No Pay Raises for State Senators

Once again, liberals want to raise the salaries for state senators, from $12,000 to $21,000 annually, a 75% pay increase. How many of us have received 75% pay hikes lately?? Proponents now make the same argument they made for their case during the last pay hike campaign, that an increased salary would bring us better qualified and more dedicated candidates. Yet, taxes and spending both have exploded since that time. We must fight this pay grab until state senators rein in spiraling taxes and spending. From 2004 to 2005, Nebraska rose from 14th to 8th highest taxed state in the nation. Nebraska in 2004 ranked next to highest among all adjacent states in appropriations per $1,000 of personal income and per capita. Career politicians have not served taxpayers well. Senators purposely placed the pay raise proposal on the 2006 primary ballot, knowing that fewer citizens vote in primary elections.
Citizen legislators should offer public service, even at a financial sacrifice, for only a few years and then return to live under the same laws they themselves have passed for others.

Bully on the Block

Not content with suing the taxpayers of Nebraska in order to find a friendly judge to order the State to ladle out more state aid for its wanton spending, the Omaha Public $chool board now threatens to sue local government in an attempt to bite off large chunks of neighboring school district territory. The OP$ public relations machine, as usual, wraps its aggression in warm phrases like, its "for the kids," to allow all the children within the city limits of Omaha to share in a wonderful environment of multiculturalism, non-sexism, and a sorry curriculum that produces the lowest standardized test scores in the metro area. Board members are seemingly oblivious that thousands of Omaha parents have voted with their feet to reside in other-than OP$ school districts. Transparent is that OP$ motivation stems from 2 objectives, 1) to gorge itself on property valuation-rich territory to fuel more tax revenues, and 2) to raise its overall test scores, so that it does not lose federal funding under the No Child Left Behind requirement that financially penalizes persistent low scores. Contact your state senator today to pass legislation prohibiting annexation of other school district territory without a vote of the people.

TAXPAYERS BETRAYED

During many years in politics, I have survived both verbal and physical attacks, but, just like the Energizer Bunny, I keep on hopping along. What really hurts me most in politics is when a candidate or politician is disingenuous with me or lies about his intentions regarding taxes and spending. A recent prime example is Omaha City Councilman Franklin Thompson, who in 2001 solemnly pledged himself a fiscal conservative, someone who would be a “change agent” for budgetary responsibility.
Safely elected, he proceeded to suggest a library tax, garbage tax, and public safety tax. He engineered an infamous budget compromise that offered inflationary city employee raises conveniently delayed until after the next election. All burdens on property taxpayers.
Obviously not a fiscal conservative, Thompson showed his true character colors in his shameful memo to fellow Councilman Frank Brown, in which he tried to cut a sleazy mutual deal for council leadership positions: boasting about his support and votes for liberal causes, a deal to deflect criticism from his white, West Omaha Republican constituents. That he would have to “use” his future votes to regain credibility. That he may switch to the Democrat Party. Hardly an agent for change, Thompson has proved himself a deceitful, untrustworthy politician. Not someone worthy of re-election.
Email ncf@phonet.com for directions to see the entire memo.