Nebraska Is Running on Legacy Code and It’s Costing Rural Communities

By Jon Capps, Candidate for Nebraska Legislature – District 38

Nebraska doesn’t suffer from a lack of good intentions. What we suffer from is outdated systems.

After more than 30 years working as a Chief Technology Officer, I’ve learned something important: most organizations don’t fail because people don’t care — they fail because the systems they rely on no longer work the way they were intended.

That’s where Nebraska finds itself today.

Our tax structure is outdated. Our regulatory code has grown bloated and inefficient. And our approach to economic development often focuses on special deals instead of broad opportunity. The result is a system that quietly raises costs, discourages investment, and puts more pressure on property owners — especially in rural communities.

In technology, we call this legacy code. It still runs, but it’s slow, expensive to maintain, and increasingly fragile.

Property taxes are a perfect example. They aren’t high because local leaders are reckless. They’re high because the system gives local governments few alternatives. When the state relies too heavily on property taxes and restricts growth elsewhere, landowners become the pressure valve.

The same is true with regulation. Nebraska families and small businesses pay an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars each year just to comply with rules — many of which no longer serve a clear purpose. That cost doesn’t show up on a receipt, but it shows up in higher prices, fewer jobs, and fewer opportunities.

Fixing this doesn’t require radical change. It requires modernization.

In my career, refactoring a system never meant tearing everything down. It meant identifying what works, eliminating what doesn’t, and building something stronger in its place. Government should operate the same way.

We can flatten and modernize the tax code so growth pays the bills — not property owners alone. We can sunset outdated regulations so red tape doesn’t pile up forever. We can focus on economic growth instead of picking winners and losers. And we can demand accountability so taxpayers know what they’re getting for their money.

Rural Nebraska doesn’t need slogans or gimmicks. It needs systems that work.

That’s why I’m running — not to make noise, but to help Nebraska do what it’s always done best: solve problems, work hard, and build something better for the next generation.