Dave Heineman is Kidding

I can only figure that Governor Dave Heineman of Nebraska is kidding.  First, buried on the obituary page of the Omaha World Herald on October 3, 2012, is this short article:
http://www.omaha.com/article/20121002/LIVEWELL03/710039956

Here, the governor questions the findings of a college professor.  That is fine.  College professors question each others' findings all the time.  But the governor goes on to send a nasty letter to the University of Nebraska president, wherein he essentially threatens the university with funding cuts because a college professor does what a college professor is supposed to do---publish research (well, research that does not agree with the governor's politics, I suppose).  This is not the first time the governor has beat up on the University of Nebraska.  A few months back, he called the NU Foundation, which helps raise money for the State's university system, a bunch of "fat cats."  This is the same governor who has a tailgate party every home Husker game at the governor's mansion, complete with free parking in an adjacent state lot.  Memo to the governor:  The University of Nebraska is more than a football team.  There are actual professors and students doing academic work there on four campuses.  Your job is to support education in Nebraska, not belittle those engaged in it.

Next, there is this item from the Omaha World Herald of October 4, 2012:

http://www.omaha.com/article/20121003/NEWS/710049931/1685#heineman-lawmakers-don-t-deserve-pay-raise-due-to-override-of-prenatal-veto

Here the governor says that future members of the Nebraska Legislature do not deserve raises because they overrode one of his vetoes?  Huh?  Either the lawmakers deserve raises or they do not.  The issue can be debated.  But the governor seems to think the standard for raises is whether someone agrees with everything he thinks, says, and does.  I may be wrong, but I thought the idea of separation of powers was that the Legislative and the Executive were separate and equal branches.  Maybe not.

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