Pete Ricketts

In today's Public Pulse, readers react to Sen. Pete Ricketts' comments about Dan Osborn's connections to Graham Platner. Readers also weigh in on Democrats' performance in office, and safety concerns on Nebraska trails.

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Ricketts' attacks on Osborn are hypocritical

Sen. Pete Ricketts wants to condemn Dan Osborn's alleged ties to Graham Platner, who has faced serious allegations. Ricketts tries to evade his blatant hypocrisy vis-a-vis his consistent support of President Donald Trump by saying those issues have already been litigated. Apparently being found liable is somehow better than an allegation?

How does Ricketts stand by Trump, who has been found liable for sexual abuse and who to this day continues to fight paying E. Jean Carroll damages? How does Ricketts square framing himself as a law-and-order guy while supporting Trump, who agreed to a $25 million settlement of lawsuits alleging fraud through his "Trump University"?

Why won't Ricketts — who is notably anti-medical marijuana — explain why he's apparently comfortable with Trump pardoning former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted on federal drug-trafficking charges?

It seems that Ricketts demands accountability when it's a regular Nebraskan, but not when it comes to the politicians he supports.

Michael Zack, Omaha

Remember the Democrats' failures

Stop the whining. In the chase for other people's money, the accomplice often seems to be a congressman.

Governors want money from the federal coffers for numerous things in their states. The same goes for counties, schools and local governments, often in response to citizens asking for more redistribution. State and federal lawmakers then respond with more taxation to cover increasingly frequent handouts that can be vulnerable to fraud and abuse.

It is now clear that taxpayers need two defenses: expanded DOGE efforts and the ballot box. At the same time, some candidates publicly oppose ICE border enforcement, Title IX girls' sports rules and voter ID requirements while calling it democracy.

Actor John Travolta said it well: "It's easier to be responsible for the decisions you've made for yourself than the ones others have made for you."

In the upcoming elections, remember that the Biden administration failed to adequately address illegal border crossings, COVID relief fraud and Medicaid fraud, costing taxpayers billions in waste. Taxpayers should defend themselves from leaders who are unwilling to be careful with those tax dollars.

Thomas Hanthorn, Omaha

Nebraska Republicans have a double standard on conduct

Perhaps someone can explain: How do the various Republican state legislators and the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate condemn candidate Osborn’s connections to Graham Platner on the same day that the U.S. president has been ordered to pay the judgment awarded by a jury for rape?

Sen. Pete Ricketts suggests the difference is that the president has been “litigated.” Is the litigation complete if the judgment has not been paid?

And how does the handling of the Epstein files by the president’s Department of Justice fit into this picture of the right thing to do?

Paul Moessner, Omaha

Keep Nebraska recreation trails for recreation

Thanks to Nebraska Sen. Brad von Gillern for his July 8 World-Herald op-ed on e-motorcycles. Any metro-area resident has likely encountered these motorbikes, which are primarily operated by young males. At the ripe old age of 75 and still riding my road bicycle, I can pedal along at a good clip. However, I don't have the instant acceleration of these vehicles powered by an electric motor.

I have serious and well-founded concern about the growing number of golf carts, electric- and gas-powered motorbikes and even ATVs on recreation trails in Bennington and at Newport Landing. Some of my family members and I have had scary encounters with these vehicles on recreation trails, and we've seen golf carts on trails operated by adults as well as very young adolescents.

I'm glad I was pedaling my road bike on Bennington Road west of 168th Street as I watched a large white ATV going more than 25 mph on the trail around Bennington Lake at Newport Landing recently. It's truly ironic to have to leave a recreation trail to avoid colliding with an "all-terrain" vehicle.

The Douglas County Attorney's Office has been much too silent on legal and enforcement matters involving these vehicles on recreation trails and specifically trails within sanitary improvement districts. I know recreation trails within the Papio NRD are funded in part by tax revenue from the NRD, and I know of no SID that owns a recreation trail within that SID.

Recreation trails were created to provide a safer means of walking, running and bicycling, not for any neighborhood's "personal cart path."

Scott Yahnke, Bennington

Omaha drivers are out of control

Driving in Omaha is a terrifying experience. In the "olden days," drivers would slow down when approaching a yellow light and stop at a red light.

Now, they gun it and go through a red light.