Issues
The most important issues rural Nebraskans face are not those the two parties (and their big money supporters) use to divide us, distract us, stir emotions, and raise money.
As a karate instructor, I teach students how to feint, distract, and employ misdirection. I know it when I see it. While the politicians distract us with trivia such as pronouns and the “Gulf of America,” they cut taxes for billionaires, let them steal our private data, and saddle our children with trillions of dollars in debt while they cut funding for rural healthcare, rural radio, and rural weather forecasting.
I won’t let politicians from either party get away with it. I will call it out when I see it.
Select a topic to read Mark’s stance. Questions? Reach out to us at info@markfornebraska.org
The earth
Nebraska farmers and ranchers don't need a scientist to tell them something is wrong. They see it in their fields, their water tables, and their insurance bills. In 2024 alone, extreme weather cost Nebraska $2 billion in damages. The question isn't whether our climate is changing — it's whether our leaders have the courage to do something about it instead of pretending the problem doesn't exist.
This Is an Agriculture Issue
Our agriculture sector is on the front lines. Rising temperatures and unpredictable precipitation affect crop yields and livestock health. More frequent droughts and extreme weather events are not abstractions — they are the difference between a profitable year and bankruptcy. Water levels in our reservoirs are falling. Flooding and drought are hitting Nebraska harder and more often. Farmers and ranchers in every county of this district know this.
This Is a Property Insurance Issue
Insurance companies aren't ideological — they follow the data. They see the increased risks of fire and severe weather and they raise premiums accordingly, or they pull out of markets entirely. When your property insurance doubles or disappears, that's not politics. That's your bottom line.
This Is a Fiscal Issue
The cost of disaster relief, emergency response, and infrastructure repair after extreme weather events gets added to our national debt — the same debt the politicians lecture us about while cutting taxes for billionaires. A true fiscal conservative addresses problems before they become catastrophes, not after.
What the Science Tells Us
Our planet keeps a journal by trapping air bubbles in glacial ice. Scientists can measure the levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere going back 650,000 years. For most of that time, CO2 levels hovered between 200 and 280 parts per million. In 1950, they went above 300 for the first time in recorded history. Today they're above 400 and rising faster every decade. As a former prosecutor, I evaluate evidence. The evidence is clear.
A Practical Path Forward
We can’t switch off fossil fuels tomorrow. Fossil fuels are a necessary bridge while we work toward cleaner energy — energy sources that don't poison our soils, pollute our waters, or cause cancer. But a bridge must lead somewhere. We need leaders who will invest in that transition honestly rather than pretending there's no river to cross.
The Bible says we are stewards of this Earth. Stewards don't hand future generations a disaster and call it freedom. Nebraska's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities deserve representatives who look at hard problems honestly and plan accordingly — not leaders who ignore them because it's politically convenient.
protecting democracy
Protecting Democracy
“The Salvation of the State is the Watchfulness in the Citizen.” — Inscription on the Nebraska State Capitol Building
I served as an Air Force Judge Advocate, sworn to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. That experience reinforced that the rules must apply equally to everyone, regardless of rank. And regardless of wealth. Elections must be free and fair. Government must answer to the people — not to the highest bidder.
The Threat is Real
Recent statements and actions from President Trump raise serious concerns about his intent to interfere with or even cancel elections to benefit himself:
· “When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.” (Reuters interview, Jan. 2026)
· “I won’t say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news would say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’” (Speech to House Republicans, Jan. 6, 2026)
· “I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS… and voting machines… by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.” (Truth Social post, Aug. 2025)
His specific interference attempts include:
· Announcing plans to ban mail-in voting and electronic voting machines via executive order.
· Suggesting elections should be canceled or delayed, undermining public confidence in democratic processes.
· Threatening federal involvement in election oversight, raising fears of voter intimidation.
Our representatives should speak out against these threats, not silently cower in a corner. We elected them to serve us, not a party or a president. They swore to uphold the Constitution – not pretend the emperor has no clothes.
Getting Big Money Out of Politics
Our democracy is in serious trouble. Citizens United opened the floodgates for corporations and billionaires to pour unlimited money into our elections. Wealthy interests form PACs to get around contribution limits, and the voices of ordinary Nebraskans get drowned out. In 2024, 100 billionaire families spent $2.6 billion on elections. That’s one out of six dollars spent by all candidates, parties, and committees. Not surprisingly, the 10 ten richest billionaires have seen their wealth soar by nearly $700 billion since Trump took office again.
The government has been quietly purchased by those with the deepest pockets — and until we change that, it will keep serving those who write the biggest checks, not the farmers, ranchers, and working families of Nebraska’s Third District.
We Need More Competition in Politics
A free market requires true competition, but the two parties work hard to exclude independents and third parties. Both parties appeal to extremists to raise money. There was a time when members of the two parties valued logic over loyalty, but that time has passed, and the two-party system is no longer working for Nebraskans or for Americans. Both parties have lost the trust of the American people. The percentage of voters who identify as independent is the highest ever.
The Language We Use
The two-party system forces voters onto a left-right spectrum, but real life is not two-dimensional, and that’s not how voters – especially younger voters – think. Both parties use simplistic labels to divide us and raise money from the extremes. You’re either “pro-choice” or “pro-life.” You’re either “conservative” or “liberal.” The media rewards this ridiculous black and white thinking because controversy gets ratings. We must stop using language that encourages tribalism.
Defending Voting Rights
The Supreme Court has made it systematically harder for the most vulnerable citizens to vote. That erodes trust in our government and our courts — and it is not accidental. Government only works when citizens believe their vote counts.
The SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem. Every state already requires voters to certify their citizenship. Voting fraud is extremely rare — the evidence doesn’t justify this law. What it will do is disenfranchise women who changed their names after marriage and other citizens with documentation gaps. It’s a blatant attempt by Christian nationalists to disenfranchise women (who often change their name) and to disenfranchise others who are not wealthy, don’t travel, and therefore don’t have passports. I oppose it.
Fixing the House
There are several ways to make the House of Representatives work for better for Americans. These include:
Introducing single subject bills
Ending the use of continuing resolutions and omnibus bills
Banning the trading of individual stocks by House members
Term limits
Expanding the House of Representatives
Nebraska’s Third District covers eighty counties and borders six states. One representative cannot meaningfully serve 760,000 constituents — and that’s the situation every House member faces today, because Congress capped the House at 435 members in 1929 and never revisited it, even as our population tripled.
I am open to uncapping the House. More representatives means smaller districts, members who know their constituents, lower campaign costs, and less power for outside money. It makes gerrymandering harder, increases diversity in the legislature, and could bring the Electoral College closer in line with the popular will. That’s a conversation worth having.
Confronting Media Consolidation and Corporate Censorship
A handful of conglomerates now control most of what Americans read, watch, and hear. They are driving independent local papers — essential in rural communities like ours — out of business. The major networks look nearly identical: they profit from outrage and division, take corporate money for granted, and often repeat what the government tells them. We must enforce our antitrust laws and break up these concentrations of media power. Independent journalism matters, and we must support it.
“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” - George Orwell
The censorship problem goes beyond consolidation. Search engines and social media platforms use algorithms to show us what they want us to see. And when our own government pressures the press or spreads disinformation, that’s not politics — that’s authoritarianism. Congress must hold the executive branch accountable. A politician who calls every critical story “fake news” is being cowardly, and it’s practically a confession that the story is true. Americans know that “alternative facts” are lies.
Electronic Voting Machines
I don’t fully trust electronic voting machines. Any system can be hacked, and too many reported results have seemed improbable. Every election should use paper ballots or a voter-verifiable paper audit trail. That’s the only way to give people genuine confidence that their votes are counted as cast.
Our Responsibility as Citizens
We must be honest about our own role in this. We’ve let billionaires and their politicians distract us with trivia and divide us while they enrich themselves. As the saying goes: “Out of hatred for the cockroach, the ants voted for the insecticide. They all died, including the housefly that didn’t vote.”
I swore to defend the Constitution. That oath didn’t come with an expiration date. Protecting democracy is not something someone else does for us — it requires the watchful eye of every citizen.
the fake red/blue divide
Out of hatred for the cockroach, the ants voted for the insecticide, and they all died, including the housefly that didn’t vote. – African Proverb
We must stop letting the billionaires and the politicians they control manipulate us with simplistic labels and black and white thinking
The billionaires and the politicians they control attempt to dumb us down and divide us by using simplistic “blue/red” and “liberal/conservative” terminology. We’re smarter than that. Every state is purple. Some may be closer to maroon and others may be closer to violet. There are diverse views in each state, but we’re all Americans.
We engage in the same sloppy logic when we use “liberal” and “conservative.” A person can be “liberal” on some issues and “conservative” on others. Moreover, the meanings of those labels change over time. And using a single word to judge a person is simplistic. The man you judge because you label him a “conservative” may also be a father, a business owner, and a volunteer. The woman you judge because you label her a “liberal” may be a mother, a systems analysist, and an avid hunter. We must stop confusing the label with the person.
Americans are beginning to realize that government and the large corporations are two sides of the same coin
My experience is that those who call themselves “conservatives” fear the government a bit more than they fear the corporations, and those who call themselves “liberals” fear the corporations a bit more than they fear the government. But Americans are starting to realize that the government and the big corporations are essentially the same thing because our system allows giant corporations and billionaires to buy elections and legalizes bribery in the form of lobbying.
Let’s Fix Our System Instead of Fighting Each Other
The-two party system has failed us. Both parties pander to the extremes to raise money. Most voters are unhappy with the system. Some voted for Donald Trump even though they dislike him because they wanted to shake up “the system” or they didn’t trust Democrats to fix it. We must fix the system and stop fighting each other.
We can’t lose if we are united
There are about 340 million Americans and just a handful of billionaires. Of course, they want to divide us because they can’t win if we remain united. I’m encouraged that Americans on all sides of the spectrum are beginning to understand how the rich and powerful attempt to divide us.
