Public Pulse: More thoughts on one plate; Surge in evictions

Tom Heenan (“Wondering about one plate”), there is no lost revenue for driving with one license plate. The vehicle’s owners are charged a fee to drive with only a rear plate. Most new cars are designed with only one plate holder and front plate holders are installed by the dealer which require drilling holes through the front bumper cover. Many of us prefer not to destroy the bumper of a new car.

Roy Neneman, Omaha

In response to Thomas Heenan (Pulse, July 28) and his curious inquiry about vehicles with one license plate, I can inform the readers that about five years ago, the Department of Motor Vehicles implemented a new rule to allow operators the choice of having one license plate or two. However, it comes with caveat. If you do choose to only have one back license plate, you are required by state law to purchase a sticker for an additional $50 annually. The sticker, which you place in the upper left hand corner of your windshield and can only be seen up close, is administered by county, not by the state DMV. Because of this, you do have to renew your registration in person, and cannot renew online, as the stickers cannot be sent in the mail. Paying an extra $50 a year is steep, but for those who have purchased new vehicles, or drive old classics and want to maintain the aesthetic of their vehicle, having the option is nice. I purchased a new vehicle last year and when the technicians asked me if I wanted them to drill holes in my front bumper, I respectfully declined and chose to pay extra to only have a back license plate.

Christopher Garabrandt, Omaha

In response to the article, “Douglas County evictions up sharply,” I have two comments.

Regarding the surge in evictions in Omaha, what changed was MACCH Connect who doles out the dollars to tenants. They stopped doling to tenants in trouble and began doling to only tenants in eviction. The only way to get money was to file an eviction. This is why the Douglas County evictions count shot up in 2023.

Regarding the jury trial requirement for eviction: The unintended consequences would be a catastrophe. Today, a tenant with an eviction has a hard time finding a place to rent. A jury eviction could easily add $4,000 more to the cost of an eviction with legal costs and lost rent. This would make any evictee a ten-fold worse risk to sign a lease with. A current evictee’s “hard time” to find a place to rent would become an impossibility! If the jury requirement goes through, the solution will be even more tax dollars to house all these pariahs.

Pierce Carpenter, Omaha

The letter from Scott Darden, (“Right to opt out?”) presented my sentiments so well. Thank you, Scott. It has never made sense to me why someone who has no children in any school system should be required to pay for everyone else’s children to go to school. I wonder what I could have done with all the tax money that I have paid over the years for schools that I have not used. Maybe I could have purchased something I have always wanted and could have used. Just imagine that.

Janyce Dawson, Omaha

Here we go again. Gov. Pillen is “deploying” more than 60 Nebraska National Guard soldiers to Texas to fight. . .what exactly (July 31)? Pillen sent 10 Nebraska state troopers to Texas earlier this summer to do. . .what exactly? How much did that cost Nebraska taxpayers? Former governor Ricketts sent 32 troopers to Texas in 2021 to do. . .what exactly? How much taxpayer money did that cost? Nebraska highways need to be fixed. Nebraska schools need to be adequately staffed. Nebraska residents need affordable housing. Nebraska taxpayers are beset by high property taxes. Nebraska taxpayers do not need to be financing the political stunts of GOP governors past and present.

Robert Sigler, Omaha

Douglas Arthur’s letter (Broken OPS system) in the Public Pulse shows a fundamental failure to comprehend that a public school was never intended to be a profitable business venture. If he was deeply concerned about non-profitable enterprises, I suggest that he turn his attention to the U.S. military’s abysmal return on investment. The U.S. military lost nearly $880 billion dollars in 2022.

Dietrich Conway, Omaha

Kudos to the 33 Nebraska state senators and Gov. Pillen for approving LB 574. During the debate of LB 574, several physicians claimed it was wrong because it placed the physician at risk. If LB 574 passed, Nebraska would see a mass exodus of health care personnel. We saw comments from a radiologist (Lincoln), a family physician (Bellevue) and even a retired psychology professor from UNO. One stated, “if LB 574 passed, he would surrender his Nebraska license and move to another state.” I believe many self-proclaimed experts are not experts. Just to say “it’s so” doesn’t means it’s fact. No HCP is sufficiently qualified in this area because the data is pathetically insufficient at best. To think a teenager or even a pre-teen has the mental ability to make a life-altering decision such as a gender reassignment is ridiculous. However, as an adult, they can do whatever makes them happy.

Pandora’s box was opened in 2012 when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual guidelines for many mental disorders were revised including transgender reassignment. The definition was revised from a mental disorder to dysphoria, a symptom many claim is associated with an underlying mental disorder. DSM (V) has been criticized because of lack evidence, industry ties, and lack of transparency. These decisions were not based on any sound scientific data. And for those physicians that are threatening to leave Nebraska, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Richard Wurdeman, Bennington, Neb.

Public Pulse writer Anthony Zarzychi is a volunteer supporter and donor to Tony Vargas, a Nebraska candidate for Congress. He also works for a political consulting firm that has done work for Vargas. But he is not a “Vargas campaign staffer” as asserted by another letter-writer in the Aug. 4 World-Herald.

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