Ben Nelson Will Open The Door For Evil

The Nebraska senate race is drawing a bit of attention because the GOP sees our nominally Democratic senator as slightly vulnerable. If they can oust Ben Nelson, that means they can put another "R" in their column, offsetting one gain the Democrats are shooting for.

So this week they've started the campaign. It is based, of course, on local issues. Here's the hot one this week:

If The GOP Doesn't Beat Ben Nelson, Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean Will Be In Charge of the Senate.

Ben Nelson is a democrat that way Zell Miller was, except not so loud and obnoxious. He has voted with the Imperium more than he's voted against it. Many Democrats in Nebraska would love to exchange him for a real Democrat. But his importance to the Ds is just the same as to the GOP: he could be key to control of the Senate.

Nebraskans are pretty happy with Ben. He votes the way they want (with the Imperium); he uses his swing position to wrangle money for the state (how do you think Omaha got more anti-terrorism money than New York?) He's a personable guy. He is completely in synch with the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce. In fact, I think the only remotely liberal thing he's ever done was to vote for the liberal tax giveaway for the rich. (He's voted for every one. He even refers to estate tax as "the death tax.")

Pete Ricketts, the GOP candidate, is also a nice guy. He's a major stock owner and vice president of Ameritrade (betcha didn't know that was a Nebraska corporation!), has a huge pot of money of his own to play with, and almost certainly will get tons of money from the right. Unfortunately, he's not too bright and has a tendency to show it when he talks. Kinda like Dan Quayle. Probably his only attractive point to the GOP is that he's not a Democrat (although he used to be). Of course he kowtows to the party line: no gay marriage, no abortion, no flag burning, love that war, wetbacks out. But, then, so does Ben Nelson.

Ricketts beat out former Attorney General Don Stenberg in the GOP primary. Stenberg ran against Nelson in 2000 and lost, largely because he was widely viewed as "too conservative for Nebraska."* He didn't stand much of a chance this time, especially considering that Ricketts dumped five mill into the primary. But Ben also has a bit of cash in the mattress, and the Democrats will be sending a few shekels his way, also.

So here we are, ol' hick Nebraska in the front lines of the battle for the Senate. The real truth is that no matter which one wins, Nebraska's vote in the Senate won't change worth a damn. But this time I have to think a bit beyond this place Where The Buffalo Used To Roam. I'll vote for Ben with slightly more alacrity, because if we keep Nebraska's seat in the "D" column, that makes it more likely we can take control of the Senate, and maybe start fixing some of the fuckups done by the Imperium. Maybe. But that's another discussion.

Bushes? We don' need no stinkin' Bushes!

His Imperial Majesty George II, by the grace of God and Pat Robertson Emperor and President of the United States is in Omaha today holding forth on immigration reform. Why did he pick Nebraska to do so? The pundits are not united in their opinons. But it isn't that complicated.

Nebraska is a red, red, red state. Most Nebraskans would vote GOP even if (as my colleague The Football Madman once said) the candidate were shown on live TV buggering a donkey. As a red, red, red state, Bush can count on votes from our three Representatives and at least one Senator. Of course, this immigration thing is going to be so close that he'll need every vote.

That's where his visit comes in. Y'see, the Benator usually votes with the Emperor. He certainly does so more than any other Democratic senator. His rationale: he votes the conscience of his constituents -- which, as I just mentioned, is red, red, red. And the Benator is up for re-election. He knows that most of us Nebraska democrats will hold our noses and vote for him. But he still needs a big chunk of GOP voters to throw in with him. If he goes against the Will of the State, he could lose some votes. On the other hand, I can't imagine Nelson isn't aware of the importance of undocumented workers to Nebraska agriculture. (Anybody wanna go harvest sugar beets for 50 cents a pound this summer?) So if he supports an all-out "throw the wetbacks out" plan, he's shooting his business supporters in the foot.

He's in a pickle.

So HIM comes out tomorrow and says how important immigration reform is; his plan is reasonable (actually, it isn't too far off), and Ben Nelson is his boy in this fight. He's hoping that enough GOPers will forgive Ben for voting for something short of wholesale deportation, because Ben is "standing with the President."

Ben, it's nice to be loved. See if you can turn some of that love into concrete signs of love for the state. Like money.

Spending caps: they still don't work

Today's Journal Star tells us that David Hahn, the Democrat's candidate for Governor, has come out against the petition for spending caps in Nebraska. In doing so, he probably will run afoul of the usual suspects who want property tax eliminated, sales tax reduced, and carpet tax pulled out. (sorry, couldn't resist) Then again, he or any other Democrat would run afoul of this gang no matter what he said. It's a knee jerk thing.

Even though he won't do himself any real damage by saying so, it's still to his credit that Hahn opposes the spending cap. California's infamous Proposition 13, which limited property taxes, continues to play holy hell with basic governmental programs like schools, infrastructure, law enforcement and other liberal giveaway programs. [Note: Irony.] His stance will certainly draw commentary from the GOP, even though Dave Heinemann likely opposes the caps also, at least in private.

I applaud Hahn's position. Let's see if he can stake out some other "honest even if you don't like it" positions. He may or may not improve his chances of election, but at least he'll further the image of the Democrats as the party of straight talk.

Rumors of our demise

Like the proverbial bad penny or the phoenix, depending on your point of view, To The Baricades is struggling to rise again. Quite aside from the national importance of the coming election, Nebraska has some key issues coming up. And of course with "the fate of the world hanging in the balance," and semi-Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson up for reelection, all proverbial eyes will be on the state. This is, of course, the sort of situation I can't pass up.

More to come, Deus volent.

Rumors of our demise

Like the proverbial bad penny or the phoenix, depending on your point of view, To The Baricades is struggling to rise again. Quite aside from the national importance of the coming election, Nebraska has some key issues coming up. And of course with "the fate of the world hanging in the balance," and semi-Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson up for reelection, all proverbial eyes will be on the state. This is, of course, the sort of situation I can't pass up.

More to come, Deus volent.

Once you pay Danegeld you never get rid of the Dane.

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Gov. Dave Heineman were leaping with joy this past Wednesday as Heineman signed the most recent corporate kickback ... er, incentive plan for the state. LB 312, sponsored by Lincoln's Dave Landis and tweaked a good deal by the Chamber of Commerce, makes some changes in "LB 775," the state's first appropriation for business "incentives."

We on the Barricades have a knee jerk opposition to "incentives" for business. If a business wants to come to Nebraska, it should be because the state offers well-educated and motivated workers (it does), a low cost of living (true), and offers the business access to the other things it needs. Unfortunately, some time ago one or two states got the idea to offer "tax incentives" and other financial bennies to anyone who would move to their states. The other states had to follow suit or lose.

So even though we'd rather see no incentives at all, LB 312 has a few things in its favor. For one thing, the beneficiaries now have to declare how much they are getting in bennies every two years. More importantly, though, is the clause that requires beneficiaries to pay its employees at least 60% of the average state wage (which would work out to $19,500 per year today, compared to $11,948 at minimum wage).

Still, the fact is that all states, including Nebraska, are paying Danegeld to corporations who need welfare less than any individual citizen. And we all know what happens when you pay Danegeld.

The Benator: Double Agent?

While most reasonable people are applauding the move to postpone a vote on UN Ambassador-Nominee John Bolton (a.k.a. "International Jerk of the Year"), it seems that Nebraska so-called Democrat Ben Nelson thinks Bolton is his boy. In the vote today to close debate, Nelson voted to close debate and move to a vote. He's also said he will vote in favor of Bolton's nomination.

Let's get this straight: Nelson will vote for the guy who is so repulsive that George Voinovich, a Republican from Ohio, called him "the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be."

Why? He hasn't said, at least that I can find. His reasoning is beyond our comprehension on the Barricades. No one can say anything nice about him. He has "an abysmal temper." He is a "serial abuser." And that's what current and former administration officials say about him!

Voting for Bolton will not cost Nelson votes in Nebraska. It does make him look like a Bush puppet in a donkey suit.

Or maybe he's a double agent?

Stenberg: Second shot at the Senate

Don Stenberg has resurfaced. He wants another crack at the Senate seat for which he was beaten out by Chuck Hagel. If his remarks as quoted by the Journal Star are accurate, he's out to surf the wave of "values voting" that got all the press last year:

With his eye on cultural values, as well as economic and security issues, Stenberg said he sees "a real need to stand up" and defend the institution of marriage, and ban so-called partial-birth abortions, which he described as infanticide.

Er, Donnie, in case you didn't notice, Nebraska passed a so-called "Defense of Marriage" amendment a few years ago -- back when you were Attorney General, if memory serves me right. And every attempt you've made to draft a restriction on late term abortion has been thrown out by the Supreme Court. And you got beaten by Chuck Hagel purely and simply because you were too radically right for Nebraskans. Do you really think that Nebraska has turned that far right now that they'll prefer you over a right wing Democrat?

The GOP will get all the press for the next year as the jockeying for the pole position continues. And, of course, everyone wants to know whether Osborne is going to run for Governor. The Democrats had best be prepared to keep themselves in the spotlight against all this brouhaha. I hate to admit it, but as it stands now I'd rather have Nelson running as an incumbent than to have to fight for the seat de novo. Although Nelson votes like a Republican as often as not, at least his name in the "D" column helps towards the party maybe perhaps someday having a majority again.

Someone is kidding, right?

I know I am behind the power curve on this, but W Ketchup?

By that token, shouldn't someone on the left start selling "Kerry Beer?" Naw, Bus(c)h is such cheap, tasteless, offensive crap that it speaks for itself...

Nebraska Democratic Priorities

In a post on the Nebraska Democrats Blog, a commenter wrote the following:

Here in Nebraska, I'm not seeing much of an agenda at the state level, even with the Unicameral in session. With the supposedly non-partisan nature of the Unicam, the Party has an opportunity to organize around issues and proposals without needing concern ourselves with the support of our every legislator. They have cover as do we because both of our first priorites have to be our constituents (voters) rather than each other. We work through the citizens to whom Senators must respond. Yes, we are thus weakened institutionally (floor fights become difficult), but our potential in principled stands that give voice out of moral obligation as a party is actually much strengthened.

We should have a list of priorities HERE in the state of Nebraska that we talk about at every chance we get. It is the only way we can create an identity out of the compassion and good-naturedness of our people.

Are we out of ideas? Are we biding our time? What's the delay - what is there to lose? When Nebraska voters ask themselves again in 2006 "what has the Democratic Party done for me lately?" we had better have something to show for ourselves, at least a promise of things to come, otherwise we're going to get creamed again and again.

I really can't add anything to that.

Of course, it got me to thinking: if I were the Grand Wazoo of the Party, what five things would I list as the top NDP priorities for 2005? Here are mine, although not necessarily in priority order:

• Major revisions to LB775 (corporate "incentives"), including full disclosure of all recipients, the amount they receive, and how many jobs they have created in return for their incentives. Also, a requirement that all receiving "incentives" commit to remaining in Nebraska at the level of staffing they had when they first recieved "incentive payments" for twenty years, or lose the "incentive payments."
  
  
• A "one day in seven" law requiring all employers to give their employees at least one day out seven off. I would allow for exemptions for bona fide farming and agricultural employers and for any employer where the employee signs a waiver specifying that they know they have the right to one day in seven off, and that they are freely and voluntarily agreeing to work more than six continuous days.
  
  
• Unconditional backing of LB 300 (family farm amendment) and creation of a task force by the Governor to investigate the status of its enforcement. Require the Governor to include in his/her State of the State report, a report on the status of LB300 enforcement and the state of family farms in Nebraska.
  
  
• Improve employment protection for immigrants working for Nebraska employers. Make it a labor violation to threaten an employee with deportation in response to airing a grievance.
  
  
• Review sentencing of non-violent crimes except breach of public trust (see next item) and increase sentencing of violent crimes, especially those related to methamphetamine production and sales.
  
  
• Increase sentencing for "breach of public trust" crimes; e.g., corporate manages who steal or mishandle funds, government employees who embezzle or who accept kickbacks and other bribes, etc.
  
  

That's just my list. I encourage others to add to it.

Class I schools and "White Flight"

The hot topic on my Google search for Nebraska news is this: Nebraska Fears Segregation in Schools. The gist of the article is that parents like having "Class I schools" (schools which only serve kindergarten through 8th grade) near their big-city schools so they can send their "white" kids to a school not overrun with Hispanics.

A couple of explanations before I get on my stump.

Class I schools cultivate the image of "little schoolhouse on the prairie," a one room school with about 20 students and one teacher (the "schoolmarm") who teaches readin' 'ritin' and 'rithmetic to the tune of a hickory stick. Very "traditional American." But that's not so much the case. Many Class I schools are quite up to date, have two or three classes, and have a teacher/student ratio of fewer than 1:10. That's a great situation.

It is also true that in Nebraska cities such as Columbus, Schuyler, Grand Island, and Lexington, there has been a great expansion of the Hispanic population, which means a proportionate expansion of Latinos in public schools. I haven't seen any evidence that this has resulted in a decrease in the quality of education in the city schools, or of an increase in crime or violence rates at these schools. Nevertheless, there will always be some who just don't want their kids going to school with people different from themselves.

Finally, "students" are a commodity in demand as state support for education declines. Schools of all levels, from Class I schools to the largest in Lincoln or Omaha, receive state support based on the number of students they have. Competition for students is fierce. A student who moves to the Class I school outside Lexington brings more money to the Class I and takes money from the city school. Of course this disturbs the city school board and those who send their kids to that school.

Now I'm on my stump.

Movement of students from city to rural Class I schools is nothing new. It was going on when I started clerking for one of the foremost school lawyers in the state. Back then the most common reason was the lower teacher/student ratio. Now a few are giving the "get away from the Mexicans" rationale.

But what's really going on is that there has been a decades-old fight in this state to close down Class I schools altogether and to force them to merge with larger school districts which provide K-12 classes. Nebraska has a huge number of school districts -- somewhere between 200 and 300, for a state with 99 counties and where many counties west of Grand Island have a population of fewer than 5,000 people.

School merger is one of the hottest buttons for Nebraskans. Every time it comes up, legislators are besieged with calls and letters; families argue, and occasional fist fights erupt at public meetings. I can't help but suspect that there's an attempt by those who support mergers to paint the movement to Class I schools with the "white flight" brush in attempt to make them anaethma and therefore easier to close.

I think it's going to backfire. My perception is that, of the overall number of parents with kids in Class I schools across the state, only a fraction of a percentage point of them put their kids in Class I schools out of real bias against Hispanics or anyone else. Instead, it's either out of a desire for a "better education" for their kids, or because the schoolhouse is closer to their home (and in the western part of the state, that can mean a difference of 20 or 30 miles!), or simply because the parents went to a Class I school and they want their kids to do so also.

I keep hoping the legislature will leave school consolidation alone. It is never done completely; it's done piecemeal and therefore the net result is usually worse than the problem.