Progressive Oasis

OMAHA, NE – Welcome to Nebraska! The state where The Good Life withered and died, along with civil rights, access to healthcare, and the ability to pay your bills among a long list of things. Oddly enough, Omaha and Nebraska end up on a number of top lists, but it seems to me those only apply to those who rich, white, and Christian, the holders of the so called “Good Life”. This article, in particular,  Omits a lot of things you need to know if you are moving to Omaha. I’d like to point some out: The Public Transportation is horrible here. You better have a car, or you might not make it to work or school. According to WalletHub, Nebraska is the third worst taxpayer state, right after California and New York. Omahans would like to think their city is a progressive city, but this is hampered by being located in such a backwards state. Nebraska RightWing NutJobs killed Medicaid Expansion. Hope you have healthcare access, Nebraska doesn’t care about you. Nebraska conservatives also killed a  Minimum Wage increase, a bill covering LGBT Non-Discrimination, second parent adoption and foster parenting legislation.  Nebraska is one of the least LGBT friendliest places in the USA, topping it off with one of the nations toughest anti-Marriage Equality SuperDOMA.  Are you African-American? Nebraska’s largest city, Omaha, was recently recorded as the most dangerous city for African-Americans. Don’t feel safe here, Out-of-Stater, minorities don’t.

  The negative list is endless, these just came to mind first. So, don’t be poor, and certainly don’t be a minority of any class if you want to have an easy time here. Future Top Lists that try to put Omaha or Nebraska in a positive light, BEWARE! The truth is out there. Here is the breakdown.

Nebraska Rejects Medicaid Expansion

The Nebraska Unicameral voted down the Medicaid Expansion. The state legislature rejected an expansion bill for the second year in a row. The bill was defeated in a cloture vote 27-21, 33 were needed to advance. This bill was special because it included compromises meant to attract the votes of the typical Nebraska conservative. The bill included programs recently approved for use in Iowa and Arkansas. For more info: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/03/19/nebraska-rejects-compromise-effort-to-expand-medicaid

Nebraska Rejects Minimum Wage Increase

That same one house legislative body voted down a Minimum Wage increase to $9.00.  Seattle approved a $15 minimum wage, Omaha and the rest of Nebraska are stuck at $7.25, less than half of Seattle’s $15 per hour. How’s that for perspective? Nebraska would do well with some perspective outside its little RedState bubble. For more info: http://www.omaha.com/article/20140331/MONEY/140339698/1694

Nebraska, 3rd Worst TaxPayer state

According to WalletHub, Nebraska is the third worst taxpayer state. From the information on the chart below, the average Nebraskan pays $9,450 annually in just state and local taxes. That is the THIRD highest figure on the chart.  Now, where does all that money go?  To fund the broken promises of Nebraska richest CEOs and richest corporations? I can see why California and New York is so high, they have well developed programs for their residents.  Nebraska does not. Want to live in a BLUEr state, close by, with lower taxes?  Hint: its not Iowa, its not Minnesota. It is called Colorado at #10 best for taxes, and with the advent of marijuana legalization there, taxes could get a little lower.

Nebraska, Third worst taxpayer state.

Nebraska, 2nd Highest Rich-Poor Gap in the Nation

A recent study by AFL-CIO shows Nebraska to be the state with the second biggest rich-poor gap. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, “CEO of a publicly traded company based in Nebraska made an average of $6,342,786, 170 times more than the $37,204 average paid to the Nebraska worker. When compared to the earnings of minimum wage workers who make $7.25 per hour in Nebraska, the gap between CEO and worker pay jumps up to a 421:1 ratio, the data showed.”  That’s ridiculous, especially when you consider Nebraska also turned down a minimum wage increase. For more info:  http://journalstar.com/business/local/nebraska-s-pay-gap-second-biggest-among-states-afl-cio/article_1017e23c-9b34-55b8-9b05-e7a0ad82ccd1.html

Nebraska Kills Equality Legislation

Civil rights legislation filibustered or held up in committee. This session there were 3 bills introduced that would have affected Nebraska’s LGBT community. The most publicized was LB485, the workplace nondiscrimination bill.  A cloture vote did not attain enough votes to stop a filibuster, and it died.  The Second parent adoption didn’t even get out of committee, which of course, the Coalition didn’t exactly help either. For more info: http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/04/bill-to-prohibit-anti-lgbt-workplace-discrimination-stalls-in-neb-legislature

Omaha and Nebraska ranked as the most dangerous places for African-Americans

Omaha and Nebraska have been recently ranked as the most dangerous places our nation’s African-American community. From PolicyMic.com, “According to the Violence Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy center, it’s Omaha, Nebraska. Thirty black people were murdered in Nebraska in 2011 (the latest year for which data is available), 27 of them in Omaha. That means the state had a black homicide rate of 34.4 per 100,000 people, or twice the national average.” See more info: http://www.policymic.com/articles/80371/what-is-the-most-dangerous-city-to-live-in-if-you-re-black-the-answer-will-surprise-you

From PolicyMic.com and http://www.vpc.org/studies/blackhomicide14.pdf

Omaha rated low in Public Transportation.

Omaha is actually a major regional transportation hub, but respect for that distinction is low when you have to suffer on Omaha’s Public Bus System. Visitors to Omaha should plan ahead for getting around Omaha. Don’t expect to get too far at night, and don’t expect to get too far West. See Reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/metro-area-transit-omaha

As you can see, Nebraska rejects all kinds of ways of moving forward.  Good Sense is an endangered species on the Plains. Checkout the FaceBook Page: Nebraska: Not Open For Business.