Dave Hergert is a Martyr for the better half

I am pleasently surprised. this is the first intelligent decision made by any branch of the Nebraska state government in, shit, 15, 20, 50 years? the only ones who are still defending Hergert are his relatives, employees, and neighbors. This is somewhat understandible. Living in a small community does encourage an us vs. them view of the world, where all problems are caused by outsiders.
And they do make respectible points. Why should Hergert get the hammer brought down on him? He was just another politician, no more crooked than the rest, and at least he was one of ours.
It is true that everyone on the NU Board of Regents except Chuck Hassebrook is an aristocratic crook living with delusions of being Governor or Senator crook. They barely conceal their belief that the people's university should be reserved for the sons of the elite. (Expect no mercy when they discuss tuition again) Any moral advantage the rest of the board has over Hergert is nominal.
which is not to say that there is no difference. The big problem with Hergert was his utter lack of shame. He seemed to follow Tom DeLay logic. " I'm Christian, I'm important, I'm not gay, and I have proven my superiority on the sacred battlefield of the free market. Therefore I can do whatever the hell I want. I am incapible of corruption. Only whiney losers would suggest otherwise."
The fact that Hergert got his just deserts does not solve the larger problem. Rural America is full of people who are simple, humble, and unfailingly obedient to authority and tradition. They are baffled and frightened by the perfectly natural cultural fragmentation that comes with democratic empire. These are the people that "conservatives" have seduced in their rise to power. And how is the loyalty of rural America being rewarded? With naked political patronage, union busting slave labor, and corporate feudalism. those of us who want to change this face the frustration of a counseler; begging an abused wife to leave the bastard