http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ne-news/ en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 03:24:51 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414805/posts Nebraska’s Republican governor has a stern message for Ben Nelson, the senior Democratic senator from his state: We don’t want Washington to cover all the costs of the proposed expansion of Medicaid under health care legislation. “The last few days have made Nebraskans so angry that now it’s a matter of principle,” Gov. David Heineman told POLITICO. “The federal government can keep that money Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414805/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 03:24:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414649/posts Ben Nelson Attacks Pro-Life Advocates, Defends Pro-Abortion Compromise Washington, DC -- Facing an enormous backlash for becoming the 60th vote for a health care bill that his language allows to fund abortions, Ben Nelson is striking back. In comments both on and off the Senate floor yesterday and today, Nelson lashed out at pro-life advocates and is defending his much-maligned compromise. http://www.LifeNews.com/state4677.html LifeNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414649/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:17:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414624/posts HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said today that his office is conducting a legal analysis of the constitutionality of the provision granting Nebraska a permanent exemption from paying Medicaid expenses that all other states, including Pennsylvania, are required to pay. Corbett said that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson secured this special provision for Nebraska in exchange for his support of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act. Corbett said, "The result of the Nelson amendment, which the media has dubbed 'The Nebraska Compromise,' could have dire financial consequences for Pennsylvania taxpayers, forcing them to help offset the cost of Nebraska's... PA Office of the Attorney General http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414624/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:28:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414452/posts OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Prosecutors won't file charges against an Omaha business owner who shot and killed a suspected burglar over the weekend. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine says he believes the shooting was justified. The owner of Bazar Latino who shot the man has not been named. Police say 23-year-old Jesus Franco was found dead Saturday morning. His body was in the snow about 30 feet from a south Omaha business that had reported a burglary. The owner told officers he fired his gun during a confrontation with a suspected burglar, who then fled. nebraska.tv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414452/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:37:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414448/posts An Omaha woman is mourning the death of her boyfriend, a suspected burglar shot and killed by a business owner over the weekend. She believes that business owner should be charged with a crime. Police say Jesus Franco broke into the business near 24th and I streets around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, struggled with the owner and then ran from the scene after being shot. Police found Franco dead a few blocks away, alone in his car. Click here to find out more! Lynn Pecha is overcome with grief. Franco's girlfriend does not believe the story. “It's not right, he didn't... wowt.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414448/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:34:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414165/posts COLUMBIA, S.C. - The top prosecutors in seven states are probing the constitutionality of a political deal that cut a funding break for Nebraska in order to pass a federal health care reform bill, South Carolina's attorney general said Tuesday. Attorney General Henry McMaster said he and his counterparts in Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas and Washington state — all Republicans — are jointly taking a look at the deal they've dubbed the "Nebraska compromise." "The Nebraska compromise, which permanently exempts Nebraska from paying Medicaid costs that Texas and all other 49 states must pay, may violate the United... AP via The Woodward Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414165/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:13:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414225/posts Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he's convinced language he negotiated in the health care reform bill assures no public funds can be used to pay for abortions. "I did not compromise my pro-life principles," he said. "We just found different language that will work." Nelson helped negotiate the provision after failing to win Senate approval of an amendment that would match restrictive abortion language in the House bill. Nebraska Right to Life Executive Director Julie Schmit-Albin subsequently condemned the compromise and accused Nelson of betraying the pro-life organization, which endorsed his re-election in 2006. The three Catholic bishops in Nebraska... Lincoln Journal-Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414225/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:03:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414248/posts The Senate of the United States just voted to table Jim DeMint’s proposed amendment that would prevent cash for cloture compromises. As you will recall, Ben Nelson was bribed by Harry Reid to vote for the health care bill via targeted earmarks that will only benefit Nebraska. DeMint asked for the Senate to suspend its rules to consider his amendment, which would prohibit such deals in the future. Ben Nelson voted against Jim DeMint’s amendment, but when he realized the Democrats already had the votes to kill it, he raced back up to the clerk and changed his vote so... Red State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414248/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:51:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414251/posts Statue Honoring Sen. Ben Nelson Still a Go in HometownMcCook, Nebraska Posted: 8:53 PM Dec 23, 2009 Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson's hometown is going ahead with plans to erect a statue in his honor despite vocal opposition to the Democrat's support of health care reform. 1011now http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414251/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:53:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414300/posts What's happening with ObamaCare this week in the Senate is raw, rank politics at its worst. PASSING LAWS has been compared to making sausage. But in the case of the mammoth health care bill expected to pass the Senate on Christmas Eve, that's an insult to employees at the Jimmy Dean plant. It's also a slap at Americans who want Congress to take its time to make thoughtful changes that will affect one seventh of the U.S. economy. President Obama campaigned on "change we can believe in." Most voters believed him. Yet many polls show that only a minority of... The Savannah Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414300/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:55:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414152/posts Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat with impeccable liberal credentials, is becoming the most fearsome hunter since Elmer Fudd or maybe Dick Cheney. The Brooklyn resident recently traveled to Nebraska to go on a hunting trip with his colleague and fellow Democrat Ben Nelson, reports Politico.com. At first, the novice hunter needed to understand the basics -- things like a shotgun won't shoot with the safety on, and that hunting dogs aren't there just to hang out, the website says. Schumer, the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, apparently looked rather Fudd-like in his orange safety vest and... Daily Finance http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414152/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:50:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414095/posts During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama repeatedly promised a new tone in Washington, an open, fair, and purpose-driven agenda with a bipartisan spirit. Instead, the tone is Washington has not only reached its lowest partisan ebb, perhaps ever, but the ‘legislative process’ under Harry Reid has deteriorated into naked bribery and ideological prostitution. While Mary Landreiu and Blanche Lincoln have showed themselves to be up for purchase, no member of the U.S. Senate has so drastically sold his soul and abandoned his principles as has Nebraska’s Ben Nelson. Throughout the’ health care reform’ process, Nelson had been relatively up-front in... GOPublius http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414095/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:22:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413976/posts At least 10 states are now raising questions about the legality of the deal that Senator Ben Nelson, a Democrat, cut for his home state of Nebraska during the health care negotiations. Under the agreement, which is on the verge of being approved Thursday by the Senate, Nebraska is permanently exempt from paying for its expansion of Medicaid, shoving that cost onto taxpayers in every other state. Mr. Nelson was able to exercise such leverage because in exchange, he was providing the magical 60th vote that Democrats needed to advance their health care bill. The deal has enraged other Senators,... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413976/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:13:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413997/posts I received this question from a friend on Facebook: So, Jill, what happened with Nelson? You and other pro-life leaders were advising people to be "calm" and to thank him, and all indications now are that he prostituted his vote like so many others. How do you know who to trust? My friend was speaking about a blog post I wrote Dec. 11 encouraging pro-lifers to maintain support of Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. In that post I relayed an e-mail received from Democrats for Life's president, Kristen Day, assuring everyone Nelson was unwavering in his refusal to vote for any... World Net Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413997/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:48:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413619/posts Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, after securing a sweetheart deal for his state as part of the health insurance reform bill, said Tuesday that three other senators have told him they want to bargain for the same kind of special treatment. "Three senators came up to me just now on the (Senate) floor, and said, 'Now we understand what you did. We'll be seeking this funding too'," Nelson said. But the Democratic senator, who has faced a heap of criticism for appearing to trade his vote on health care for millions in federal Medicaid money, said he's considering asking that the... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413619/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:21:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413314/posts Politics: Sen. Mary Landrieu was the new "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up his state's future Medicaid tab. Maybe we should just put Senate votes up on eBay. Nelson, the 60th vote in the middle-of-the-night Senate party line vote on health care reform, will go down in American political history as the inventor of the permanent earmark. His seemingly principled stand against including federal funding for Tea Party Nexus http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413314/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:10:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413068/posts Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, who has faced a heap of criticism for appearing to trade his vote on health care for millions in federal Medicaid money, said he's considering asking that the Nebraska deal be stripped from the bill. But he said other senators are looking for special treatment Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413068/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:06:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412922/posts WASHINGTON — The phone lines were jammed and busy signals greeted callers to Sen. Ben Nelson's offices today in Washington and throughout Nebraska. Constituents were letting the Nebraska Democrat know what they thought of his decision to back the health reform package on the verge of passing the U.S. Senate...The Democrat was also at the center of attention at a rally in downtown Omaha on Sunday that drew about 1,800 people. And much of the attention was unfavorable, as opponents of the health care legislation in Congress expressed outrage with his decision to cast the crucial 60th vote in favor... Omaha World-Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412922/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:17:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412685/posts Politics: Sen. Mary Landrieu was the new "Louisiana Purchase." Sen. Ben Nelson got the federal government to pick up his state's future Medicaid tab. Maybe we should just put Senate votes up on eBay. Nelson, the 60th vote in the middle-of-the-night Senate party line vote on health care reform, will go down in American political history as the inventor of the permanent earmark. His seemingly principled stand against including federal funding for abortion evaporated like the morning dew as he decided to take what was behind door No. 1. The deal for Nelson includes special Medicaid funding for Nebraska, along... Investor's Business Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412685/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:24:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412136/posts A group called Americans for Prosperity in Nebraska gathered a crowd for a rally in Omaha to press Sen. Nelson on the reform bill. Anger over senator Ben Nelson's support of health care reform. Nearly 2,000 people rally in Omaha, hoping he's listening. The group's message is two fold -- reconsider your vote Senator Nelson and remember your decision when elections roll around. With their signs in hand, Nebraskans filled Omaha's Music Hall, rallying against the senate health care bill and Sen. Nelson's support for it. "I think that's why we're all here. To get him to listen to us,"... 1011now http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412136/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:52:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412127/posts U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he wants South Carolina's top prosecutor to investigate a deal that helped secure the 60th vote needed to pass a Democratic health care bill through the Senate. Blasting Senate Democrats for what he called "backroom deals that amount to bribes," Graham found much to complain about in their health care bill. He was particularly irked that the senator who provided that final vote to head off a Republican filibuster, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, cut a deal in which the federal government pays his state's share of the cost for new Medicaid recipients. The Post and Courier http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412127/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:22:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412000/posts Deep in Health Bill, Very Specific Beneficiaries ROBERT PEAR December 20, 2009 WASHINGTON — Buried in the deal-clinching health care package that Senate Democrats unveiled over the weekend is an inconspicuous proposal expanding Medicare to cover certain victims of “environmental health hazards.” The intended beneficiaries are identified in a cryptic, mysterious way: individuals exposed to environmental health hazards recognized as a public health emergency in a declaration issued by the federal government on June 17, 2009. And who might those individuals be? It turns out they are people exposed to asbestos from a vermiculite mine in Libby, Mont. For a... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412000/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:23:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411952/posts Senator Nelson of Nebraska cut a special deal. In exchange for agreeing to allow government funds be used for abortions, he got a special deal for Nebraska. The special deal was that Nebraska would not have to pay matching funds for Medicade. All the other 49 states must pay matching funds. Many of those state like my own state of California can not afford to pay those matching funds. Who pays for Nebraska's Medicare casts? All of us who live in the other 49 states. BS, I say. We should not stand by while Nebraska sucks money from all the... Me http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411952/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:30:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411953/posts Dr. Becky Hollibaugh of Friend, Nebraska e-mailed me her message for sellout Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) this morning:Hello Michelle:I’m a family practice doctor in Nebraska. I sent the following (angry,I admit) letter to Senator Nelson. I urge your readers (from Nebraska and elsewhere) to do likewise, in their own words!Dear Senator Nelson:I send this message under “Tort Reform” because the current monstrosity you have pledged your support to says nothing whatsoever about Tort Reform. You have sold the physicians of Nebraska for zilch (zilch for us, but beaucoup federal bucks for you and the liberal partisans in this state). As... Michelle Malkin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411953/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:30:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411866/posts OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - It was the concern of Nebraska's Republican governor over expanded Medicaid costs in the proposed Senate health care overhaul bill that led to a compromise to cover his state's estimated $45 million share over a decade, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson said Sunday. Gov. Dave Heineman "contacted me and he said this is another unfunded federal mandate and it's going to stress the state budget, and I agreed with him," the Nebraska Democrat said. "I said to the leader and others that this is something that has to be fixed. I didn't participate in the way it... Breitbart (AP) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411866/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:24:56 GMT