NebraskaPatriot

Ben, You Sure You Know What You Agreed To?

how can he be right and all other pro-lifers be so very wrong????

And now it's Bart Stupak, House member from Michigan that is contradicting Ben Nelson's claim:

"I stuck to my guns and stood for my pro-life principles"

- Ben Nelson on the floor of the Senate December 24, 2009

In an interview today with National Review Online, the Michigan Democrat said the language of the health-care bill must be crystal clear.

“There cannot be, in any way, public funding for abortion,” says Stupak. “What the Nelson compromise does is recognize abortion for the first time as a benefit in a federal health plan. It mandates that at least one plan has abortion coverage. Those are drastic changes to the current law.” “President Obama needs to keep current law in place, as he said he would,” says Stupak. “The polls show that the public doesn’t want public funding for abortion. If the president really wants to work with us, he has to recognize this.”

Ok, so add this to long time pro-life supporters and the U.S. Catholic Bishops. Again, I ask, who do you believe?

Doth Thou Protest Too Much?

"I stuck to my guns and stood for my pro-life principles"

- Ben Nelson on the floor of the Senate December 24, 2009

It's interesting that Ben Nelson felt the need today to go to the floor of the U.S. Senate AFTER the Senate voted to pass Nelson-Obamacare. It appears Ben is feeling the heat from pro-life folks who are not happy at all and in fact are using the word "betrayed" in describing Nelson's compromise on the abortion issue in Nelson-Obamacare.

My feeling is that if the language was that clear in the Nelson-Obamacare bill that just passed the Senate then Nelson did not need say another word. But apparently old Ben may have miscalculated, badly, as pro-life groups who have been staunch supporters of Nelson year-after-year are outraged and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on December 23rd that said the following:

"Federal funds will help subsidize, and in some cases a federal agency will facilitate and promote, health plans that cover elective abortions."

So I guess this comes down to whom you believe: Cornhusker-Kickback Ben or Catholic Bishops?

Gosh, I don't know. This is a difficult one . . .

Ben Nelson Support is Victory for Death Panel

gosh, here we go again, that pesky deal where facts leak out about Nelson's Obamacare bill . . .

Earlier this week, I posted that by all reports, Ben Nelson's Obamacare bill has a death-panel lite provision. Well the bloom has come off the Nelson rose as Sarah Palin voiced her concerns about that same provision on her blog.

Can't wait to see Nelson have to explain this one. I'm sure he will find a way to blame someone else. I don't think Governor Heineman can be blamed on this one! Oh wait, I bet Nelson claims ignorance, a perpetual state for him.

Good News on a Tough Weather Day

Nebraska Unemployment Drops to 4.5%

The AP reports that Nebraska's unemployment rate dropped to 4.5% in November, down from 4.9% in October, the state's labor department said.  "Three private industry sectors added jobs last month: trade, transportation and utilities, 3,744; education and health services, 869; and manufacturing, 587."  The AP also notes that "Omaha's estimated unemployment rate dipped to 4.6%," while "Lincoln's estimated unemployment rate slipped to 3.9%."  The highest unemployment rate in November was Beatrice at 5.7%; the lowest was Kearney at 3.0.

Improvement at Lake Ogallala is good for trout fishermen

The AP reports "work on one of the state's premier trout lakes has been completed early." The work at Lake Ogallala has been completed and water has begun refilling the lake. It will be stocked with trout in late winter or early spring. Crews renovated Lake Ogallala and excavated a channel to improve circulation and oxygen levels. Lake Ogallala is just east of the state's largest reserviour, Lake McConaughy.

Nebraska third best for being mellow(!)

The Associated Press has released its latest analysis of economic stress in more than 3,100 U.S. counties, based on unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates.  "North Dakota was again the least-stressed state with a score of 3.89. It was followed by South Dakota (5.14), Nebraska (5.51), Vermont (6.43) and Montana (6.64)."  A county is considered stressed when its score is over 11. Nevada, Michigan, California, Florida and Arizona are rated worst, due to severe housing downturns.

Just Had to Add This: Suh Named AP National Player of the Year

Nebraska senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been named the Associated Press National Player of the Year, the wire service announced on Tuesday. Suh is the first defensive player to win the honor since its inception in 1998. He is the first non-Heisman winner to be honored with the AP National Player of the Year since Iowa quarterback Brad Banks. Suh is Nebraska’s second winner of the AP National Player of the Year Award, joining quarterback Eric Crouch who captured the award and the Heisman Trophy in 2001.

The award adds to a memorable month of honors and awards for the 6-4, 300-pound Suh. In addition to Tuesday’s honor, Suh was the winner of the Outland, Lombardi, Bednarik and Nagurski awards, and was also a unanimous All-America pick. He was also named the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to every All-Big 12 team announced. Suh also graduated last Saturday with a degree in construction managment.

A Sign Of Things To Come for Democrats

Dems in Washington have no idea the anger that exists among normal Americans . . .

First the governorships in Democrat stalwart New Jersey and what had been leaning Democrat-Virginia; then the string of retirements of Democrat Congressmen in southern states and now a party switch as reported by Politico. 2010 is going to be a very interesting year for Democrats. Is this where "you created the bed, now lie in it" comes to mind?

Is That A Death Panel in Nelson-Obamacare Bill?

Senate Obamacare plan puts panel in charge of Medicare decisions . . .

Details are starting to come out on the Senate’s version of Obamacare and it’s not good news for older Nebraskans. Here are just a couple items in the Obamacare bill that Ben Nelson endorses wholeheartedly:
 

1. Starting in the spring, anyone who treats Medicare patients will face a 21-percent CUT in their Medicare payments. Older Nebraskans that means doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. We all know what such a slash in Medicare payments translates into in terms of availability and quality of care.
   
2. Seniors are the biggest losers in the Nelson compromise healthcare bill. Apparently, Senator Nelson has no problem slashing Medicare funding by half a trillion dollars. In fact, that is the main reason that the CBO gave this bill a favorable cost estimate. However, the real expert here is the actuary for the Medicare Trust Fund, who came out last week saying that such cuts will cause seniors to have a very difficult time finding a doctor and would devastate the quality of care.
3. Death panel lite? Ben Nelson has agreed that a new independent board will have the power to cut Medicare benefits and only Congress can override the board’s decisions. Feeling all warm and fuzzy about this provision? Let me add this tidbit. As we have all seen, members of Congress in general have no spine so they are not going to touch any decision made by this panel when the inevitable rationing of Medicare begins. The bottom line here for Older Nebraskans is that decisions about your quality of care will be made by faceless bureaucrats in Washington DC and not by your physician or family. Ben Nelson isn’t concerned, of course then again, he has nothing to worry about when he reaches that magic age because he is on the Federal Healthcare program and that’s as gold plated as you can get.

There are plenty other provisions that will make your toe nails curl and I will get into those in other posts.

If I’m an older Nebraskan, these three provisions should make you want to grab Mr. Nelson by the shirt collar and shake him. Folks, this is how Ben Nelson thinks seniors should be treated. How can you come to any other conclusion based on his support for  the Obamacare bill in the Senate?   

A Nebraska Tragedy: The Selling of Ben Nelson Soul

    the superior man understands what is right . . . the inferior man will sell his soul for political favor

We are a simple people in Nebraska but do not misinterpret the term "simple" to mean dumb. Far from it.

In Nebraska, we take you at what you say. We are not a people who likes parsing of words. We are not a people who likes shades of meaning. You say what you mean and you mean what you say and then you follow through on your words:

"My vote is not for sale. Period."

                     - Ben Nelson quoted in Lincoln Journal Star December 16, 2009

What Nebraskans woke up to this morning according to FOXNEWS:

Critics were calling it the "cornhusker kickback" and the "Nebraska windfall," lobbing accusations of political deal-making at Nelson.

"It's pretty obvious votes have been bought," Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said.

But Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Nelson's victory came at the expense of the other 49 states.  "That puts an added burden on all the other states, including mine," he said on "Fox News Sunday.

"McCain suggested the Obama administration wouldn't be in such a position if it had governed in a more bipartisan way.

"That's why they're in the position of having to purchase the last vote or two," McCain said.

And how about that moral dilemma on abortion on which we heard so much from Nelson for the past several weeks. The reaction to the "compromise" language Nelson claims he fought so hard for can be found in the two statewide newspapers:

“There is no pro-life Nebraskan more devastated by Senator Nelson's actions than myself,'' said Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life. “I have defended his record to Nebraskans and believed that he would stand on pro-life principles as he has on numerous occasions in the past. … It is a very sobering day for myself personally and for pro-lifers across Nebraska and the nation.” Joseph Morton, Omaha World Herald

Johanns described the abortion compromise as nothing more than an “accounting gimmick” and said he could not imagine how any “pro-life senator” could support it. Joseph Morton, Omaha World Herald

In a stunning choice of words, Republican U.S. Senator  Mike Johanns described the abortion compromise negotiated by his Nebraska colleague as "reprehensible." Don Walton, Lincoln Journal Star

I believe that we will find that as the days go on and Nebraskans statewide come to realize how Senator Nelson sold his vote and his soul to Liberals in Washington, the anger will only increase.

In Michelle Malkin's blog today, a doctor from Friend, NE population 1204, epitomizes just that response. A response from someone that's never been politically active but Nelson's sell out on Saturday has energized . The contempt and disgust can not be better said(click for letter).

Be assured America, we will clean up our own house . . .