schooling

Sen. DiAnna Schimek introduced LB1141 to require standardized assessments of home-schooled children.

Why shouldn’t children be required to take assessment tests? I find it fraught with serious problems.

Look at Germany.  Today in Germany, it is unlawful to home school. The law was passed during the era of Adolf Hitler and never repealed. Children are taken from their parents and made wards of the state if they are home-schooled. Hitler believed that if he could control the minds of youths (by what they are taught), he could control the nation.

What does this have to do with LB1141? Schimek says “she doesn’t want to end home-schooling in Nebraska, but only to provide some oversight of it.” Oversight is the problem. LB1141 will allow control of the curriculum of home-schoolers by controlling the test they will be required to take.

Failure to do well in standardized tests limits future educational and career opportunities. Thus it is important to “teach” what will be required by the test. He who controls the test controls the curriculum.

The public school curriculum is designed to be politically correct and does not allow opportunity to study all sides of issues. Take evolution as an example. Creationism is not allowed to be debated or considered. The same is true about marriage between man and woman versus same-sex marriages. The public school agenda is designed not to give any credence to 7,000 years of proven society benefits of marriage between one man and one woman.

There are many areas where somebody has decided what will be taught and what will not be taught.

Sen. Schimek’s intentions are good, but the results will be to the detriment of our people and our nation. This is a bad bill and needs to be quickly and permanently buried.

Ron Zimmer, Firth

Time for new administration

As part of the president’s unfinished business announced in his final State of the Union address, he pleads to make his tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations permanent. Deficit-based tax cuts for the wealthy, deficit-based tax cuts for oil companies and additional billions requested for war have become the president’s drumbeat of despair. The troop reductions promised have become a fading dream, along with plans of retirement and a college education for our kids.

The president’s budget projects huge deficits of more than $400 billion, more than doubling last year’s deficit. Economists believe the projections are optimistic.

It seems long ago the president was handed a budget surplus. Now he hands our children a huge debt owed to foreign nations. The American economy lost jobs last month for the first time in more than four years, and rising gas prices continue to squeeze our budgets tighter every day. Against the pain and uncertainty families are now facing, Exxon Mobil posted the largest profit ever recorded by a U.S. company.

This administration’s business is finished. It’s time for a change, America.

Steven D. Burbach, Lincoln


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Zoomie wrote on February 15, 2008 6:55 am:
" Mr Zimmer, like everyone I've read opposed to LB1141, you seem unable to understand that our State Constitution REQUIREs every child receive an education. The Unicameral has a constitutional requirement to ensure that happens. Unless they do as Germany does, and bar home schooling, the only way to comply with the Constitution is to periodically test homeschoolers to ensure they actually receive an education (because, claims to the contrary, no evidence exists beyond the anecdotal that home schooled children actually get a real education). I've come to suspect homeschool supporters are fighting this bill so hard only because they fear it will prove their decades old claims that homeschooling does a better job than public schools is just a myth (as a study of kids in Milwaukee last year demonstrated on the claim that vouchers would result in kids getting a better education than public schools provide...in that study of 10yrs, hundreds of ex-puhlic school kids who took vouchers and went to parochial schools were tested vs kids who remained in public school. Result? No measurable difference in knowledge or ability! Vouchers were a waste of taxpayer dollars!). "

 Ugh Ron wrote on February 15, 2008 7:10 am:
" Creationism is not allowed to be taught in SCIENCE class, because there's not a shred of SCIENCE behind it. It's fine to believe in it - teach it to your kids every day - just don't pretend it's part of their science education. Also, did you really just try to make a connection between mandatory testing and Hitler? Wow. Your letter that shows you don't actually want to give your children a comprehensive education, you just want to make sure they're never exposed to viewpoints or people different from them, is the exact reason why we need testing. "

 Comman Sense wrote on February 15, 2008 7:37 am:
" News Flash, It is called and election, been in the news quite a lot lately. Beating the same old talking points, is getting old. I do have some questions though. If I make a $1,000,000 a year, and you make $30,000, and we each recieve a .01% tax cut, who gets the greater tax cut in Democrat math? So if the Democrats give you a .10% tax cut and I stay at the .01% based on my labor, is that fair and equal, based on our labor? How about giving me a 50% tax rate, it still will not make it fair and equal, since I will still get more in my paycheck, so many must continue the same flawed political arguement. Income redistribution, and economic "equality" has been tried, it is called communism. And one last question, if you own a business and you make a profit over and above your basic survival needs and you bank it, is it now considered excessive. And should the government confiscate your "excess" and redistribute that excess to those less sucessful? "

 Dave wrote on February 15, 2008 7:49 am:
" In 17th century England,picking pockets was a hanging crime. When they had the hanging,there were other criminals picking the pockets of the spectators.Enough said. "

 Western Nebraskan wrote on February 15, 2008 7:51 am:
" William Wood makes the statement that the majority of the working people are opposed to moving the State Fair. That would mean that the majority of the working people in Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney are opposed to moving the state fair--and nothing could be farther from the truth! If it were to move to the Tri Cities area, these working people could finally visit and enjoy the fair much easier than having to drive to Lincoln, possibly having to take time away from their jobs. And working people farther west would have an easier time going to central Nebraska rather than all the way to eastern Nebraska to enjoy their state fair.

This is just another typical Lincoln view that the state fair belongs to them, and moving it out of Lincoln is not fair! (Sorry about the play on words).

The State Fair belongs to all of the people of Nebraska, not just Lincoln. To the citizens of Lincoln, you've had the fair for many, many years. It's time to share it with all of Nebraska. "

 Grundle wrote on February 15, 2008 8:39 am:
" I'm reminded of a great line from 'Man on Fire' where Denzel Washington's character says, "Forgiveness is between them and God. It's my job to arrange the meeting." "

 Edgar Pearlstein wrote on February 15, 2008 9:06 am:
" I tend to share Mr. Zimmer's cynicism about standardized tests. That is not to say, though, that there should be no accountability for home schools. We have laws about compulsory education, which means that there needs to be a legal definition of the term and a way to check up on whether the law is being obeyed. "

 WHAT? wrote on February 15, 2008 9:45 am:
" Did you really just say that public schools do not teach both sides of the issue and then contradict yourself over same-sex marriage? It seems to me you are the one who does not teach both sides of the issue. And I do not know where in the curriculum it says that the public school in Nebraska teaches about same-sex marriage. The last I checked we were teaching children to be tolerant of others. Obviously a lesson you missed. "

 HowLong wrote on February 15, 2008 9:46 am:
" How long after the death penalty is repealed that we begin to cry life without parole is now cruel and unusual punishment? Or 30 year sentences? Whatever the most serious sentence is, the legal costs will always be there with the tactic of repeated attacks. "

 Facts wrote on February 15, 2008 9:55 am:
" During the Bush administration the federal treasury has experienced record high tax revenues along with upper income brackets paying a record high share of all income taxes paid. What's the problem? It doesn't lie with tax policy. "

 Chris wrote on February 15, 2008 10:02 am:
" I share Steve Burbach's deep concerns about the deficit spending of the current administration. However I don't think that makes the surplus under President Clinton in the 1990s all its cracked up to be. Working families were still over taxed in the 1990s and the Democrats, who continue to say they champion working families, never did a thing about this. Sustainable government surpluses should come from a focused government that has properly and judisciously eliminated it's own excesses. Surpluses should not come the expense of working people who are struggling to get by regardless of how well the well off are doing. If we really want to balance the budget in this country we need to scale down government and that will mean questionable entitlements and services will need to be eliminated. Sadly though a Democrat will likely occupy the White House next year and they will call for universal Health Care, without regard to its implications on individual rights, cost to the taxpayer, and whether or not it is truly means tested. While its convenient for partisans to characterize one side as wasteful and squandering our future, the truth is both sides are to blame. "

 silence dogood wrote on February 15, 2008 10:06 am:
" dear steven-
whats your point? the election is coming and then you can complain about the next one. "

 Jody P. wrote on February 15, 2008 10:35 am:
" Mr. Zimmer, the public school curriculum is designed to be correct, period. That's why false pseudo-science like creationism is not taught. There is no issue with both sides to be taught. There is the scientific truth on the one hand, and religious mumbo-jumbo on the other. "

 AM Radio Facts? wrote on February 15, 2008 11:08 am:
" Where in the world are you getting your facts from??? The US government says that tax revenues were the highest in the year 2000 before Bush took office. They then dipped and decreased before finally coming back up to the 2000 level 6 years later. Stop getting your "Facts" from people Limbaugh. I know it's easy to believe what you want, but knowing the facts is much better for you. "

 Jason wrote on February 15, 2008 11:17 am:
" You know Ron I was right with you there for a sec until you broke into Christian Super mode. Creationism isn’t taught in science class because it’s not a science, it’s theology. Had certain schools offered a religion class they could teach it there. They could also teach the notion that marriage is supposed to be only one man and one woman. I have a question though, would you be opposed if they taught kids about ALL religions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Scientology, etc.) or do you just want Christianity taught in public schools? "

 Mike E wrote on February 15, 2008 11:52 am:
" The death penalty was not created as a deterrent to crime. It is a punishment for taking the life of another or committing a heinous crime. "

 Move it wrote on February 15, 2008 12:40 pm:
" I love it when people chime in with "the majority", "nearly all", and "most people" don't want the Fair to move. Really? How do you know, did you have a private poll? If so, I didn't get it, because I don't agree with you and live in Lincoln also. The Fair is a tired-old has been and UNL will make much better use of that property. And UNL IS Lincoln - without UNL, Lincoln is a dead ghost town.

You don't speak for me, so why don't you just state "Here is MY opinion..." "

 Jason wrote on February 15, 2008 12:52 pm:
" To Tom Wanser:
You are correct, the death penalty is not a deterrant for murderers. But, it's not supposed to be. It is a punishment for a crime that the punished person was legally found to have done. I will bet my life that if a week after someone is found guilty of murder their sentence was carried out, it may in fact turn into a deterrant. And if this actually took place, the sentence within a week, no one in their right mind could honestly say that it costs more to carry out the sentence than it would to house that criminal for the rest of his life. I'm guessing maybe $100 bucks for that week in their cell on death row - 3 meals a day, a shower every day if they want it. I'm not saying I am for the death penalty, but I am saying that I am tired of people making the death penalty into a supposed deterrant when that is not and has never been what it was created for, during all of history. But again, if the sentence actually was carried out within a week, I'll bet it would turn into a deterrent. Look at the system in China - more of an "eye for an eye" type of system and they don't have the level of murderers and other violent crimes taking place. And in another aspect to all of this, if sentences would be carried out within a week and lawyers know that, maybe they would work harder to make sure without a reasonable doubt that their client is innocent until proven guilty. In today's day and age this should not even be an issue. "

 wally wrote on February 15, 2008 1:14 pm:
" Mr. Wood, its true that the city and state are losing money and employers. So why would anyone want to continue the status quo? If Nebraska needs to attract new employers, a research institution might well be a catalyst to make that happen. I don't understand why so many Lincolnites will complain about property taxes and then fight to keep a prime piece of real estate vacant for 50 weeks a year. How much does that cost the city? "

 That Guy wrote on February 15, 2008 2:24 pm:
" Mr. Zimmer attempted use of syllogism is flawed at best, and intentionally deceitful at worst. "Forced oversight of education is something Hitler did, and Hitler was bad, thus forced oversight of education is bad." Hitler also built a strong national security force, so in Mr. Zimmer's same logic, we should not have strong national security.

Further, Mr. Zimmer's non sequitur about non-heterosexual marriage is a desperate attempt to make an emotional plea to a topic he knows will rile up many people, and thus by some sort of argumentative osmosis will get people angry at the topic of educational oversight. This is not entirely dis-similar to his tactic involving a falsely analogous situation using Hitler.

Allow me to argue using his same approach:

"Hey Nebraska, Bill Callahan was terrible, right? Well I heard Bill Callahan liked to ride bikes. This is why we shouldn't have bikes. You know who else uses bikes? Abortion doctors. That's right - do you want your kids being around bike-riders?"

To be fair, it is easier to argue this way than in a method using logic...
"

 Zoomie wrote on February 15, 2008 2:30 pm:
" So, then Jason, I have to assume since you want quick and cheap executions of convicted murderers, you have no problem killing innocent people. I mean, there have been numerous convicted murderers later proven to be innocent, and they spent an average of 8-10 years on death row before they were proven innocent. Under your scenario, all those innocent people would be dead. "

 Don wrote on February 15, 2008 11:28 pm:
" Regarding the death penalty, these are the same old arguments that everyone likes to present. We have heard them a hundred times. They don't convince me any more. The death penalty is a deterrent for the one put to death. That person certainly won't kill anyone again.

Regarding evolution. Science is a systemized knowledge derived from observation and study. There is no science in evolution. You cannot observe in a laboratory how evolutionists claim the world began. If creationism is not a science, just a faith, so is evolution. It also should not be taught in school.

Regarding testing for homeschoolers. For those in public schools who get low grades in these tests, they ought to then have to be homeschooled. Go ahead and give these tests to homeschooled studenst. I am confident that they will be among those getting the highest scores. "

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