Any thoughts on cutting state sp[ending?

Don't know that I care what they cut as long as they cut.

We don't need taxes to go higher.

Whenever you cut something, people can be happy or mad. Depends on what they cut. But no matter what or where or how much, it is NEVER enough, and they Always seem to find another place to spend! Imagine That!

The gum-chomping Bo-Zo needs a pay cut and does anyone else wonder if his parents taught him ANY manners? Close your pie-hole when you chew Zook!

If all the school districts in Nebraska are like Columbus and have huge slush funds. Cut aid to schools. Columbus has saved almost 40 percent of a years spending. Spend it and lets hope the economy improves.

Cut taxes. Tax cuts are great stimulus makers for small business. All the budget shortfalls will fix themselves if you get less money to fund them. It's not our fault the government has a shortfall to fund anything. No bailouts for Nebraska, cut taxes.

This is the letter I have mailed to my Senators. It is not feasible to cut the budget any further in the Health and Human Services arena....

Dear Nebraska Senator:

Cuts in budgets of all the Health and Human Services Districts (HHS), simultaneous preparations in advance of implementing AccessNebraska, the recession, increasing unemployment, and changes in the federal poverty level are among the major factors creating a crisis in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. This letter is to outline some of the ways these factors are negatively impacting Economic Assistance staff (Social Services Workers, Eligibility Technicians, supporting Clerical Staff, and Economic Assistance Supervisors) and the increasing numbers of low income families, elderly, disabled and handicapped people who depend on us.

Two years ago, Governor Heineman mandated that all HHS districts cut 10% from their budgets without compromising services. In the past twelve months, in advance of opening HHS Call Centers (part of AccessNebrska) we have had a mandatory 25% reduction in Economic Assistance staff. Dozens and dozens of vacated positions are left unfilled. Some results of these staff cuts include the following:

A. No cap on the number of cases managed by Social Services Workers and Eligibility Technicians. My caseload has doubled. When considered with the increased number in applications due to changes in the federal poverty level, layoffs, plant closings, etc., the Economic Assistance staff that remain are quite simply buried in work.

B. We are told by our supervisors that no overtime is allowed, no assistance will be forthcoming, there are no answers to how to complete the massive increase in work and that it will certainly become worse than it is now. But the expectations to complete the work remain unchanged.

C. Because a large number of Economic Assistance staff have left the Lincoln and Omaha districts, the elderly cases, children’s' medical and family cases are redistributed across the state to caseworkers from different services areas throughout the state. For example, I no longer serve clients in Columbus and the surrounding Platte and Colfax County cities, but also clients in Albion, O’Neill, Neligh, South Sioux City, Omaha, Fremont and Lincoln.

D. Social Service Workers and Eligibility Technicians find it difficult, if not impossible, to serve persons outside our district without access to specific knowledge of the area/community resources. For example, the clients I serve in South Sioux City want to know who can they turn to for energy assistance if they do not meet our agency requirements. Since I am from Columbus, imagine what our clients must go through as we “fumble” to assist them.

E. Some expectations have changed with movement toward implementation of AccessNebraska. Now we do not see clients or applicants face to face as some interviews are done per telephone. This has disrupted the clients who walk in, and the clients who phone in, and access to staff is not immediately available. It is not uncommon that when a Social Services Worker or Eligibility Technician is on the phone for an interview or completing the post-interview documentation, that 4-8 telephone messages have been left.

F. Stress levels among staff are becoming very difficult to cope with. The increased case assignments and increased applications for assistance have resulted in never really being able to catch up. I dare not take a day off because the consequences to my work are tremendous.

In conclusion, there is not enough time in the day to adequately complete the work required of Economic Assistance staff. Please do not vote to furlough, cut, layoff or otherwise reduce the Economic Assistance staff who have remained with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Respectfully Serving Nebraska Health & Human Services,
Sally Michener, Eligibility Technician, Columbus Local Office

Is the new E-Verify law cutting down on your workload?

sell about half of the cars the state of neb has and only by new every two years. these employies drive a newer car than i do and i pay there wagses.

Lets just start with some of the facts about the general fund budget for last fiscal year:

Agency operations: $1,195,509,408
State aid to local governments: $1,266,653,462
State aid to individuals: $848,326,172
State aid to other: $162,864,617
Capital construction: $8,238,322

Total: $3,481,591,981

The most significant difference between Nebraska and the rest of the US with regard to state funding appropriations is in higher education. We are about even with national averages in all other categories, including elementary and high school education. While the rest of the nation spends about 11% of their state budgets on public colleges, we spend 19% of our total budget. That’s almost double.

Now, some knuckle head will almost invariably argue that we have some of the best tuition rates in the country. I have no argument for that because we do. However, those other states must have more intelligent government because the tuition is one of the smallest expenditures of attending public college, yet it is one of the few expenses you can actually deduct on federal taxes. Nebraska just isn’t smart enough to figure out that if the raise the tuition, that only a small portion of that financial burden is placed on the student/family. The majority of that financial burden is placed at the federal level in the form of a federal income tax break. The neat part is that a plan like that would not have an impact on the attending “poor”, because they would still receive adequate grants (more federal funding). Sure it transfers it to another tax, but the burden is shared federally, not just locally, which is what almost every other state does. Basically, we are paying for our colleges, and everyone else’s too. Maybe we could cut a few salaries at the colleges too.

Still need to be convinced? 19% of last years budget was $661,502,476. That is not the entire college budget, that only reflects the college budget that was subsidized by the general fund. Add that to individual aid and you have a little more than $1.5 BILLION spent last year alone. That’s half the budget.

All that for a state with only 1.7 million people.

How about we eliminate the death penalty? Saves millions....

Heres one for you
Nov 10, 2009 11:34 AM
How about we eliminate the death penalty? Saves millions....

re-
how about we inforce the death penalty. instead of lethal injection we do it old school in the middle of town with a rope. saves millions and will detur crime at the same time.

I got a text the other day and this is what it said and I do agree with it

Like most folks in this country,I have a job. I work they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck in my case I am required to pass a random urine test(with which I have no problem). What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who dont have to pass a urine test. So here is my question. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? PLEASE understand I have no problem with helping people get back on there feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their buts doing drugs while I work... Can you imagine how much money each statewould save if people had to pass random urine tests to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program, Urine or you're out.

I would like to write in mike for governor at the next election.

Absolutely brilliant!

I couldn't agree with Mike more. Perfectly said my man.

I also agree with Mike about the urine test. The only problem is our ultra-liberal "friends" at the ACLU, and the liberal judges that enable their idiocy. We can't possibly sacrifice the fragile self-esteem of the drug abusers in the name of common sense and fiscal responsibility! It doesn't matter that most of the truly needy who don't abuse drugs would probably not object too strenuously, if it helped to ensure the viability of the program. Liberals and their policies usually hurt the very people they claim to help.

I would just shut the whole legislature down for a few years. Think of all the money they couldn't spend.

to help the economy in Nebraska they should change the color of the Cornhuskers to green or purple or blue or something so everyone in the state has to buy a totally new wardrobe/truck/giant porch flag/tattoo...ect. it would make the state billions. just sayin...