Valentine Nebraska

Valentine Nebraska

     Valentine is a lovely town (population 2,700) located in the center of Nebraska.  After Pat Miller dropped me off, I had an opportunity to walk around the town and to strike up conversations in the local diner.  A group of retired farmers invited me to join their table conversation and gave me an overview of dividing line which runs through Valentine.

     Until recently, the line separating Mountain Time from Central Time ran right through the center of town.  In the interest in reducing confusion, they decided several years ago to move it to the town’s western border.  This time zone dividing Nebraska in half is a significant social and economic dividing line.  On the west, the economy is based predominately on cattle, whereas the east it is primarily agricultural.  On the west, cowboy hats are the preferred head gear, to the east people wear baseball caps.  Ranching promotes a social system which encourages a type of rugged individualism which eschews governmental intervention.  Agriculture requires a much more cooperative social structure to enable the production and distribution of produce. 

    The farmers also shared over coffee that successful farming means to always be mindful of the common good.  It is not competitive in the way ranching can be.  Cattle rustling has been a capital offence, whereas no one is terribly worried about the theft of corn.  The fortunes of the farmers rise and fall together. 

     The political leanings of Nebraskans reflect these two different cultures.  The west becomes hostile to any governmental intervention whereas in the east there is an understanding of the importance of having guard rails to insure the prosperity of the region. 

      I have been pondering these two political worldviews and wondering if how we might effectively communicate across this ideological divide.