Osborne speaks to CSC students

He told the students that advancements in technology make business opportunities decreasingly limited by time and space, and noted that Nebraska’s cost of living is favorable compared to other states.

“It’s up to you,” he told the students when asked about the western Nebraska economy.

Osborne, who represents the Nebraska’s Third District and is a candidate for governor, told about his experiences with the political process and answered students’ questions for about an hour.

Much of Osborne’s discussion centered on the war in Iraq. He said regardless whether or not the United States should have “gotten into it,” it has an obligation to finish the job.

He said the soldiers he’s talked to during his visits to Iraq have been supportive of the effort, believe that they have improved the country and are committed to seeing the effort succeed. Osborne said that although the rate of new enlistments to the military has fallen, the re-enlistment rate of soldiers who have served in Iraq has been “remarkable.” While some Iraqis are disappointed with their living conditions, Osborne said the same individuals express that they would “never go back” to the rule of Saddam Hussein.

He said the United States should be able to begin scaling back troops in the region during early summer 2006 after enough Iraqi forces have been sufficiently trained to provide security. If the United States were to remove large numbers of troops before then, he predicted that the insurgents would begin heavy fighting as soon they left. He also said premature withdrawal of troops would be interpreted as failure, and would be like “painting a big bullseye” on the U.S. for terrorists.

Osborne briefly spoke about his platform for the governor’s race.

The former University of Nebraska football coach said he can be a unifying factor in the state, which he said is “divided between urban and rural, not Democrat and Republican.”

Osborne also said he wishes to “improve” the state’s tax structure, noting that Nebraskans pay higher taxes than 42 other states. He said the high taxes encourage many residents to move to other states upon retirement.

In addition to finding ways to keep young Nebraskans from leaving the state, he said he would make efforts to curb Nebraskans’ abuse of alcohol and methampetamine.

The congressman predicted a bright future for the state. For example, he said the Oglala Aquifer is an incredible asset, as someday “water will be more valuable than oil, because you can live without oil.”

Osborne came to Chadron State by invitation of political science professor Luke Perry, who joined the CSC faculty in August.

Perry said as soon as he began his position at CSC, he began writing numerous politicians to invite them to speak to students.

“I want to create dialogue for the students and give them a wide range of political perspectives,” he said.

Osborne is one of three Republican candidates for governor. The others are incumbent Dave Heineman and Omaha businessman Dave Nabity.