What Is The Worst Town In Nebraska? (Omaha: tile, safe)

[Carter McCann]

I moved here in 1956 and I am thinking about staying...but we have a City Council that has an 87% disapproval ratng. They have wated money by the millions, they hold illegal closed meetings and they raised the budget 7.5% to pay for their mistakes. Today, they are determined to put the bus bench guy out of business!

[itsMeFred]

Rodney used to harrass me mercilessly in the 6th grade.

Once day in science he was sitting behind me kicking my chair. "Knock it off!" i'd hiss. We continued like this for about 10 minutes and I finally whirled around and clocked him.

Mr. U, putting notes on the board with his back to us the whole time, never missed a beat. "And now maybe you'll leave Erin alone, Rod." and went back to his notes. lol


But he knew exactly what was going on and also knew that I needed to learn to deal with it myself.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by Carter McCann

I moved here in 1956 and I am thinking about staying...but we have a City Council that has an 87% disapproval ratng. They have wated money by the millions, they hold illegal closed meetings and they raised the budget 7.5% to pay for their mistakes. Today, they are determined to put the bus bench guy out of business!

If you have a sense that they have held illegal closed meetings have you notified the Secretary of State?

I believe they take those accusations very seriously. I think citizens have the responsibility to report such accusations to the proper authority. I know from what I've read about some comments Bruning made last year in the paper about closed meeting laws that the State takes those very serious. If there is any truth to the accusation then they'll look into it.

I found this great guide for Citizens on the Open Meetings law. Posting the link in case its helpful. Citizens Guide to Nebraska's Open Meetings Law. Here is a link to the act itself that I found on the web: Section 84 - Open Meetings Act (http://www.nebraska.gov/calendar/openmeetings.pdf - broken link)

[Gunluvver2]

At times politicians in Nebraska do some strange things. . . and get away with it.
As an example during the 1970's York County needed a new courthouse. If I remember correctly an election was held about the disposition of the old Courthouse and the voters wanted it to remain. Yet several weeks later, during the night, bulldozers were brought in and the courthouse was leveled. If any of you are York residents and know ALL the details please correct me if I am wrong.

GL2

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

At times politicians in Nebraska do some strange things. . . and get away with it.
As an example during the 1970's York County needed a new courthouse. If I remember correctly an election was held about the disposition of the old Courthouse and the voters wanted it to remain. Yet several weeks later, during the night, bulldozers were brought in and the courthouse was leveled. If any of you are York residents and know ALL the details please correct me if I am wrong.

GL2

Don't disagree, but the state legislature, the attorney general, and the secretary of state all have gotten very serious about that Open Meetings Act. I think the legislature rewrote the act in 2006 and they haven't messed around since then. From what I've read they take the allegations very serious and will prosecute. I think even Bruning last year was talking about having all elected officials actually take a certification course to prove they understood the law and how serious it was - not sure if that part ever happened.

[SCGranny]

So why don't YOU run and make changes?
We had the same problem here in our small town 20 years ago. My best friend decided he would run for Council. Neither of us was 'from here' but he got on Council. Then with growth and experience - and giving people hope and faith, and never letting them down - he became Mayor. Five years ago he 'made' me run to help him on Council. We have drawn the good people out and made growth, industry, and real futures available to all of our constituents.

Now he is famous all over the State, even in the Legislature, for what he can accomplish - and how he has dragged a mean-spirited, money-grubbing, self-protective little town into the 21st Century.

It's easy to complain. It's harder to make up your mind that changes need to be made, HOW those changes need to be made, to gather like minded people to you, and to band together to make those changes.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by Carter McCann

I moved here in 1956 and I am thinking about staying...but we have a City Council that has an 87% disapproval ratng. They have wated money by the millions, they hold illegal closed meetings and they raised the budget 7.5% to pay for their mistakes. Today, they are determined to put the bus bench guy out of business!

Originally Posted by SCGranny

So why don't YOU run and make changes?

I think if I remember right, in a different thread somewhere in the CD Forum, Carter did indicate he WAS running and out of curiosity I did just check the Sarpy county (where Bellevue is) election commissioner's website (http://www.sarpy.com/election/2008_candidates.htm - broken link)and it does show a Carter McCann having filed for Bellevue City Council Ward 1 and also a Scott Houghtaling filed in the same ward.

So it is nice to see someone that has a complaint willing to at least throw their name in the ring. Whether you agree or disagree with the stance at least his backing up his complaint with a run for the seat.

Bellevue's will be unique this year because to your point - if you want to make changes then do something - (if memory serves me right from what I read in the papers): they had a citizen petition that made it to the ballot to basically reduce the number of voting areas and to have a reduction in the number of council members and to make all council seats come up for election in 2008, even if there was originally time still left for the incumbant. Basically, they fired the entire city council and told them that if they want back on to run again. With the reduction of districts and forced redrawing of all the lines, you will end up with incumbants in the same area having to run against each other (from what I could see on the election commissioner website, its already being set up that was in Ward III with Sanborn/Brown both already filed - they are both on the council now in different wards). Will be fun to watch what happens there.

[Ga.Peach]

Originally Posted by Chris19

I agree with PittNurse on the prior two posts. Parents, teachers, school administration need to be involved if a child is getting bullied, escpecially if it a racial slur. Why should the kid get ridiculed for something that he cannot change (his race)?

Parents, teachers use to get involved until they gave all the rules to the kids and made it a crime to dissapline them .

When I was in school, a bully would be taken to the office and paddled or spanked and then most would get it again when they got home for acting up . Now if you even speak to a kid, you can be sued, go to jail .

We had more control over kids because we did this thing called disapline and taught respect . We never had school shootings or killings . School was safe until the fems and liberals took away rights . Now children are being killed by each other and even their own parents, molested by teachers and being taught immorality in schools . Divorce is all time high and most fathers leave for greener pastures . The family is being destroyed and replaed . All in the name of tolerence and politicle correctness.

[Ga.Peach]

Originally Posted by ColeSD

THANK YOU, pittnurse. !
And it was obvious the kids were getting their attitudes from their parents because the kids were so young, which is what really bothered me the most.

And we are talking about a very young kid: he was in the first grade.

I'm sensing Chris and Nurse are parents, and someone else isn't.

I agree . Parents should not teach thir kids to hate ,period ! You can dissagree with certain people but it doesn't give you the right to hurt them ,especially a child .

[mattpoulsen]

Ga. Peach,

No teacher is going to jail for "simply" speaking to a child. That is, of course, assuming that what the teacher said wasn't someone completely out of line (i.e. sexual misconduct, etc.).

Sorry to tell you this, but, yes, you did have "shootings and killings." The idea of mass shootings and killings is not a new thing and it dates back to the early 1800's.

I agree that our kids need more DISCIPLINE, but your image is salted with paranoia. But the truth is a bully is a fact of life. Parents simply need to teach there kids how to deal with bullies. The world has become unbelievably "victimized." Everyone is a victim and wants someone else to deal with their problems for them. The teachers don't need to "paddle" kids who are bullies. The kids need to learn how to communicate and interact in society and sometimes that means learning to deal with a bully.

This whole idea that bullying and lack of discipline lead to mass killings is just silly. Lack of mental health care is what leads to mass killings.