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You are here: Home / Archives for Politics

Sen. Krist slams Gov. Ricketts’ tax cut proposal; Ricketts calls attack political

April 19, 2018 By Brent Martin

State Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, Democratic candidate for governor

State Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha, a Democrat running for governor, criticizes the tax relief package proposed by Gov. Pete Ricketts this legislative session.

“From the day he stepped into office, Pete Ricketts has demonstrated special tax breaks for the rich while abandoning the rest of us,” Krist tells reporters during a Capitol Rotunda news conference. “In fact, (the) governor’s tax reform bill, LB 947, would have resulted in as much as a $13 million windfall for T.D. Ameritrade, his family’s company.”

Gov. Ricketts backed Legislative Bill 947 this year. It proposed a phase-in of property tax relief as well as a cut in the corporate income tax from 7.81% to 6.84%.

Ricketts declines to address the criticism directly.

“Well, first of all, I think when you’re talking about political attacks that you really need to go talk to the campaign on that and that’s all that is,” Ricketts tells reporters when asked about the Krist assertion.

Ricketts does defend his proposal, saying LB 947 grew out of much consultation with state senators and interest groups in an effort to overcome a filibuster.

“And we know that getting to the threshold of 33 votes is difficult, that it requires a super majority, and in the case of the property tax bill we had a minority of senators who were insisting upon raising taxes and you cannot get tax relief by raising taxes,” according to Ricketts.

Neither LB 947 nor any other property tax relief package passed the just concluded legislative session.

 

Filed Under: News, Politics

Cong. Bacon praising Paul Ryan on job well done

April 12, 2018 By Karla James

Congressman Don Bacon has high praise for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan who announced he is retiring from Congress at the end of his current term.

Congressman Bacon says, “I think Paul Ryan is a man of integrity. He really stands out.  He is so candid and honest with people.  We are going to miss that.  I always appreciated when he would lay out some tough policy decisions that had to be made, what we wanted to achieve, what we could possibly achieve and a strategy to get there.  I always found him to be a man of his word.”

Several other high profile Republicans like Trey Gowdy and Darrell Issa are also leaving the House. Democrats are now hoping for a “blue wave” to take over Capitol Hill this fall.  Congressman Bacon says there are some concerns.  He says, “If you just go by historical norms of the party of the first-term president only loses 30 seats in that mid-term.  That is the norm.  We have a 24 seat majority so we know that we have, just going through the historical odds, we have a lot of work to do.”

However, Congressman Bacon says the Republican Party has a lot going for them as well. He is optimistic because the economy is picking up.  We also have the highest GDP growth we gave seen in a while, low unemployment and higher wages.  He says the concentrate on those issues the party has a good campaign moving forward.

Filed Under: News, Politics

Sponsor of defeated voter photo ID measure hints he might try petition route to ballot (AUDIO)

April 6, 2018 By Brent Martin

Sen. John Murante

The sponsor of the voter photo ID measure concedes defeat in the legislature but doesn’t give up on the idea.

Sen. John Murante of Gretna fails to get the votes needed to overcome a filibuster of his resolution which would have placed voter photo ID on the November ballot.

He dismisses claims voter fraud doesn’t exist in Nebraska, pointing out two voter fraud convictions within the last year.

“So, we know that it does exist, but the truth of the matter is we can’t find voter fraud unless we look for it,” Murante tells Nebraska Radio Network. “And putting a common-sense voter identification proposal into our constitution and letting the people of Nebraska vote on that would have been an important first step.”

Murante declined to use his allotted three hours of floor debate on LR 1 CA, instead calling for a cloture vote after about an hour of debate. He fell well short of the 33 votes needed to end debate and go to a vote on the resolution.

Thought defeated in the legislature, Murante isn’t giving up.

Murante says he is in discussions about mounting an initiative petition drive to place the issue on the ballot. He says if it gets there, it will pass.

“I am convinced the voters would approve it overwhelmingly. They don’t understand want the holdup is.”

AUDIO:  Brent Martin reports [:45]

 

 

Filed Under: News, Politics

Sarpy County moves polling places out of schools

March 28, 2018 By Karla James

About 30,000 voters in Sarpy County received notification that their voting place will change ahead of the May 15th primary date. Election Commissioner Michelle Andahl started connecting with community members and voters soon after entering office late last year to identify ways the office could better serve citizens.  One issue kept surfacing and that was moving polling places out of schools.

Andahl says, “School districts in Sarpy County have always been accommodating and gracious about hosting polling sites inside schools. However, it also posed challenges for schools and law enforcement as they worked to balance security protocols and providing public access without impediment on Election Day.”  She adds that schools are much busier today, especially during drop-off and pick-up times and that congestion was also a factor in their decision.

Andahl says this was a huge challenge for election officials to identify polling locations that met all requirements. Through partnerships with a number of organizations they have now been able to move voting locations to churches, hospitals, community centers and retail developments.

Andahl also wants to thank the voters of Sarpy County by saying change isn’t always easy and the new locations may not be as convenient. However, moving the polling places out of schools was an important task and an important step for the community.

Filed Under: News, Politics

Petition delivery at Cong. Bacon’s Omaha office today

March 22, 2018 By Karla James

The candidate seeking the Democratic nomination to the U.S. House 2nd District is joining with student leaders in Omaha to demand real action on gun laws and reform. Candidate Kara Eastman and local high school students will be at Congressman Don Bacon’s Omaha office to deliver a petition with thousands of signatures calling on lawmakers and candidates to enact common sense reforms.  That includes a ban on the sale of assault weapons, high capacity magazines and to require background checks on all gun purchases.  That will take place at 4:15 p.m.

The petition also requires all lawmakers and candidates to refuse NRA money. Eastman says, “Congressman Bacon has been endorsed by the NRA.  He has a high rating from the NRA and is against banning the sale of these weapons.  It is one of these things we keep having a back and forth, take away people’s guns or let people have their guns.  This is not about taking away anything.  This is about protecting our citizens.”

Eastman says she is proud to support these students around the country and locally who are being so much braver than our policy makers.

Eastman is participating in the week of action with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and other progressive candidates who are going on offense to deliver similar messages across the country.

The week-long event will wrap up Saturday in the March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. that will be led by student activists and survivors of the mass shooting at the high school in Florida. The March for Our Lives Omaha event will also be held Saturday at the Lewis and Clark Landing, 345 Riverfront Drive in Omaha from noon until 3 p.m.

Filed Under: News, Politics

Sen. Krist wins at Supreme Court, can run as Democrat for governor (AUDIO)

March 20, 2018 By Brent Martin

Sen. Bob Krist

State Sen. Bob Krist can indeed run as a Democrat for governor.

The Supreme Court has rejected a claim he violated state election law.

The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the ruling of Secretary of State John Gale that Senator Bob Krist qualifies for the Democratic primary ballot, rejecting a claim that he failed to meet a deadline to switch party affiliation.

Krist, once a Republican, had contemplated running as an independent before declaring as a Democrat.

He says the lawsuit had an impact on his campaign.

“Obviously, it has affected my ability to fund-raise, because some folks did actually think that it might go the opposite way,” Krist tells Nebraska Radio Network. “Just in the last 24 hours that’s all turned around. So, that’s a good feeling.”

Tyler Davis, also on the Democratic primary ballot, claimed Krist failed to change his party affiliation in time. Secretary of State Gale ruled Krist remained a non-partisan until he declared as a Democrat on February 12th. Davis had claimed Krist had chosen a political party, forming the United Nebraska Party after contemplating, then rejecting a run as an independent.

Gale noted in his ruling that United Nebraska was never recognized as a political party in Nebraska and, thus, Krist never changed political parties.

Krist, a former Air Force pilot, was appointed a state senator in 2009 by former Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican. Krist won election to the officially non-partisan Unicameral in 2010. Krist was re-elected in 2014. He was registered as a Republican until last year, when he registered officially as non-partisan.

Krist says he now can concentrate on the campaign and the issues.

Davis is an instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Vanessa Ward, a pastor and north Omaha activist, has also filed as a Democratic candidate for governor.

AUDIO:  Brent Martin reports [:45]

Filed Under: Featured Stories, News, Politics

Petition drive launched to have voters decide whether to expand Medicaid (AUDIO)

March 9, 2018 By Brent Martin

Amanda Gershon of Lincoln addresses a Capitol Rotunda news conference on the Medicaid expansion petition drive.

A petition drive aiming to place Medicaid expansion on the November ballot has kicked off at the Capitol.

Lincoln resident Amanda Gershon says signatures will be gathered to take the issue directly to the voters, because the Unicameral has failed to act.

“For the last six years, our state legislature has failed to pass Medicaid expansion and allow more than 90,000 low-income Nebraskans to get the health care they need,” Gershon tells reporters during a news conference in the Capitol Rotunda. “I’m talking about hard working people who we all know and depend on.”

Gershon says the issue became personal to her after she became deathly ill.

“I needed health care desperately but couldn’t get it,” Gershon says. “In 2016, my body crashed. I spent a week in the hospital fighting for my life. The doctor told me I was going to die at 33-years-old and if I hadn’t been able to get the health care, I probably would have.”

Gershon says she was lucky when was approved for disability, then qualified for Medicaid.

Marea Bishop of Bellevue, who owns a photography business says she cannot afford health insurance and, in 2011, fell ill and was unable to work full-time.

“Not having health insurance turns your life into a vicious cycle,” according to Bishop. “If people can’t afford medication and treatment, they can’t get healthy, which is what they need to be able to return to work.”

Nebraska Appleseed estimates 90,000 Nebraska would received health insurance coverage if Medicaid is expanded under the rules of the federal health care law. Under the law, the federal government would cover 90% of the cost of expansion.

Volunteer and paid signature gathers will attempt to gather approximately 85,000 signatures of registered voters by July 6th to place the issue on the November ballot.

AUDIO:  News conference on petition drive to place Medicaid expansion on the November ballot. [13 minutes]

Filed Under: News, Politics

Treasurer Stenberg remembers the late Charley Thone as a common sense Nebraskan

March 8, 2018 By Brent Martin

State Treasurer Don Stenberg in his Capitol office.

State Treasurer Don Stenberg calls the late Charley Thone a gentleman; a down-to-earth, common sense Nebraskan.

Thone, the former governor and congressman, has died at the age of 94.

Stenberg worked for Thone in the governor’s office in the late ’70s.

“He was a very perceptive, very smart individual which I think is part of the reason why presidential candidates from Goldwater to Reagan sought his advice on their campaigns,” Stenberg tells Nebraska Radio Network during an interview in his Capitol office. “I enjoyed working for him very, very much. He was a wonderful boss and gave me a lot of opportunities.”

Thone put a young Stenberg in charge of legislative relations after Thone won election as governor in 1978. Stenberg says Thone was laid back, had good judgment, and was willing to listen.

Stenberg was disappointed when Thone lost his re-election bid to young, up-and-coming Democrat Bob Kerrey. Stenberg points out the race was close throughout the 1982 election year. He blames the loss on the recession which severely impacted agriculture.

Stenberg says Thone will be missed.

Thone campaign poster/Nebraska State Historical Society photo

“I really do. I think Charley Thone was just one of those people who could relate to people from all walks of life. He was a real gentleman,” Stenberg says. “I know I’ll miss him and I think many Nebraskans who knew him personally will miss him a great deal.”

Stenberg counted Thone as one of his trusted advisors when he decided to run for public office.

Thone, raised on a farm near Hartington, represented the 1st Congressional District of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979. Thone served on the House Agriculture Committee. Thone, a Republican, also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations, investigating the death of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. He left Congress to run for governor.

After public service, Thone returned to practicing law.

Thone died of natural causes Wednesday afternoon.

Thone is survived by his wife, Ruth, and three daughters.

 

Filed Under: News, Politics

Former Governor, Congressman Charles Thone dead at age 94

March 8, 2018 By Brent Martin

Gov. Charles Thone/Photo courtesy of the governor’s office

Charles Thone, former governor and congressman, has died at the age of 94.

Thone, raised on a farm near Hartington, represented the 1st Congressional District of Nebraska from 1971 to 1979. Thone served on the House Agriculture Committee. Thone, a Republican, also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations, investigating the death of President John F. Kennedy.

Thone, known as Charley to Nebraskans, returned to the state to be elected governor in 1978. As governor, Thone concentrated on education and economic development. Thone failed in his re-election bid in 1982 to Democrat Bob Kerrey.

After public service, Thone returned to practicing law.

 

 

Filed Under: News, Politics

VP Pence says Ricketts is good for Nebraska

March 7, 2018 By Karla James

Vice President Mike Pence (right) headlined a fundraises for the re-election campaign of Gov. Pete Ricketts./KFAB photo

Vice President Mike Pence had a busy day in the Omaha metro area Tuesday. After speaking in Council Bluffs he headed to the Marriott Hotel in Omaha to attend a private fundraiser for Governor Pete Ricketts who is seeking a second term in the upcoming election.

The Vice President stated that Governor Ricketts has made huge contributions to the state of Nebraska regarding the economy, businesses, families and for the agriculture sector.

Pence also urged all Nebraskans to register to vote and then exercise that right in the primary election in May and again in November.

Air Force 2 left the metro around 8 p.m.

Pence is touring the country to rally support for the upcoming mid-term election. He will be back in Nebraska soon to campaign for Congressman Don Bacon who is also running for re-election.

Photo:  WOWT 6 News, Omaha.

Filed Under: News, Politics

Next Page »

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Speaker Scheer regrets direction budget talks took (AUDIO)

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