THE PUBLIC PULSE Sunday Public Pulse

THE PUBLIC PULSE

On many issues, Trump simply doesn't care

After spending the last year watching all that is going on in this country - and specifically, after watching the president of the United States - I felt a need to state simply what I have seen. People are going to pay more for health insurance or just lose it altogether. The president does not care. People are being terrorized in their own communities by masked people who claim they are getting rid of the "worst of the worst." The president does not care. People are struggling to find and live in decent housing and to have food to eat. The president does not care. People already struggling are being told to struggle more and to do without more. The president does not care. People are speaking out against the policies and actions of this administration. The president does not care. People are losing more and more of their rights. The president does not care. There is no regret, no sympathy, no empathy, no worries. More money, more power, and inflicting more pain on others - that is all the president cares about. Low poll numbers do not take his power and his money. Critical speech about his actions does not take away his power and money. Court rulings against him do not take away the power and the money. Things will only change when people stop acting like he is truly the "president of the United States" instead of someone who is simply in it for the power and the money. Sadly, it is no more and no less - all there is. Maria Graham, Neola, Iowa Young people have legitimate concerns about affordability What do "affordability" and "affordable" really mean? Gene Anderson, while targeting two generations for being too whiny, submitted this question to the Public Pulse: "Younger generation needs a reality check." It doesn't take a finance degree to paint the rest of the picture, but according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the median age of a first-time homebuyer in the U.S. has increased sharply to 40 years old. Does this sound affordable to you, Mr. Anderson? For boomers, the reality check is recognizing that the financial systems they have put in place and advocated for over the years are crumbling. Christopher Garabrandt, Omaha Trump economy not working for Nebraskans President Donald Trump likes to boast about his "booming economy," but the truth is plain: it's booming for billionaires, not for working families. His 2017 tax overhaul showered corporations and the wealthy with windfalls, while everyday Nebraskans saw little more than crumbs. Tariffs acted like a hidden tax, raising prices on groceries and household goods, hitting the poorest hardest. Meanwhile, health insurance premiums have climbed, leaving families squeezed between medical bills and rent. Trump's policies have ballooned the national debt, mortgaging our children's future while billionaires in his orbit grow richer. His administration has become a revolving door for the ultra-wealthy, consolidating power at the top while ordinary Americans are told to "tighten their belts." This is not populism - it's plutocracy. Trump's rhetoric may sound like he's fighting for the common man, but his actions reveal a different story: billionaires first, families last. The divide between rich and poor has widened under his watch, and the promise of opportunity has been replaced with the reality of inequality. We deserve leaders who invest in people, not just portfolios. Nebraskans know the value of hard work, fairness, and community. Trump's economy betrays those values, leaving us with higher costs, fewer protections, and a system rigged against the very people he claims to champion. It's time to call this what it is: an economy in the tank for the people, but golden for the rich. Alan Snyder, Brainard, Neb. Democracy under threat from Trump Everyone seems to think we are still living in a democracy. We are not. Every day, more and more of our country is being taken away. Our government has become an authoritarian state. Agencies have been eliminated without any approval from Congress. Independent agencies were taken over by the executive regime and are now told what they will do. Freedoms are taken away with the stroke of a pen - take birthright citizenship, for example. This regime thinks the Constitution doesn't matter; they just make up their own rules. We have a leader who thinks he can stay in power forever. We have a leader who threatens our lawmakers and prosecutes his political enemies. Presidents do not do these types of things. Our independent elections are being threatened, and our Supreme Court is allowing it to happen. We are attacking sovereign countries while criticizing others for doing the same thing. Immigrants and citizens alike are being rounded up, arrested, and deported without any due process. We have a majority lawmaker leader who tells his party members not to speak up in public, but to bring their concerns directly to him so he can suppress them. All of these atrocities and more are happening every day, and our majority lawmakers must condone these actions because they do not speak out against them - and that includes our own Nebraska senators. Jerry Baker, Omaha