The May meeting of the OLLI Politics Interest Group will be at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 16 at Stauffer’s Cafe & Pie Shoppe.

All members who enjoy good political talk are invited to attend, join in the discussion and enjoy some pie. There is no need to register.

Here’s some topics we’ll be talking about this month.

1. Lincoln has elected Leirion Gaylor Baird as its next mayor and she is already assembling her team. The Democrats picked up a seat on the City Council. What’s your reaction to the election results? And what is Chris Beutler’s legacy after serving three terms as Lincoln’s Mayor?

2. The Nebraska Unicameral is down to the really big issues as this term nears its 90-day limit. Big topics like tax reform, the budget, Medicaid expansion and the state school aid formula are still being discussed. The Governor and the Chair of the Revenue Committee have different views of how the state should be taxed. What’s your reactions to the latest developments in the legislature? Keep your eyes on the headlines as things are happening daily.

3. Facebook has made the decision to bar some controversial members such as Louis Faraakhan, Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and others. What’s your opinion about this action? Is Facebook being responsible in trying to limit hate speech and fake news from its network? Of is this a “slippery slope?” Remember Facebook is a private company and not restricted by any First Amendment issues. Here’s columnist Clarence Page’s views on the topic —

https://journalstar.com/opinion/columnists/clarence-page-facebook-right-to-ban-firebrands/article_b57afa03-de94-5557-b042-a32de07939ee.html

4. Of course we’ll have to talk about the 22 (or more by then) Democratic Presidential candidates. Can Joe Biden hold on to his lead or will he fall back to the field? Have any of the other candidates made any significant moves? Are women candidates held to a different standard than the men in the race? Here’s the views of Washington Post columnist Amber Phillips:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/06/how-gender-bias-is-shaping-democratic-primary/?utm_term=.4966e7e2e20d

5. There is the issues of a “Constitutional Crisis” going on in Washington as the Democrats in the House battle with the Trump administration over documents and testimony. Now even the Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee has called for Donald Trump, Jr. to testify. What’s your take on all this confrontation and where is it all headed?