Local View: It’s time to talk about real economic development in Nebraska

Economic development has a new brand in Nebraska – “Good Life. Great Opportunity.”

With this new brand, it is time for new conversations about focused policies and targeted investments that will truly build the kind of economy we want and need. It’s also time to move away from the questionable and risky idea that tax cuts – and particularly income tax cuts – are the silver bullet for economic growth.

A good place to begin our state’s economic development conversation is to recognize that Nebraska’s economy is strong and growth has been steady. Over the last decade (2005-2015), Nebraska ranked 5th in economic growth (GDP) per capita. According to the Governor’s “How Nebraska Ranks” website, we rank in the top 10 for low unemployment and for labor force participation. But while our economy is strong – we do have room to build greater opportunity.

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