Christmas shopping is done, presents wrapped, strings attached?

LINCOLN, Neb. --Christmas is coming; can the next session of the Nebraska Legislature be far behind? Would you believe January 3, 2017?

The Governor has done his pre-legislative shopping. He spent something in the neighborhood of $70,000 of his own money directly on legislative seats and another $130,000 or so on the Republican Party to use on legislative races. Then there's the $300,000 he paid for a referendum that ultimately put the death penalty back on the books.

That's a half million dollars. Sure, it's his money and he can do what he wants to with it. It was a massive precedent-setting move. Let's hope he got what he bought. Six senators who should toe the line and the opportunity to kill the 10 people currently on death row.

No strings attached, right?

I can't speak to the blood-lust of the Governor and the Attorney General -- although it was gracious of them to wait a whole three weeks after the election before announcing that they had a new protocol for the drugs and the method that will be used for the executions. By the way, that protocol won't be released until the inmate is told about it a month or two before the scheduled execution.

So, why the secrecy? The Governor can say that isn't the case and he can surely say that the people of Nebraska said they wanted the death penalty on the books. I still wonder if the ballot language -- which perfectly followed the letter of the law -- wasn't ultimately confusing with retain meaning no death penalty and repeal meaning a return to the death penalty. But, that's another issue for another time.

Transparency, on the other hand, is serious business. So, tell the world how you intend to kill these people in an effort to deter others from killing. Lay it out in excruciating detail, explaining what happens to the victim minute-by-minute. The people who voted to put this barbarian act back on the books need to understand what they have done.

Speaking of transparency, how about publishing the record of every visit between the Governor or one of his staff with every senator who received his money for their campaign. We need to understand if he got his money's worth. Better yet, we need to see how the lines between the executive and legislative branches of government have been blurred.

Now that the shopping is done and the campaigning is over, the governing begins. Here's the reality, colder than a January winter in Nebraska: 35 of the state's 49 lawmakers will have two years or less experience. Let that soak in, 35 of 49. That leaves 14 veterans whose experience ranges from 4 years (8 senators) to 41 years (1 senator). Four senators have 6 years and one has 7 years.

That's what the executive branch influence in election outcomes gets you. An inexperienced bunch that the Governor hopes will dance from his string. Hey, if things don't go your way, throw some money at it. That'll get you a new chairman of the Agriculture Committee -- after all, the experienced veteran chair cast a couple votes you didn't like. Same with the Judiciary Committee.

Do you get the idea that since the Governor dug into his deep pockets and was successful in six of the 11 races he targeted, that the dynamic was slanted in a less than democratic way? I thought that stuff was supposed to happen at the ballot box based on voter's approval or dislike of the candidates.

There will be 15 Democrats, one Libertarian and one Independent in the officially nonpartisan Legislature. That leaves 32 Republicans and one can assume that six of them will be in the governor's pocket.

Nonetheless, out-going Democratic Party Chairman Vince Powers says the gain of three Democratic seats will be enough to protect Nebraskans from the policies that led to massive tax cuts in neighboring Kansas, cuts that have wreaked havoc in particular with education funding.

Here's a word to the 17 rookies coming to the George W. Norris Legislative Chamber next month. Do something completely nonpartisan. Be your own person. Vote your own heart, or conscience -- whichever one you have. You're in for the 90-day long haul. Make us proud.

J.L. Schmidt has been covering Nebraska government and politics since 1979. He has been a registered independent for 17 years.