WEST COAST NEWSROOM, THANK YOU.
MOLLY?
MOLLY: JOINING US NOW IS
NEBRASKA REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR
RICKETTS, HE IS PLEDGING HIS
SUPPORT FOR THE RIGHT TO BEAR
ARMS, SIGNING A PROCLAMATION TO
MAKE NEBRASKA A SECOND AMENDMENT
SANCTUARY STATE.
GOVERNOR RICKETTS, THANKS FOR
GIVING US A COUPLE OF MINUTES
HERE ON THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
>> MY PLEASURE.
MOLLY: TALKING ABOUT THIS
PROCLAMATION WHICH YOU SIGNED
THIS WEEK, THIS COMES AGAINST A
NATIONAL BACKDROP, CERTAINLY, OF
A LOT OF NEWS THAT YOU COULDN’T
HAVE MISSED; MASS SHOOTINGS,
UNREST IN MAJOR SHOOTINGS
BECAUSE OF -- IN MAJOR CITIES.
WHY DID YOU SIGN THIS
PROCLAMATION, WAS IT SYMBOLIC,
AND WHY NOW?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, OUR
HEARTS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES
WHO ARE GRIEVING FOR THE LOVED
ONES AND OUR PRAYERS THAT THEY
WILL, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO GET
THROUGH THIS HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE
TRAGEDY.
BUT THE SYMPTOM HERE IS WHAT IS
GOING ON WITH THE PEOPLE WHO
THINK THIS IS OKAY AND
ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING CAUSES
IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE TALKING
ABOUT.
THE SECOND AMENDMENT ITSELF
PROTECTS OUR RIGHTS TO KEEP AND
BEAR ARMS, AND THAT’S WHY I
DECLARED NEBRASKA A SANCTUARY
STATE FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT
SO THAT WE SEND A MESSAGE TO THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION THAT WE’RE
GOING TO RESIST HIS ATTEMPTS TO
TAKE AWAY OUR SECOND AMENDMENT
RIGHTS.
WE’RE GOING TO FIGHT HIM ON THIS
ONE.
IT ALSO SUPPORTS OUR COUNTIES,
OVER HALF OF WHICH HAVE DECLARED
THEMSELVES SECOND AMENDMENT
COUNTY SANCTUARIES.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE’VE GOT
PRO-SECOND AMENDMENT LEGISLATION
IN OUR LEGISLATURE.
YOU KNOW, THE TRAGEDIES THAT
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, YOU
NEED TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING
ISSUES AND NOT LOOK AT THE GUNS,
BECAUSE IT’S THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
CREATING THESE PROBLEMS.
MOLLY: AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY
NEXT QUESTION.
YOU HAD MENTIONEDDED, YOU
EXPRESSED YOUR SYMPATHIES.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE WE SAW JUST
MOST RECENTLY IN INDIANAPOLIS
THE FedEx SHOOTING, BUT
NEBRASKA HAS NOT BEEN IMMUNE
EITHER TO MASS SHOOTINGS.
YOU HAD A VERY NOTABLE MASS
SHOOTING AT A MALL IN 2007 AND
ALSO JUST IN I THINK IT WAS 2020
AT A SONIC DRIVE-IN.
SO THE PEOPLE OF YOUR STATE HAVE
ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PAIN.
SO WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ADDRESS
MASS SHOOTINGS?
>> WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WE’VE BEEN DOING HERE IS TO
REALLY WORK AT OPENING UP LINES
OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN OUR
EDUCATION OFFICIALS, OUR MENTAL
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT TO BE ABLE TO FIND
FOLKS WHO MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO
THE KIND OF THINKING THAT LEADS
TO THESE KIND OF SHOOTINGS AND
GET TO THEM EARLY TO BE ABLE TO,
YOU KNOW, FIND THOSE FOLKS THAT
NEED THAT HELP AND GET TO THEM
BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY COMMIT
THESE CRIMES.
I THINK, AGAIN, THAT’S PART OF
WHAT WE’RE SAYING.
WE’RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT.
"U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT" JUST
RANKED NEBRASKA THE BEST STATE
FOR MENTAL HEALTH.
WE’VE WORKED TO IMPROVE THAT
ASPECT OF IT.
SO THERE’S THINGS THAT WE CAN DO
IN OUR CIVIL SOCIETY THAT CAN
HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE
UNDERLYING CAUSES.
BUT TAKING AWAY GUNS FROM
LAWFUL, LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS IS
NOT THE ANSWER.
MOLLY: DEMOCRATS ARE PUSHING FOR
VARIOUS REFORMS THEY BELIEVE
WILL HELP TO REIN IN GUN
VIOLENCE, EXTENDING BACKGROUND
CHECKS, RED FLAG LAWS.
IS IN YOUR WAY TO PUSH BACK
AGAINST THE DEMOCRATIC PUSH IN
THE OTHER DIRECTION?
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT FEDERAL
OVERREACH?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS REALLY A SYMBOL LETTING
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION KNOW IF
YOU OVERSTEP YOUR AUTHORITY, WE
WILL BE FIGHTING YOU ON THIS.
WE DID THIS DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION WHEN THAT
ADMINISTRATION OVERSTEPPED ITS
AUTHORITY.
WE TOOK THEM TO COURT.
WE’LL BE FIGHTING, YOU KNOW, AS
WELL ON THIS ONE IF THEY WANT TO
TAKE AWAY OUR SECOND AMENDMENT
RIGHTS.
AND THAT’S REALLY A PART OF THE
MESSAGE WE’RE SENDING HERE WITH
THIS PROCLAMATION, THAT WE ARE A
SANCTUARY STATE FOR OUR SECOND
AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
MOLLY: JUST A QUICK SHIFT, I
WANT TO GO TO THE ECONOMY.
YOU ARE SEEING POSITIVE
STATISTICS THERE IN NEBRASKA.
SOME GOOD SIGNS THAT THE ECONOMY
IS BOUNCING BACK HERE IN THE
WAKE OF COVID AND THE VACCINE
ROLLOUT.
BUT WE ARE, THERE’S A NEW
ADMINISTRATION.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU
KNOW, EVERY STATE LEADER HAS TO
DEAL WITH, AND A NEW
ADMINISTRATION CAN MEAN NEW
THINGS.
FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, BIG
CHANGES WITH THE KEYSTONE
PIPELINE WHEN THE PRESIDENT
REVOKED THE PERMIT.
THE STIMULUS MONEY, BIG IMPACT
ALSO IN NEBRASKA.
A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT CHECKS FOR
THAT.
BUT NOW THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
HAS A PROPOSAL FOR
INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT SORT OF
THING, VARIOUS TAX INCREASES.
WHERE DO YOU SEE OPPORTUNITY,
WHERE DO YOU SEE CONCERN AS THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ROLLS OUT
SORT OF THEIR BUDGET PLANS?
>> YEAH.
SO HERE IN NEBRASKA WE GOT THE
LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE
COUNTRY.
IN FACT, WE AVERAGED THE LOWEST
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THROUGHOUT
2020.
WE HAD THE SIXTH FASTEST GROWING
ECONOMY THE FOURTH QUARTER OF
2020 AND THE SEVENTH BEST
PERFORMING ECONOMY IN 2020
OVERALL.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE’RE DOING
VERY WELL HERE.
AND WHEN YOU SEE SOME OF THE
THINGS LIKE THIS INFRASTRUCTURE
PLAN AND YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT
AND SAY, WELL, REALLY NOT MUCH
OF IT, ONLY ABOUT 5% IS GOING TO
ROADS AND BRIDGES AND EVEN TO
GET MORE EXPANDED INCLUDING
THINGS LIKE WATERWAYS, PORTS,
AIRPORTS, MASS TRANSIT, YOU’RE
ONLY GETTING TO 16% OF THE BILL
OR 15% IS ACTUALLY GOING TOWARD
WHAT COULD BE BROADLY DEFINED AS
INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE REST OF IT IS THE REALLY A
POLITICAL AGENDA PUSHING THE
GREEN NEW DEAL.
AND THIS IS WHERE I GET VERY
CONCERNED WITH WHAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS DOING.
IF THEY’RE GOING TO USE THE
COVER OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL
TO PUSH THEIR POLITICAL AGENDA,
WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SEE IS
REALLY A DISASTER FOR THE
ECONOMY, NOT THE HEALTH OF THE
ECONOMY GOING FORWARD.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO DATA TAX,
RAISING TAXES, YOU KNOW, WE ALL
LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS.
EVERY NEBRASKA FAMILY HAS TO
LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS, AND
THAT’S WHAT WE DO AS A STATE.
WE’RE A PAY AS YOU GO KIND OF
PLACE HERE IN NEBRASKA.
WE DON’T SPEND MONEY WE DON’T
HAVE AND, OF COURSE, THAT’S NOT
BEEN THE CASE WITH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
AND THE MORE THAT WE PILE ON
THIS DEBT AND PRINT MONEY, THE
MORE WE’RE GOING TO SEE ECONOMIC
HARD TIMES AHEAD, POTENTIAL HIGH
INFLATION, ALL OF THAT.
AND THAT’S GOING TO CREATE A LOT
OF PROBLEMS FOR OUR NEBRASKA
FAMILIES AND FAMILIES ALL ACROSS
THIS COUNTRY.
MOLLY: YOUR CRITICISM HAS
MIRRORED THAT OF MANY
REPUBLICANS WHEN LOOKING AT THAT
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL IN
PARTICULAR.
GOVERNOR PETE RICKETS, WE
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY.
I WISH YOU AND, OF COURSE, THE
FOLKS IN YOUR STATE MUCH