Senator Hilary Clinton answering questions at Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs, IA

Clinton visits the Heratland by J. D. Sloane

James Thurber, American humorist said I hate women because they always know where things are.

 

     Everyone in Iowa is gearing up for the caucus on Thursday, January 3, and the candidates are going into high gear to get their messages out to the voting public. On Sunday December 16, Senator Hillary Clinton kicked off her 99 counties in 5 days tour in Iowa. The senator’s starting point was Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs. Even though it was a chilled Sunday morning, the auditorium was filling quickly with citizens from the Council Bluffs area, but also surrounding communities and Omaha citizens. There was also an abundance of news reporters, not just locally, but from around the country. Major news stations were there to hear what Senator Clinton had to say and put their spin on the story. The real story was from the locals who weren’t there just to support Senator Clinton, but was also there to get the word out that she was the best hope for this country. Among those were Lucile Gerjevik, of Council Bluffs stated that

     Being a woman, she wouldn’t wish the problems of this country on another woman, but thought that Senator Clinton was the most qualified to lead our country back to greatness once again. Donna Jones also of Iowa thought that Clinton had the compassion, skill and tenacity to get the job done, and done right. Lawrence Carmen, a transplant from Southwest Little Rock, who live in Arkansas when the Clinton’s were in the Governor’s Mansion, let it be known that the Clinton’s were common folk and described the Clinton’s as “just like everyone else, who stood in line for the movies, or the grocery store, and never used their status to push ahead”. Carmen also stated that the Clinton’s would do everything that they possibly could to help the people of Arkansas, as President Bill Clinton did when he ran the country.

     While the people waited for the Senator to enter the auditorium the excitement of the crowd seemed to hit a level of that of a rock concert that was being held at the Mid America Center or the Qwest. Today’s politicians are somewhat of a celebrity, their names are in the tabloids as if we were reading about Hollywood stars and the media puts out more on their personal problems that they do about how our elected officials are going to fix the country’s problems.

     Senator Mike Gronstal, who represents District 50, which includes Council Bluffs and Carter Lake in western Iowa, wife Connie, and former Nebraska Senator and Governor Bob Kerry, entered the auditorium with Senator Clinton to a standing ovation and a much-excited crowd waiting to hear the Clinton speak. Connie Gronstal and Bob Kerry both did a short introduction on Mrs. Clinton, with much praise for her 35 years of public service and list of accomplishments over the years, which were most impressive.

     When Senator Clinton starting giving her speech the crowd became silent and listens as if they were in college preparing for a major exam. Every ear in the auditorium was perked up with each word Clinton was saying. Clinton covered subjects from healthcare to education, but was most impressive when she was talking about “outsourcing” and how big business is getting the same benefits and tax breaks as the companies that don’t outsource. Knowing this is a part of the country’s workforce problems she promised to take away the benefits that these businesses receive and give them exclusively to those who hire Americans and put the jobs back into this country.

     If the jobs are outsourced, we are taking away jobs from American citizens, therefore we aren’t making a salary to buy the products that the company that is outsourcing sell. If that company is paying a salary to the outsourced country, like India, are the people who are in India, probably Indians, paying social security taxes, or any taxes to the United States from their pay to put the money back into this country. Also, those outsourced dollars paid out are not spent in the United States, but spend in the countries that the outsourced employee is working. So the question is are we giving the foreigners jobs, paying them with U.S. dollars, and then they are spending in the country. We seem to be losing any way you look at this problem. Granted these businesses may be saving money, but their sales will eventually go down because American’s aren’t making the money to buy their products that they sell, so eventually you would think that the business would lose in the end. In the meantime, though, our citizens are jobless, which could lead to unemployment, welfare, and crime. Senator Clinton will change this and if not her, someone needs to.

Senator Clinton also talked about affordable healthcare for all Americans. It sounds like a task that is almost impossible, but if she could make it work to at least provide healthcare for the children and senior citizens, it would take the burden away from the working class to provide for their children and parents. The working class could probably afford to pay the high premiums that the healthcare providers are charging for the price of insurance.

Hillary Clinton is certainly a woman with a mission and this country would be in good hands if she could do at least 30% of her campaign promises. Anything would be an improvement of what the U.S. is going through today. After listening for more than an hour of Senator Clinton, along with the others in that room I believe she will accomplish more than 30% and shoot for a higher number and probably hit about 75%. She is a very determined person, who has a plan of action and a vision of the direction that the U.S. needs to going to. Clinton has taken a lot of criticism and survived. She has to deal with personal problems in front of the nation and has came through it with her head held high and shining. She has has become a great Senator for New York. She is a lifelong activist for Children’s Rights. She has what it takes to be a great leader. She has what it takes to be a great President.

     Say, what you want, or think, what you may about Hillary Clinton, but I would want her on my team or my side, because I know, she would put her heart and soul into any battle or challenge that would come down the pike. We’ve had male Presidents since the beginning of the United States, some were good, some not so good. Is it time to give a woman a chance to see if she could do what others could not do? We’ll never know until we try. This could be the most historical election of this country has ever seen.

     As a nation, we need to try something different. We took a chance with W, and didn’t learn after the first four years and now we are paying with the lives of our children, parents, siblings and friends. Think about that!

Nebraska...the good life

Nebraska, the Good Life? by Paul Detorie

     When you drive west from Iowa into Nebraska, there is a sign, quite a large sign that reads, Nebraska the Good Life. I first saw that sign in 1974.  I was 21 years old, full of life and looking for a start somewhere other than from where I had come.

     Back on the East Coast where I was born and raised, jobs were rare and extremely hard to find, even with a good education.  Back in 1974, an Associates Degree was a big deal. If you did have a job though, the traffic was so atrocious that your travel time to and from work added an extra workday to each week. Rent was outrageous, and the utility bills were almost half of the rent. There were too many people and not enough space. It was stress with a heart attack waiting in the wings.

     Driving across the bridge on I-80, I looked up and there it was that sign, Nebraska the Good Life! That’s the place to be I want to be. So, I parked my car and took up residence here.

     Life was a lot slower paced, no hurrying up to catch the bus, or dealing with traffic that sandwiched you in between buses, taxicabs and trucks and cars. I felt a lot safer on the roads in Nebraska that I had in the five or so years that I had been driving. Back east, car horns were constantly blowing or someone was calling you an idiot because of your driving habits. It was actually relaxing taking a drive through Omaha.

     Rental rates in Omaha were one third less than what I paid back east. The phone bill was $8.60 a month and you could pick you color of phone you wanted with no extra cost. It was the first time I had ever had something other that a standard black rotary phone with no party lines. My basic utility costs were less than a night out for dinner and drinks back east. I thought this couldn’t be for real. Jobs in Omaha were plentiful; there was no excuse for not having a job. I thought I had died and went to Heaven.

     Then reality set in. Living in Bellevue, Nebraska in 1974, I had to retag my automobile and I realized I had to pay property taxes on my car. I never had to do that before, so this was new to me. Normally we paid property taxes on houses or land, something that was not mobile, but never a car. I really couldn’t complain though because, what I had paid in car insurance back east was four times more than what I had to pay in Nebraska. Therefore, I was still impressed with the cost of living in Nebraska. Weighing the issues, it was still cheaper for me to drive in Nebraska than back east.

     Then I moved to Omaha from Bellevue, and that’s when I had to pay another tax. The Wheel Tax. Someone told me that this tax was set up in the 60’s and was only supposed to last a year. It was 1975, so why am I paying for a tax that was supposed to end sometime in the 1960s, especially when I was not even here in the ‘60’s? It was a small tax, so I didn’t complain. It was just a few dollars, not enough to lose any sleep over it.

After putting off getting a cell phone for many years, I finally broke down, got with the times, and bought a mobile phone. It was only $35 per month until I got my first bill! There were a load of taxes that I hadn’t expected and my $35 bill ended up being around $60.  There was a federal tax, a state tax, an Omaha business tax, a Federal 911 tax, Nebraska state USF tax, Omaha City B& O tax, Omaha City 911 tax, Nebraska Telecom Relay Charge, and I don’t even know what all these taxes and charges are about, I just  pay them the same as every other cell phone user does.

     Buying a house in today’s market is not only an expense, but quite scary and intimidating. After buying the house, you then realize that your $1000 mortgage payment really doesn’t go towards your loan, it pays the insurance on the loan, and your property taxes which in Nebraska are sky high compared to most states. It could also have your homeowner’s insurance added to that cost. A house valued at $110,000, which is a modest house in 2007 will cost you approximately $2200 in Douglas County. That’s about $180 per month, which may not seem like a lot, until Federal and State Tax time come around on April 15 and you wish you had that $2200 to pay on your income taxes.

Here we are in 2008; our property taxes are still much too high and getting higher with each passing year. Property and sales taxes on our automobiles are out of sight, and we still have that Wheel Tax that was only supposed to be around for one year in the 1960’s. Mayor Fahey and the City Council would like to see an extra 2% tax put on entertainment, such as bars and restaurants, concerts, etc. to pay for a new baseball stadium that does most of the residents of Omaha little or no good. Don’t forget the Death Tax in Nebraska, which is independent of the federal system. Don’t try to give away your property before you die, which will not work because the government saw this coming. If you give away more than $10,000 per year to any one person or non-charitable institution, you are assessed federal "gift tax," which applies at the same rate as the estate tax.

     So tax me Uncle Sam, and you do the same, Nebraska. “The Good Life” does not ring so true to me now in 2008 as it did in 1974. Still I’m going to stay put here in Nebraska and know that it’s not just Nebraska, but most of this country that is taking my money and spending it foolishly on wars, baseball stadiums and everything else that the taxpayer doesn’t need or want. I keep hoping and praying that one day that the taxpayers will wake up and raise their voices and stomp their feet and get those elected officials out of office and replace them with people who care and who are not in it for personal gain.