Friends: 

After our Lincoln, Nebraska parade and event on May 29th, I continued across Nebraska, and I can truly say that the corn is way taller than "knee high on the Forth of July!" 

I'm so grateful to all those organizations and individuals in Nebraska for their passion and support for improving our democracy.  Not only did they make me feel welcome, they give our country hope that we can implement the electoral reforms needed to focus representatives on the needs of citizens, not partisan power.  

After our Lincoln, Nebraska parade and event on May 29th, I continued across Nebraska, and I can truly say that the corn is way taller than "knee high on the Forth of July!" 

I'm so grateful to all those organizations and individuals in Nebraska for their passion and support for improving our democracy.  Not only did they make me feel welcome, they give our country hope that we can implement the electoral reforms needed to focus representatives on the needs of citizens, not partisan power.  

On to Omaha!

It was fitting that on June 6th, we established a beachhead for democracy in Omaha, meeting the League of Women Voters-NE, Better Ballots-NE, Represent US-NE, the See us Rise returning citizen program, plus serveral other non-profits and activist for a pre-arranged "Last Mile" parade.  

Our parade ended at the University of Nebraska - Omaha for a "fix our democracy" forum.  We discussed ranked choice voting, open primaries and other solutions to make Nebraska's election process more fair, equitable, inclusive and competitive.  Nebraska, if you adopt those reforms, elected representatives will be more responsible to the needs of citizens and the Common Good of all!      A special thanks to the League of Women Voters NE for putting the events together, led by "organizer extraordinaire" Joanna Lindberg. 

Book Recommendation: Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point

While walking, I try to be productive by listening to public radio,  podcasts and audio books related to the state of our democracy and how to improve/fix it, among other things.

I've just finished listening (almost 9 hrs) to Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point, by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. Both are professors of government at Harvard, and the book examines the conditions under which other countries abandoned a democratic system, and points out vulnerabilities in America's constitution which could make a collapse possible.   The New York Times says it's, "A call to reform our antiquated political institutions before it’s too late.   If you are willing to invest a day, you'll end up really understanding how, why, and the urgency of, fixing our democracy. I highly recommend it! 

Since Omaha, I've walked across the mighty Missouri River to log 100+ more Iowa miles toward my Des Moines arrival on Monday, June 24th.  I'm anxious to meet and cheer on the volunteers doing the work of democracy reform there.  

I could not do this walk without the amazing work of my super-volunteer, fellow Vermonter Peter Hack.  THANK YOU for all your miles and smiles along the way!  If you'd like to help, sign up at our website, FixOurDemocracy.US.   (Photo:  Peter Hack, Joanna Lindberg and me in Omaha)

It might sound "corny," but I mean it.  Thank you for your all of your love and support.

Rick

Rick Hubbard

Walking To Fix Our Democracy
https://www.fixourdemocracy.us/