The other day I heard a new Ricketts radio ad that is a little ditty about Osborn. An attempt at a catchy banjo tune that basically says Dan Osborn is a Democrat. That's the best Ricketts can do at this point I guess.

Anywhoo....I got to thinking that we really need a tune for the campaign to express our hopes for the outcome. This is what I came up with, and it goes with the melody for "Living On a Prayer."

I do not own the rights to the song, in case you were wondering.

Ricketts never worked on the docks

His hands are soft and neat

His life has been a treat

It’s true….so true

Ricketts runs to daddy all day

Daddy says to Ricketts just listen, Petey it’s okay, I’ll pay….

He’s got to hold on to what he’s got

Ricketts doesn’t care if you make it or not

He’s got his money, and that’s a lot

For luck….He’ll give it a shot

Oh, we’re halfway there

Oh, oh, Osborn’s got a prayer

We’ll take our votes and we’ll send them out there

Oh, oh Osborns’ got a prayer

Former Nebraska Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey and Academy Award-nominated actress Debra Winger shared a highly publicized, high-profile romantic relationship during the mid-1980s.

Edit: he was single and it was consensual and I think it was pretty damn cool.

Bear with me on this one. Let's say Grand Island is in the same spot it is in reality. That doesn't change. But here's what does change: Hastings is right next to it on its south end. And Kearney is right on the middle west end of both Grand Island and Hastings. So when you pass Husker Highway where US 34 parts with US 281, going north, you're in Grand Island. Going south, you're in Hastings. And Engleman Road is where Grand Island and Hastings end and Kearney begins. So once you pass that road, you're in Kearney.

And US 281 being a full freeway from I-80 up to the north end of Grand Island after the NE 2 exit. Then after that exit, instead of US 281 taking a 90-degree turn east, it takes a 25-degree turn north-northeast until it reaches White Cloud Road where it finally continues its normal real-life pathway up to St. Paul.

And since it's a full freeway through Hastings and Grand Island, it has an interstate designation: I-580. It starts at I-80 and ends at the NE 2 exit near the airport.

US 30 also being a freeway through Kearney and Grand Island. It starts at I-80 and goes into Kearney as a full freeway and has exits along certain streets. So the interchange with I-580/US 281 is a cloverleaf interchange. Then the freeway finally ends at Grant Street where the viaduct near Downtown Grand Island.

And the airport (Central Nebraska Regional Airport) having a somewhat larger terminal with 6 gates with flights to Lincoln, Scottsbluff, Norfolk, Sioux Falls, Topeka and Wichita.

So in its own way, it would be like the Tri-Cities in Washington (Pasco, Richland and Kennewick). If you've ever been up there before, you might or might not know what I'm talking about. Overall the population would be around 100,000. It would still be smaller than Lincoln and Omaha.

So how would Central Nebraska be if it was like this? With Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings all being right next to each other as one big Tri-City metropolitan area?