The LJS reports that Tom White, during his speech at the Dem's Morrison-Exon Dinner, all but announced his intention to run for 2D seat against Congressman Lee Terry.
(Note: The OWH either missed or skipped this speech and event entirely. Interesting that we have to go to the 1D newspaper in order to hear about this. If I've missed the OWH article, please let me know.)
“I’m close to making a decision. It’s fair to say I’m seriously considering entering the race.”Walton noted that White "focused on Terry with the intensity of a laser beam during a speech", while White droned on about Republican Lee Terry voting like a Republican.
It will be interesting to see if White can come up with a campaign theme other than "Lee Terry doesn't vote with Obama 100% of the time, like I would." The bloom is off the Obama rose and is drying up in the garden dirt right now. It ain't 2008.
What else does White have in his bag of tricks?
***
Also in the LJS article, State Sen. Steve Lathrop seems to indicate he is less likely to make a run at the Governor's office -- mainly because of the popularity of Governor Dave Heineman.
Ben Nelson, however, thinks Heineman can be taken down:
“It’s uphill,” Sen. Ben Nelson said during an interview.
“But it’s possible. A number of issues are tailor-made for a challenger.”
Nelson declined to be specific.
Declined to be specific?! Why, that cagey Nelson....
***
Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle just keeps trucking on. By now we've all heard about how he is going to raise taxes in many and various ways.
And of course Suttle has decided to shut down Morton Pool in order to save $21,000 from the budget.
But then there's this nugget from KMTV:
Two of Suttle's top aides are getting big bumps in pay.
Suttle's spokesman Ron Gerard (Penzkowski) will earn $71,000. Former Mayor Mike Fahey's spokesman Joe Gudenrath earned $58,000.
Suttle's Chief of Staff Steve Oltmans' will make $125,000. Fahey's Chief of Staff Paul Landow made $92,000.For those of you who understood there would be no math on this blog, that adds up to an increase of $46,000 for those two staffers.
So once again:
Shut community pool and give the $21,000 saved, plus another $15,000, to staffers.
(Why do I have a feeling we're going to hear how shutting the pools will make the city "greener"?)
***
The kids at the Suttle Watch blog beat us to it, but we too received this bumper sticker image.
It made us chuckle:
SAB from the image on Drudge:
POTUS and Bigfoot
Posts
145 comments:
First!
Tom White entering the second district congressional race is/was a foregone conclusion since he's been running for it for well over a year already. Lee also has to have some concern about a primary challenge from a strong conservative newcomer, Matt Sakalosky. Matt is already out there working hard introducing himself to second district voters and common sense conservatives.
Word is that Club for Growth recruited Sakalosky to primary Terry, and keep him well right of center. This creates a fascinating dynamic that will be fun to watch.
Tom White will be an impressive candidate. He will have access to more campaign funding sources than Jim Esch did. While I like Jim Esch, White obviously has a much more impressibe professional footprint.
I agree that 2010 will not be a repeat of 2008. However, it is undisputed that Terry's vitory margins have shrunk in every one of his races. That fact, plus a primary -- that will cost Terry some money -- bodes well for the Democratic candidate.
Yay! Last term for Lee Terry! Finally.
Call me if you want to buy one of these bumper stickers.
Sam Fischer
965-9420
Suttle is thinking about not picking up yard waste....well tell me Mr. Green, what are we supposed to do with it??? Throw it in the ditches? OmaGro is a revenue producing product as a result of yard waste collection. I wonder if he knows that...
Well, if the city doesn't pick up yard waste, he'll have even more money to pay his staff. Right?
Maybe I should create a new business that picks up yard waste.
Yardwaste:
Before you do...look at the Suttle small business tax form.
Line 1: List your income.
Line 2: List your profit
Line 3: Send it to City Hall.
Incorporate it outside of the city - oh, wait - he wants to nail those poor saps with an occupation tax. Maybe I will take it to the other parts of Douglas County, unless he annexs those also.
He goes through with that and placing the determination of who lives in the city on the back of business - it will leave the city. Rest assured, business will leave Omaha.
Post updated regarding the Gov's race and Steve Lathrop.
-Ed.
Sakalosky has a problem. GOP WASP West Omahans feel no guilt about slapping down Poles and others with "garlicky" last names. If anything, they deem Poles white enough to be fair game for venting frustration at not being allowed to criticize black officials and yet different enough to make most Omaha GOP voters uncomfortable.
White Dems are also bigoted. And so are Blacks and Hispanics. But they aren't Sakalosky's problem in a GOP primary.
Sakalowsky is going to be enough of a problem for Lee Terry that it will damage him in the primary that he won't be able to focus on his race against Tom White until after the primary -- and he'll be battered somewhat by having to go too far right. Tom White will then be able to label Lee with the "far right" label and get a majority of the votes in the general as the moderate candidate. Then, we can look forward to a Congressman White in January 2011.
Who the heck is White and what does he stand for? If he's a Obama faithful, and will blindly do as BO tells him. No way! Not in my district!
Who says White is an "Obama faithful"? He's not. He's pro-life for one thing.
It's obvious that White will lay down and do whatever President Obama tells him to do.
And Nancy Pelosi thinks she's a good Catholic too.
White's pro-life. He's a fiscal hawk. He refused to vote for the state budget in 2007 and 2008 because it included gas tax increases (and then voted to sustain the Gov's veto of them). It will be difficult for Terry and the gang to caricature him as a lefty liberal.
White will be as "pro-Life" as the Dems allow him to be.
He's in favor of Obama's spend-spend-spend plans -- as indicated by his comments on Terry.
He will kowtow to the Obama plans in order to get the Obama money.
Anyone know for fact that Sakalosky was recruited by Club for Growth? Or, is it purely speculation? They never seem to run a candidate who wins. I figured Matt was in it to win not promote a cause
There have been some rumors that he's a front guy for Club for Growth. In that case, too bad for him to be used that way.
I know for a fact that Sakalosky was not approached by the Club for Growth and he has never spoken to them. I also know for a fact that this is a fantasy rumor by the GOP establishment who are very afraid that Matt is real and represents a threat. Quit posting rumors on here unles you know your facts. One more fact, the establishment folks tried to send him over to the Club for Growth to get money but he didn't go, so good try.
Nothing better than a person stating a bunch of "facts" but then hiding behind Anonymous. How can one judge the credibility and realibility of the "facts"?
As a major donor to the Club for Growth, I can say we STRONGLY endorse both Terry and Sakalosky. We feel the party of Reagan, Newt, and Cheney is not the past but the future.
Matt Sakalosky is NOT, I repeat, NOT a Club for Growth candidate. He is a candidate of the people, plain and simple. He is a very viable candidate that has every right to run and offers a much needed change in politics. Any one linking him to them is doing so for manipulative reasons and that is the last thing we need more of in government. The Republican establishment should be glad to have someone like him run, but instead seem to be hanging on to the old ways of business. You'd think loosing the Senate, House and White House would wake them up.
Go Matt Sakalosky and what he stands for!
Again, As a MAJOR donor for Club of Growth, I state we SUPPORT Sakalosky. I don't know why he is afraid of us.
You encourage Matt and "what he stands for" Does he not support our stand for lower taxes? Is Matt for higher taxes, gay marriage, and the killing of people on life support system?
If does not want our money, that is fine, but as a minor candidate, I would think he would want our support.
I am disapointed Matt is picking fights with his fellow republicans.
Where's BTO to offer his usual spot-on predictions on this one?
Nice to see Tom White's legislative staff taking time out of their day to represent on here!
Holla Ian Russell!
How can anyone really know what is happening here with Matt and the Club for Growth. He has just started and is setting the base. He told us that he has not gone for money to any group yet...that he is clearly delineating his stances and differences from Terry and then people can decide. Who says he doesn't want the Club for Growth money? I spoke to Matt after a talk he gave last week and he is certainly for lower taxes and would not have voted for the TARP, he is not for gay marriage, and is very pro-life...this was all very clear...but there are some clear differences. He's a perfect fit for them to support. Matt is the most 'real' candidate I've seen in a long time...my wife and I walked away very impressed. Nice normal guy and very bright...he's got my vote.
Wow...I am impressed with Matt Sakalosky. He's already demonstrating the kind of discipline and conviction we all yearn for from from our sitting District 2 Congressman, and he's just in the very early stages of the campaign. Look out Club for Growth...Matt Sak looks like the real deal. Run Matt...run...win Matt...WIN!
"Gee willickers, that Matt sure is a neat guy! He's got MY vote!"
Yeah right. Get back to me when he's got more than a nickel to get his "message" out. (And don't pretend that there's some grass-roots movement that wants to unseat Lee Terry.)
I heard a rumor that Chip Maxwell is thinking about running against Terry in the primary? That would be great! Then we could have a real conservative representing us in Congress.
Of course, the party would probably mess it up again...
Paul M.,
You really need to pay more attention. I live in the THIRD Congressional District. The fool I want to have replaced is Adrian Smith.
Don't know what is more trashy, the way Suttle has handled City Hall so far or the type of people that put bumper stickers on their cars.
Sweet SAB, SS.
Tom White running for Congress?
Thanks for the legislative seat!
Is The President of the United States carrying a "man purse"?!LOL
Trashy, Bumper Stickers? you Dems were not complaining about all those Obama stickers going up last fall. Go get 'em Sam Fisher!!!
As long as Sakalosky keeps getting his email list fired up for Gretna and Springfield Days, Lee Terry has very little to worry about.LOL
BTW, when did he graduate from college?
3rd floor,
am NOT a dem...bumper stickers represent nothing but trash. Act professionally to get your point across without a gummy piece of paper stuck onto your ass...ooops, I meant auto.
Tom White would be a lap dog for Nancy Pelosi, oh right we need more of those in Congress! NOT! G
Ya, why is sak o crap doing parades in Fortenberry's district...hello, anyone home? Too funny.
Oh boy. Everyone welcome the meanies from the Terry camp. They're back and ready to attack.
Nobody knows who matt sakoloskyes;alfjey is and tom white is a pelosi yes man...makes me appreciate terry even more.
I get telephone town calls quite frequently from Terry, he comes across very honest and hard working. He is for lower taxes and always supports vets, I know my dad is one. I don't know the other too so I'm stickin with Lee.
Club for Growth---is that a cousin of the Hair Club for Men?
LOL 8:50!
What evidence is out there that Tom White is a Pelosi yes man? Seems like that's the tactic the Terry team has decided to go with already. Hmmmm, do we smell fear in the air? Watch they're going to do everything they can to put the image out there that White is a liberal socialist and Matt Sak is a nobody who doesn't know what he's doing. Except neither of these assertions is true.
Those townhall phone calls one of Terry's staffers mentioned before? We've received two of them also. Terry always sounds like a doofus.
Well looks like the White meanies are out too. boo hoo hoo. get over it white fans, terry beat esch even when obama won the district, 2010 will be a different ball game.
Oh, but Tom White is no Jim Esch.
That is true, Mr.White actually has a job and doesn't STILL live off govt subsidies like Eschie. Still who is Tom White...hmmmm, only time will tell.
Bumper stickers rule!
Tom White is running as a Democrat right? Then he'll be aligned with the Nancy Pelosi team and such, doesn't mean he's with her, but he'll be associated with her and he is a D, just like Terry is compared to a FORMER president. Whatever, let's get to the issues people.
Feb. 23rd of this year Tom White aka cosmo Kramer Leavenworth indicated he indicated running for governor...wouldn't he be the strongest candidate the dems have for governor? Is Tom White running for Governor or 2nd District? I mean the gov has had beatrice and the whole safe haven problems....
Where does tom white stand on healthcare...is he for the obama plan that would put the whole frickin country on welfare?
9:55
Be sure to read the follow-up on that subject on the February 24th post.
-SS
anony 9:46 - only for those who drive Saturns.
I have no idea who Tom White is, but he instantly has more credibility than Jim Esch. Hopefully he got the blessing/paid off the Douglas County Dems. It sounds, however, from the postings here, that he may run afoul of the current leadership if he is in fact pro-life and a fiscal hawk. For him to get the blessing of those who serve Obama, Blessed Be His Name!, he must first swear allegiance to the big BO. That would mean giving up that pro-life position as well as being a fiscal hawk. Sure, he can still get the nomination, but as we saw in the last primary, if you aren't in good with the Douglas County Dem leadership, it doesn't matter if you are a conservative Dem in a conservative district who was a veteran and had actually held down a job. Tom White will have an uphill battle just to get the nomination unless he jettisons his current beliefs.
So, Terry votes against War Funding bill. That is good headline news!
This morning, top of Becka's page, getting after Suttle: http://www.kfab.com/pages/Tombecka.html
Sam - I have the same bumper sticker, only it says "don't blame me, I voted for Vokal"
You'll sell a lot more of the Hal bumperstickers than the Vokal stickers.
I rarely comment on the efforts of journalists here in Omaha, but I have to say the most recent online story from Brian Mastre is all but blog worthy and a blog with poor journalistic standards at that.
Two lines of text and a quote from the director of the Platte Institute of Economic Research with his editorial printed verbatim.
Is this how low journalistic standards have fallen in Omaha?
"Omaha Urged To Cut Spending To Solve Budget Mess" is frankly the laziest piece of journalism we have witnessed yet.
Speaking of bad journalism, have you seen today's OWH? Iowa's new website, their own green space next to their building, and an award for Koterba are the biggest stories they've had all day. Sweeper, you should start a doomsday clock for the World Herald if this is as good as it gets anymore.
Breaking News from the OWH:
It's hot!!
Buy the evening paper to learn more...
The print media business model has collapsed. Advertising makes up about 70% of the revenue, and the advertisers have shifted to other media (television; radio; web) in recognition of the fact that print readership is plummeting.
In the face of these unmistakeable and irreversible trends, the OW-H nevertheless decided to spend a hundred million or so on its new printing faclity, the Freedom Center downtown. A beautiful facility to be sure, but what will this facility be printing in 10 years? In 20?
In addition to flat out hubris, other culprits include Craigslist, where advertisers pay nothing. In addition, web advertising is cheap cheap cheap.
Advertisers lust for the attention of the elusive 18-34 age bracket. You won't reach that demographic through print. And never will again.
Nevertheless, newspapers continue to believe that they will "figure out" how to profitably deliver content electronically. I'm skeptical.
The Kindle and other devices present opportunities, but how can you condition the information consumer to pay for what he/she has grown up getting for free?
Look no further than the now-defunkt music industry. Another business model that has utterly failed because its executives ignored the technological trends and its consumers preferences.
Most of you are probably too young to remember the music industry's sad and desperate efforts in the 1970s and 1980s to "ban" the sale of blank cassette tapes and videotapes. You would think that, having lost the "home-taping" revolution, the industry would have been prepared to embrace (and profit from) the arrival of digital downloads. Whoops! I guess the industry can console itself by using the outdated copyright laws to obtain uncollectibe legal judgments from downloaders.
This is why mid-market papers like the OW-H are going more tabloid. Tabloids sell because people are drawn to the sex and violence. People also love to gossip, and that's part of what tabloids aim to generate ("Did you read the story about Lindsay Lohan and her girlfriend?" "How about those nasty teenage boys and the 'hot mom?'" Never mind that the guy was acuitted).
As for the little plaza on the site of the old OW-H headquarters, I find it sad and telling. I appreciate that the paper invested a little money to make the property attractive while they await an improved real estate market in which the parcel can be sold and developed, but leaving the lovely Art Deco facade standing is a sad testament to the death of print media. It is now a ruin, a reminder of a different, more vibrant and intellectually stimulating era of media.
Unwanted.
You can have the hobby horse back, now, Sweeper.
So, buy a paper today, and join me in saying once again:
Wake up, people!
Granted they chase the 18-34 demo, but there is plenty of old wealth that rarely is tapped.
Tom White was a good friend to the late great Steve "Talk of the Town" Brown from KKAR, so he's already got my support.
And Steve Brown would tell you to support Congressman Lee Terry. Just like he told me to.
Ooh, it's going to be fun watching Lee Terry go down in flames in the next 17 months!
Tom White played the screeming liberal counter to Steve Brown on the show. So, if it is radical Liberal policy you want - White is your guy.
Biggest A-Hole in the legislature.
A lot of people that used to support Lee Terry don't anymore. I wouldn't be so sure Steve Brown would want to support Lee Terry anymore.
Anon 7:46 AM -
Tom White is a pro-life, tax cutting, military supporting "screaming liberal". Good luck with that...
So Jim Suttle wants a pay freeze for the civilian union, yet gave his staff increases over what Fahey's staff made (but, they'll have a pay freeze for four years after that), wants to cut $500,000 from the convention bureau and wants to basically tax the air you breathe...I think I'm going house shopping in Washington County.
Tom White is pro-life -- FINALLY A PRO-LIFE DEMOCRAT!!!!!
Wow!
Great News!
The City of Omaha is getting national attention from Forbes and CNBC!
Oh wait!
That is for raising parking fees, false alarm fees and slashing and burning our tourism promotion efforts during the biggest event of our tourism year.
Did ya hear the folks at Lamar cheering? More Denver billboards and ad dollars coming our way.
Good thinking Mayor Suttle!
At least he is taking care of his donors. Well sort of?
Suttle must be dumber 'n a bag of hammers. Raising parking prices by 33%? Now it's going to cost $8 to go visit some crappy home show? I realize that the Nebraska unemployment rate is only 4.4% but most people are watching what they spend and $8 parking will get your attention.
As for the wage freezes, his staff gets 4 years of no raises and he only has to suffer through 2. Also, is this before or after they get their raises for this year? Suttle is in over his head. Good luck Omaha.
This sucks! I want my city back! But don't blame me -- I VOTED FOR HAL!
How does Steve "I never saw a dam that didn't need built" Oltmans always seem to weasel in on the $?
Well Tom we will see you on the street
Omaha's financial problems are all the fault of Republicans;
sales tax, property tax revenues are down thanks to George Bush ruining our economy.
we have huge debts thanks to Hal Daub's Qwest Center
we have huge police union contracts thanks to Republican Aaron Hansen
well Vokal and Welsch were on the Council they certainly didn't do much. Those Eisteins didn't predict this or just kept their mouths shut.
Don't blame Jim Suttle for YOUR MESS, he'll just come in and clean it up and GET NO CREDIT.
It doesn't matter, he'll do the right thing, get Omaha's budget under control, take constant crap from KFAB, this Blog, OWH, etc. and finish his term and have the satisifaction of knowing he did helped the City even if so many people blamed him for everything wrong in the city.
take that Leavenworth Street Bloggers!
Let your stupid comments come rolling in...I don't care anymore!
Oh wait, the sun didn't shine enough today for you, RECALL SUTTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Uh, yeah, what he said
11:18, you "don't care" and yet you slobber on about politics. So, I guess you do care. And that makes you a liar. And since its about politics, you fit right in.
Suttle behaves foolishly. He would do that if he was a Republican. But he isn't. Live with it.
Ya know what we need? That guy who claimed to be a driving force for the last 15 years in Omaha's economy.
Uh, property tax revenue is not going down. In fact, it's growing. Or did you not get a new valuation from the DC assessor? Last year my property taxes went up by almost 33%. Good thing I don't live in Omaha, too.
The Qwest Center is making money. True, there is the matter of the loan for it, but Omaha doesn't have to start paying on that for 3 more years.
Sales tax revenue is down and hence Omaha's immediate problems. But instead of some real solutions, Suttle gives his buddies hefty raises and takes away recreational opportunities from poor kids. Whatever happened to giving those young criminals something to do to turn them from their lives of crime? Perhaps some of them could have worked at the pools. Oops. Not now.
To increase sales tax revenue, Suttle should be making it easier for people to come to Omaha and spend money, not drive them away with idiotic things like raising parking prices. People aren't going to come downtown to eat if they have to pay more for parking. This isn't all that complicated. Surely a brilliant guy like Mayor Kookypants can understand that.
Suttle said, "I want to bring jobs to Omaha."
1.) Sales tax increases on food/entertainment. NO new restaurants, bars, etc. No one will go and spend extra on those items. They will go to Bellevue, LaVista to go out to drink, eat, etc. Net result=JOB LOSS.
2.) Occupancy Tax - Don't live in Omaha. You have to pay to work here. This places an undue burden on employers to determine whether an employee lives in Omaha, SID/unannexed area. Net gain=JOB LOSS.
3.) Property Tax Increase - People will leave Omaha and move to Sarpy County. Businesses will leave Omaha and move to Sarpy County. Net result=LOSS OF PROPERTY TAX AND JOBS.
4.) Stopping Yard Waste pickup - All of the yards will go to hell now or this is a payback for all the yard service companies to hire illegal immigrants.
5.) Raise parking fees. This will depress turn out for conventions, etc. This will hurt the Qwest. Furthermore, will businesses keep paying for employee's parking??? This could result in job losses for parking attendants, etc.
6.)Delay police recruiting class. He wants to cut crime?? Right. This only enables criminals and delays getting needed police onto to the street to cut crime.
7.) Not taking his $5,300 pay raise. You raised the salaries of your comm. director and chief of staff by 20+ percent. How about taking those raises back and freezing their salaries.
Do we really think Jim Suttle had a plan beyond raising taxes?? No, he didn't and he didn't elaborate on his plan because he didn't want people to hear that he was going to suggest raising taxes. Instead, he looked into the camera and said, "I will lower property taxes." This is Suttle's, George H.W. Bush, "read my lips" moment.
Guarantee - Suttle will be only a 1term mayor if he survives the 1st year in office with no recall.
You know, they said the same thing about the smoking ban - people will go elsewhere and the bars/restaurants will close - but it never happened.
People aren't going to go through the hassle of selling/buying a new home a few miles away just to save $40 a year on property taxes. They're not going to spend more money on gas driving out of Omaha, just to save $2 for every $100 spent on dinner(and how many nights a week do you spend that much anyway?).
And honestly, if I want to see a concert at the Qwest I'm going to go see it. The last thing I think of when I buy tickets is how much it's going to cost to park. Other cities charge way more to park in the downtown area and people still go. What really turns me off about concerts are $6 hot dogs and $5 small sodas. Now that is a real ripoff.
I see people complaining about the options on the table, but I don't see any alternatives offered. I know Sweeper doesn't care for the term, but bankruptcy will actually cause this city to lose more people, business, and revenue than any proposed tax option will. And that would be a huge embarrassment on a national level.
Will you complain as hard about that headline as you do about the "evil taxes"? I won't hold my breath. I'll take the taxes today, to save even more hardship tomorrow. I really do love Omaha and I want to see it continue to thrive.
People are bitching about the options Suttle has propsed without offering any alternatives. There is no way out of this mess without making some hard decisions, end of story. SUTTLEWATCH your statements are rather pathetic, its easy to critcize without offering any solutions. I would prefer that the shortfall be made up with a property tax hike personally, and yes I am a homeowner (well actually the bank owns it and Im just paying them back in monthly installments). The reason i favor the property tax hike is that it is a much more stable source of income than other taxing options. Delay paying for stuff that can be delayed, but get us more cops. And Im all for the Occupancy tax, mostly because SUTTLEWATCH is against it.
Hey Not Poolside: I don't have to drive anywhere to avoid the downtown parking fees. I can also visit any of the hundreds of restaurants in west o who have free parking. Now just try to keep the Old Market going without Omahans going down there to eat. Omaha just isn't that great of a tourist destination to keep things alive without the residents. Especially from October to April. If the old market turns to dust, what's the point of coming here for a concert or cws if your eating choices are subway and pappa johns?
Nate,
Most of the people complaining about Suttle on this blog are Daub supporters. If you want some ideas on how to make up the budget deficit without raising taxes, Daub had lots of them. Suttle, on the other hand, absolutely refused to give details and was quite annoyed when people pressed him about it. We can deduce by the speed with which he wanted to raise taxes that he did have ideas, but refused to talk about them because he knew he wouldn't get elected. But, hey, at least you'll get to live with your choice, Nate. Good to know that you make so much money that you can absorb a few extra bucks.
Hey kids,
We here at Leavenworth Street -- the ones who write the posts -- choose to talk politics (it's in our blog name).
And to that, note that while we have criticized Mayor Suttle on various points, we haven't knocked his proposals, per se.
What we do knock (as pointed out by Tom Becka), are Suttle's campaign promises and the follow-through. To wit:
Cut waste in City Hall.
Lower Property Taxes.
You'll note that while making those promises, he had no specifics during the campaign.
And, lo and behold, not only has he done neither, he is going the OPPOSITE WAY -- spending extra money on an unneeded eco-ride, spending more on his staff, and likely raising property taxes.
So, haters, don't look at us. We're simply watching what's happening and commenting.
And thanks for reading.
SS
Not poolside:
Smoking ban: Not true.When the ban went into affect, my Tues. Nite Girls group started going to a bar outside of the city limits. Now that the whole ban is in effect, we go to one inside the city limits that has an outdoor patio. But, come winter, we already are planning on going to each other's houses. And our friend's bar within the city stopped serving lunched during the week, as her business was down due to the ban.
Housing: I am in the market for my first home. I will look outside of Omaha because of the property tax rates if they go up. Coupled with no yard waste pickup, what is the benefit of me living in a higher taxed area?
Going out: You're right most people won't go to other areas if they are not right next to laVista persay. But, it will mean one nite less a week for me and others. That in turn lowers the tips the wait staff makes, which means less for them to go out on, and the bar loses revnue meaning elimination of jobs.
Parking: Yes, people will stay pay to park for the concerts.
ALternatives: We need to look more into the budget. I know that never every inch of it has been looked at for cuts. And why his is staff getting higher wages then Fahey's did for the same positions? They should receive the same, a pay freeze and Suttle should as well.
I just feel Suttle is looking at the easy way out instead of really studying it and finding a solution.
OH! And to the poster who said that republicans like Daub, Vokal and Welch caused this...you CONVENIENTLY left out the last 8 years of Fahey!
The smoking ban most certainly hurt Omaha bars and restaurants. If you want proof, look at Keno revenues inside city limits and outside city limits. There was a HUGE difference.
You want to save money? Kill the freakin' Zorinski waterpark and use the money for day to day parks and rec necessities. Use it to keep pools in areas that really need that option open.
The idea that we "need" a waterpark in west O is plain stupid. There are tons of other options kids on the east side do not have. We have numerous lakes, home pools, private pools, state parks, city parks and trails.
Bravo to Jean Stothert for trying to put the brakes on this waste.
I live in west o and yes a water park would be nice, but not at the expense of possible layoffs. Thanks Jean for common sense, too bad the rest of the council has none. DUH people.
DCCC is coming after Lee Terry already. Lookout!!!
http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0609/Turnabout_Dems_slam_GOP_for_voting_against_war_bill.html
It would be nigh impossible to make up this budget shortfall without raising taxes, even Chuck Sigerson admits to that. Could Daub balance the budget while fighting with a hostile City Council? Thankfully we'll never know
I refuse to pay higher taxes when our property values have gone down in Omaha, as well as elsewhere. The values of our homes have gone down, NOT risen... why should we pay more???
I plan to refute/protest the change in the valuation of our recent property assessments and our property valuations.
Suttle, should NOT be trying to raise our property taxes when we are in a down economy, and house values are down. Yet, he and his new hirees are going to cost us more per year than our taxes could be, plus, not to mention his new vehicle we are fronting him at our taxpayer expense.
It's simply NOT FAIR, nor is it ETICAL. I refuse to be his slave because he wants to play mayor. As he is treating us ALL as his slaves. Or, should I say his....
My advise to YOU ALL, is; protest your assesment values and you have I believe until the end of June !!!
You better file the protest by June 30th. Atleast, get your protest in on file by the 30th.
Stand up for yourselves, PROTEST !
Do this now, please!
Maybe, later let's do a RECALL ! But, first things first !!!!!!!!
Yeah the downtown Old Market is kind of dying out anyway, some of the businesses are closing down due to not enough business, like for instance, Fairmont Antiques, that used to draw people to the Old Market from Council Bluffs and West Omaha (me and alot of my friends are now going to Brass Armidillo and Platview Antiques) to eat and shop there.
Plus, some other friends said they are moving out of their apts and moving outside of Omaha. Some even moved to Council Bluffs for cheaper living, and they said the transport isn't that bad at all. They save alot of money in the long run and they are just across the river. Some ride their bikes to work.
Ok Mr Green Jeans (Suttle), let us all go green. Glad you like to be green. We're all going to dump our green yard waste in your yard. Get ready here we come. Oh or who you rather it on your desk?
It's got to go somewhere.
So choose, it's one or the other. It doesn't matter to (ALL) of us, but you know it's got to go somewhere don't you? Your place or somebody else's.
And you do know, it won't be ours, right!
When is the last time that anyone can even remember that the city did not pick up yard waste? Should we ask our grandparents? Oh, or should we go back to burning our garbage in our backyards? This is going to piss off alot of people. Nobody will ever vote for Suttle again, but does it matter? I don't think he even plans to even run for election again. That would be our ONLY HOPE that he would want to run again, because that would mean he would be trying. But he won't be trying because the f...... asshole won't be running again (his choice) The asshole is just going to try to stick us. I hope to hell somebody sticks him.
Comments deleted b/c of language.
Clean it up if you want to comment here.
-Ed.
Etics fail...
Don't be fooled by anyone who tries to lump the police and fire pension into this budget. They have to be looked at individually.
They forget to tell you, but the pension shortfall is based on a projection. That projection is based on the current market.
Right now, based on current market projections, the pensions will be bankrupt in 21 years. Like I said, that is based on CURRENT market expectations.
If you look back at market history, you can come up with no other belief than the market will eventually rebound. Most likely sooner rather than later. This will wipe out a good portion of the pension shortfall.
Get the unions back in line (later retirement age, recalulation of retirement to cover several years instead of the highest year in the last 5, and so on)and the ststem will be fixed.
Now, go after the regular city budget. There ARE ways to bring the budget in line through cuts. Cut the increased pay to Suttle staffers, library and pool hours, delay ne purchases (including the mayor's new car), freeze ALL wages, go from four to three on fire trucks, combine services with the county. It can all be done.
Problem is we have a mayor who wants the money. Believe me, you are not getting those increases back when the shortfall is met. They will go toward more spending.
The council needs to hold tha line. No more taxes or drastic fee increases. They are taxing people and business right out of the city. Papillion and LaVista have to be loving this!
Hey Brian, one thing about Adrian Smith, there is no speculation about his addiction to Club for Growth. I would become a Republican to vote against him in the primary. Really folks, what has he done in three years? Talk about taxation without representation.
SS: I like how you gave Bigfoot a Blackberry.
He must have found it in the woods.
Jim Suttle is a failure, liar and an idiot. He hasn't even been in office a whole month and he is definately coming off as a buffoon who has no understanding of basic economic principle.
The Democrats are poised to raise everyone's taxes from the richest down to those on welfare with this cap-and-trade bill. Suttle is just keeping the faith. Higher taxes as far as the eye can see. I like the GOOP's chances in 2010.
I mulch, and never have yard waste. It's no big deal.
Also, those who say Tom White is no Jim Esch are correct. I know people who can actually stand to be around Jim Esch.
What's an etic?
Library hours have already been cut, and even if you closed every pool in the city you wouldn't save more than a million dollars. Same with the Mayor's office, which has a budget of just over $1 million. The folks who are telling Suttle to cut the budget further have yet to indicate how, exactly, he's supposed to do that. Sure, they'll rattle off a couple of four or five digit items, but this is an eight-digit deficit. The only one that even comes close to making that up is a wage freeze, and Suttle already proposed that!
Fahey did a great job holding the line on taxes the last eight years. But he also managed to cut a great deal of city spending to the point where there's not much left to cut. Daub was simply reckless, dropping taxes by extreme amounts when more moderate amounts would have left the city in far better financial shape down the road.
I am proud of the job Fahey did the last eight years and I don't envy the task Suttle has ahead of him, but I shudder to think what would have happened had Daub been elected Mayor.
Well, the Dems are now in charge. Everyone gets their taxes raised because, you know, you people just make too damn much money. There's no way that the government is spending too much.
6:14 Dumbass:
Which is it?:
"Fahey did a great job holding the line on taxes the last eight years"
"Daub was simply reckless, dropping taxes by extreme amounts"
Newsflash: Fahey came AFTER Daub. If Daub cut taxes too much, Fahey (according to you) should have raised them.
With "arguments" like this, it's no wonder you're a Suttle supporter.
The mayor's official budget is $1 million but he can take whatever he wants from the general fund to suplement his budget. That SUV came from general funds.
I love people saying Fahey did a GREAT job of holding the line on taxes. In reality, he just kept pushing the debt off. His reckless spending and inability to increase our tax base are a major reason we are in this shortfall. The police and fire pension issues revolving around early retirements at higher than base salary pensions were a payback from Fahey for union support.
OKAY... SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH THE ASSHOLES??? Shoot them or get rid of them...your choice...
Take the Democrats down to their
own low standards and idioticy.
They are as low as any man can go.
Look at them now !!!
But then who's laughing... atleast yet???
Let's get MEAN !!!!!!!
There's alot of publicity lately about male politician's sleeping around with females, but what about the women politician's, say maybe, a senator sleeping around with a JUDGE. Shouldn't that be made public ???
What an interesting night in Lincoln.
Now let's bring the subject of PETIFILES back up... I'm ready to be a spokes person this week.
More to follow..
Scum of the earth is about to be made known... and I am going to make sure of it this week... trust me...
My the level of discourse has sunken towards the end of this post.
Pip....
How will becoming a RINO boot Smith out in a Primary? The Repubs aren't going to ruin a good thing. And the Dems have lowered themselves to sacrificing little girls. Where are the Kleeb's when you need them? Although the wrong Kleeb has been running... Jane is the Alpha leader in that pack of scurrilous hounds.
SS...
123 posts... Can you put something up about the weather?
Mañana
So, did everyone hear about Lee Terry's juvenile rant against a
DC driver who dared to call him out for jaywalking? Lee yelled, "F#*& you!" to the driver according to CQ. Let's hope Lee's true colors keep coming out. He's an ass.
I have a question: Why does Lee Terry not support the troops now, but during Pres. Bush he voted for every war funding bill.
Oh yeah, A Republican is no longer in the Presidency. So - Lee plays politics with the lives of all our soldiers.
At least, Senator Johanns voted for the war funding bill.
Thank you Senator Johanns for giving a damn about your milatary and putting America first.
No Thank you to Rep. Terry for putting politics first and damning the troops. This vote will come back and bite you in the ass.
Amen to 6:13AM June 28, 2009. The discussion has taken a low road. If this were recess, the kids would be sitting the bench for all the namecalling.
So team Vokal is watching Jim Suttle. I wondered how that blog got started.
I really hope no one is taking Stothert seriously. The Zorinsky water park is being paid for with bonds, not general fund money. Not building the water park would not help address the budget shortfall. In fact, delaying it would cost the city even more money!
I hope no one is taking the Anonymous poster above seriously. Dollars are Dollars and bond money while regulated can be used to supplement dollars that were budgeted using general fund dollars. For example maintenance and repairs that were scheduled to be paid with general fund monies can be replaced with bond funds. Jean Stothert knows a few things about bonds because she has overseen over 100 million dollars worth while on the Millard School Board...nice try Anonymous
Nice photo of our President and an ape. Do you think that is a little racist?????
Come on Leavenworth Blog-You can do better!
What race is Bigfoot? Was he/she offended? I knew the race card would be played.
The great thing about Nebraska is it took 132 posts before someone pointed out the obvious racism in this SAB. President Obama is a hairy, ape-like figure that lives in the woods. Nice. Makin' NE proud (actually I bet you did with that one).
As much as I can tell by other SAB's...the Sweeper is an equal opportunity "SAB'er." Believe me any political figure with a matching gait would have been tagged.
And when in the hell did a Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti get classified as an ape? Some of the posters here have evidently been standing out in the sunny feedlot with the cows beyond the allotted sunstroke time limit.
Mad dogs and Englishmen.
And yet no one claimed it was racist when we used the exact same photo with Jim Esch (sans the Blackberry).
Maybe it's time you look in the miror, eh?
P. freaking S. If I were a Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti...I would be the one offended by the way Obama and his minions are irrevocably destroying our what used to be great nation.
OOOhhhh...I wonder what freaking racial undertone we can associate with "minion."
Get out of the sun.
As a Caucasian I am offended that a fellow Caucasian was in this post with BIGFOOT.
Obviously bigfoot isn't the one who should be offended. Jim Esch isn't black. This SAB is offensive on many levels despite the skillful photoshop of a blackberry.
Nice try sweeper. But to address your point - just because nobody said so before doesn't mean it isn't what it is. You should take it down and apologize to the President.
Let's check your math.
Walking Bigfoot + Walking Jim Esch = Not Racist.
Walking Bigfoot + Walking Barack Obama = Racist.
Once again, why don't you try looking in the mirror and see who looks at skin color a little too much.
I think Sweeper is right on this one. Read my opinion I issued this morning.
I guess I was wrong. I still don't know why the Justices put all these words after a decision!!
Coffee shop gossip is that the Gov is delighted to see White run against Terry because that gets him out of the unicameral.
Comparing Sasquatch to a socialist is degrading and humiliating to Sasquatch. Sasquatch has to be an entrepreneur, foraging for himself and his baby sasquatches. Unlike the socialist, he has no government plan to pay for his health care bills.
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