Recently Gov. Pillen has voiced his dislike of ballot initiatives and filibusters. One of the original reasons for a one-house legislation and the people representing the second house was a way to balance the power of lobbyist vs. the people. The filibuster raises the bar on the votes needed to pass a bill.
The governor stated that the voters do not understand initiatives. Since initiatives have to address only one subject, I think people understand them. He stated the filibuster prevents the representatives of the people from actually doing the will of the people. Medical marijuana and raising the minimum wage were two issues no legislation was passed on until demanded by the people.
Therefore, you have to ask: Who are the senators representing? When a third grade reading standards bill is modeled after a law in Mississippi, it brings up doubt on who is being represented. The people of Nebraska or the national political party?
This OpEd, authored by Ken Snyder, originally appeared in the Lincoln Journal Star: https://journalstar.com/opinion/letters/article_8b962b52-d39d-4f99-96f0-5acb9241e8c0.html (You may need a subscription).