After a visit about aches, pains and various medical issues, a patient was commenting on getting older. Similar to other patients, I expected him to say something like, “It’s no fun getting older.” To my surprise, the patient said, “I’m 85. That means I have a lot to be thankful for.”

Every August, I always enjoy traveling the state to visit directly with Nebraskans. Taking a moment to speak with constituents, listen to their concerns, and talk about how we can best serve them is an important part of my job.

After a long four-day weekend at the Nebraska State Fair, I found myself with lots of time between pig shows, orders of pineapple whip, mini donuts and fresh squeezed lemonade to stare into the abyss and think.

For most people, taking a daily 81 mg aspirin to prevent stroke and heart attack is more risky than beneficial. Aspirin has been in use as a pharmaceutical for over 150 years making it one of our oldest. One might assume with all this experience we would know exactly how to use it, but today’s recommendations are based on better evidence gained from better science. Originally used to treat pain, aspirin evolved to become a cornerstone for cardiovascular protection after compelling research in the 1970s. By the 1980s, it was recommended that almost anyone over the age of 50 take an 81 mg aspirin daily because it makes your blood clotting cells “slippery” thus helping prevent clots from forming in the arteries of your brain and heart.

Nebraska has many traditions, but one of my personal favorites is our State Fair. For over a century and a half, the State Fair has served as an important annual forum to celebrate our state’s agricultural sector, as well as showcase the food, people, and culture that make Nebraska special. In fact, the tradition stretches all the way back to when Nebraska was just a U.S. territory.

Nebraska is a land of pioneers. Our state was settled by hardy homesteaders who ventured across windswept prairies in search of opportunity.

I know you’ve been busy through Hailer, Nebraska, but have you ever stopped there? We hadn’t either until last Sunday when we made a trip to their John Denver Tribute in the park. What a perfect day. The park in Haigler is just two blocks off the highway and is surrounded in trees. We sat up our chairs, and enjoyed listening to the opening singer with Next Tuesday.

Recently I joined several of my colleagues at a roundtable hosted by the Energy, Climate, and Conservation (ECC) Task Force to discuss proven solutions to help build resilient communities around our country by, in part, effectively addressing threats of storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, and more. Nebraskans have been hit hard by costly and tragic disasters in recent years, and the large wildfires our state has experienced this year require a comprehensive evaluation of our prevention and response policies. According to the U.S. Geological Survey nationwide, 80 percent of the freshwater resources in the U.S. originate on forested land, and more than 3,400 public drinking water systems are located in watersheds containing national forest lands. Proper management of these lands would make a significant difference in the maximization of our water supply and prevention of wildfires, which spread quickly through neglected forest land. Furthermore, the Army Corps of Engineers has an estimated $109 billion backlog of congressionally authorized projects to strengthen America’s waterway networks and protect against storm and flood damages. Science-based solutions empower cooperation between local industries and communities in addition to fostering proper care for and use of our environment. We don’t have to choose between being good stewards of the environment and economic prosperity; however, recent policies advanced by the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats in their bill – the Inflation Act – demonstrate a rejection of the best path to sustainability.

I often say one of Nebraska’s most precious resources is our children. They represent the next generation of great entrepreneurs, family farmers, doctors, police officers – you name it – that make our state the incredible place that it is. For this, they deserve our full support and care.

For students with allergies and asthma, back to school means more than getting their backpacks filled with paper, pencils, and any needed odds and ends. Keeping your child safe and healthy involves creating a proactive plan to be implemented both at home and at school. Allergy doctors refer to these plans as “control programs” because the goal is prevention and control.