Math Matters

Full disclosure: I struggled with math throughout my early education. The normal course of math in high school (way, way back in the seventies) was ninth-grade algebra, followed by tenth-grade geometry. As a junior, you took advanced algebra, and as a senior, pre-calculus. Well, that didn’t turn out to be the path for me.

As a junior, I struggled with advanced algebra and squeaked through it. I knew, however, that I wasn’t prepared for pre-calculus as a senior, so I swallowed my pride and retook the same class the following year. Trust me, sitting in a classroom full of kids a year younger than me wasn’t fun—but wait, there’s more. I doubled down and sat through my scheduled class in the morning, and if I still needed another dose of letters mixed with numbers, I’d sit in on a second class taught by a different teacher in the afternoon. Hearing the same material taught by two different teachers helped me a ton, and by the time Burke High School had enough of me, I was ready for college math…or so I thought.

Calculus was one of the biggest challenges my brain has ever faced. Again, I took it more than once because a decent grade was required for my engineering degree (who pursues an engineering degree when they suck at math??!!).

Thankfully, the light finally came on for me during my math journey. Calculus, trigonometry, statics, statistics, economics, three semesters of accounting, and two semesters of finance later, I was finally tuned up on numbers and learned to make data a huge part of my decision-making process.

What I didn’t realize during this mathematical journey was that I was actually pretty good at the concepts that math taught me. I learned to love its logic, oddly enough, its beauty, and the comfort of knowing that, at the end of a complicated equation, there was assurance that the outcome mattered and could be trusted when making decisions. I sometimes say, tongue in cheek, that I can solve almost any problem with a well-thought-out spreadsheet.

Fast-forward some forty years to my entrance into public service and a world where, sometimes, “math does not matter.” As I’ve noted many times, the role of government sometimes exceeds the bounds of spreadsheet logic and requires us to do things for humane or civic reasons. There is no calculation that says we should care for the poor and clothe the needy, but we all know in our hearts – and for many, our faith compels us – to provide for those who are unable to care for themselves.

Those who know me will tell you that a good Hallmark commercial chokes me up, as does singing the National Anthem at a ballgame. I’m not heartless, nor am I lacking in compassion. I do realize, however, that the dollars we in government steward are not our own, and we have to deploy them to serve the greatest needs and provide the greatest impact for the greatest number of Nebraskans. It is often heartbreaking to realize that we cannot do all things for all people at all times, but the math tells us so.

Measuring return on investment, or “ROI,” is a metric I use to determine how resources should be utilized. If an investment of time, money, or energy does not provide a greater return at some future date, then it may not be the wisest path. That thought process is not always popular with those who believe government should be the answer to all of our problems and somehow believe that we have unlimited resources to do so. I believe in the proverb that says, “It is better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish.”

As we head into the next legislative session in January, the state budget will be top of mind and will require a tremendous amount of our time and energy to balance. We will be faced with tough decisions about how and where to spend limited resources. We’ll be encouraged by some to raise taxes so that we can continue doing things “like we always have.” Some will want to give away fish to people who are able to fish on their own.

I ask that you reach out and share your thoughts on where the ROI is greatest in our state’s spending of your hard-earned tax dollars and whether we should continue the tax cuts as scheduled or return to tax rates that leave us less competitive with our neighboring states. Share your thoughts with me by emailing my legislative address, brad.vongillern@leg.ne.gov, and I’ll be happy to discuss this important topic with you.

As always, thank you for reading.