Why isnt Nebraska pro-Omaha? (Lincoln, Grand Island: agriculture, budget, travel)

[elfyum]

NO!!! Keep NE rural! I haven't been there yet but I want to see The Sand Hills and all the peaceful rural areas! Hell if I could ever get used to below 80 degrees I would consider living there! (Though I must admit I have a strong calling from KS! But hey - we'd be neighbors! )
I say screw the cities! Well, ok, let them be.
But long live rural America! Please stay put & wait for me, I's a comin'!!!

[AksarbeN]

One of the nicest things about Nebraska is that the I-80 has two lanes of highway that allow people to exit the state and move on. The one problem with this is not the fault of Nebraska and the people that live there but is the problem of those who “talk” about leaving and never leave! One would have to think then the those people for some reason or another can’t get their $h!t together or maybe they just like to b!txh about how bad things are? Go figure. They are still in Nebraska. I'd like it enough to stay around! And I'm looking forward to moving back.

[DTO Luv]

I actually agree with Matt. I think Omaha should get first dibs at state money and other incentives in spite of rural NE and even Lincoln.

The rural parts of the state are a drain on money. One shining example I can think of is the state building a 4 lane highway between Nebraska City and Auburn. Auburn is the fastest shrinking town in the state. I have family there so I'm familiar with the place and there often. There is no reason for the state to pay for this road between a town of 7,000+ and 3,000-. The money would have been much better spent on something in Omaha.

As far as the state schools I think UNK and UNL should be eliminated or reduced to make UNO the flagship university. If Omaha was the flagship we could attract more students to the city. Also with Omaha being a bigger city than Lincoln, we offer more to do which would also help to draw students and employers in to Omaha.

I've heard people say how Omaha's economy is built on agriculture. I don't see it. Except for maybe part of Union Pacific and Conagra what other companies owe their existance to agriculture? Mutual of Omaha? Kiewit? Ameritrade? That excuse wears thin.

Nothing against agriculture but I think farming should be state run. The land should be worked by state or federal employees. I really don't see the need to waste (because it is a waste) money on infrastructure connecting huge, sparsely populated areas because someone doesn't want to be close enough to see his neighbors. I'm sorry people but rural living is a horrible way of life financially.

[Rumblebelly]

Haha.... I'm starting to see a socialist bend with the whole "Save Omaha" thing.

I personally would rather see Omaha rot from the center out before breaking down the infrastructure of the rest of the state.

It's sad that a couple of you guys don't like rural living and the people that live there, which is basically what this all boils down to. Simple intolerance of a lifestyle they don't approve of.

[mattpoulsen]

This whole thread is almost laughable!! Where do you "save Omaha" guys get your information? Rural Nebraska and agriculture a drain on the Nebraska economy?? Are you serious? Rural Nebraska and agriculture ARE Nebraska's economy!!

Yeah, state run agriculture is an excellent idea! It worked very well for the Soviet Union, didn't it? Ameritrade and Mutual of Omaha are dwarves compared to the billions that the ag industry bring in annually. Nebraska is an ag state and if you abandon agriculture in this state Omaha will be a shell.

I also laugh at the idea of UNO being the flagship school. Do you know how ridiculous you sound? UNO just built dormitories within the last 10 years. They are a commuter college and will remain that way. UNL is nationally recognized and is a top-notch research university. UNO will never be at their level. Plus, why should students who live in western Nebraska be forced to only attend UNO. Chadron St. and UNK serve these students very well.

This whole centralization theory that a few of you have is actually pretty disturbing. You can't possibly be serious. If you'd pick up a social studies book you'd realize exactly how closely your ideas mimic those of communist ideologies, which, in case you're not aware, haven't been successful. We are a democratic and capitalist society and population and resources are distributed based on these principles.

Every state has population distributions. To see this all you need to do is venture to Colorado. Eastern Colorado is very similar to Western Nebraska. Do you think all infrastructure resources should be diverted to only the Denver area? Should Colorado Springs and Ft. Collins be abandoned for Denver? What about Kansas with Kansas City? Oklahoma with Oklahoma City? Iowa with Des Moines? Minnesota with Minneapolis? I could go on and on!

Besides all of the above issues of concern I would first argue that your basic premise is completely off base. Omaha's growth isn't limited by their infrastructure. They have an excellent and well planned roads system and aren't lacking for expansion dollars. Its not as though the city growth is out pacing their infrastructure development...its just not a true statement. Besides, much of this money is awarded at the federal level and abandoning rural infrastructure development wouldn't result in Omaha getting more money.

[mattpoulsen]

Mattden,

Something I forgot to mention. No, you can't just haul ag product on dirt roads, at least not efficiently! If you had ever been around the ag industry and actually understood how it operated you would understand this simple idea. Ag products have to be trucked 100's of miles...do you really think you can take a semi-truck from western Nebraska to Omaha on dirt roads?? If so, then wait until if rains once. Dirt roads wear down very rapidly and must be maintained regularly. Many roads like this actually restrict semi traffic because the added weight accelerates the road's degradation. Having them paved actually often saves money (if truck traffic is high enough...which it would be in your scenario)!!

Also, you expect all of the state and community colleges to close?? Where is everyone going to go to school? You'd have 100,000+ students at UNL!!! Would you expect all colleges and community colleges in Colorado to close, forcing all students to attend CU??? Pretty ridiculous isn't it?!

You expect highschools to close if they were under 1000 students! That would force people to drive 100's of miles a day to attend highschool. Do they not deserve an education?

You keep bringing up this "migrant worker" bit. You do understand that most of the people in rural Nebraska are NOT migrant workers, don't you??

This whole topic really just illustrates how mind blowingly ignorant you are of Nebraska, particularly rural Nebraska. It also shows how ignorant you are of how general federal/state/local agencies are funded and operate.

By the way, state senators from Omaha and Lincoln do vote to allocate resources for Omaha and Lincoln, but, surprisingly enough, there are senators from other districts. And, in a manner consistent with democracy, the details are hammered out via vote. You act as though rural Nebraska holds Omaha and Lincoln hostage and they don't get there fair shake. I promise you Omaha and Lincoln ARE the concentration of the state government. Rural Nebraska is essentially fighting for table scraps on a regular basis.

Not every place is a tourist destination. And being 2 hours away from an interstate has nothing to do with a town's worthiness. You are aware that the interstate systems were built AFTER these small towns were founded?? The interstates are made to criss-cross the country...not to connect tourist destinations!! Again, check your history book.

[kosnebbear]

Just one more topic of nonsensical subject from a nonconformist whose illogical ignorant ideas that MattDen started based solely on his own misguided opinions that anyone with some good old down to earth Nebraska reasoning and common sense can see how stupid this is. This is very much like the individual from Boston that wrote a book, "Buffalo Commons", on why we need to all move off the prairie and given everything west of the Mississippi river and east of the Colorado Rockies back to the buffalo, because there is nothing there. Wonder if MattDen read this book? However MattDen has a right to his own opinion no matter how crazy it is and sounds.

Here is the link where you can read a little bit about "Buffalo Commons":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Commons

I think that one of the ten states that would be part of this plan is Colorado.

[ehenningsen]

I think DTO is just being funny, his love for Omaha has no boundries, lol... Can't blame him it is a great city..He also maybe a bit pissed about some legislation that gets passed that hurts the city and has no business of being legislated.. But I do also understand that not everyone wants to live in a bigger city, and so I'm not all about chopping off nebraska at the outskirts of omaha and demoloshing UNL, especially since I am a Husker fan, sometimes I think this state should have two capitals

[DTO Luv]

I'm pretty serious with everything I have said. The state does pass laws that are terrible for Omaha, namely the school district disputes.

I realize what I said probably does border on socialist/communism but rural living is a drain on resources.

[kosnebbear]

Well DTO Luv that law was passed because OPS was about to force annex school districts without the elected boards even knowing about it. OPS was going to do it because of one of these stupid laws that was passed years ago. The right thing to have done was ask these school districts if they wanted to become part of OPS. OPS was doing to my opinion was a socialist move by not allowing the people living there the right or chance to even vote if they wanted to become part of OPS. Also it was a State Senator from Omaha who wrote the bill not someone from rural Nebraska. The Senator was Ernie Chambers. So if the bill was a bad thing for Omaha go to Ernie and tell him. At least now the school districts have a choice in their future when they did not have before the way OPS was doing it. Also I live in rural Nebraska and I see where Omaha, which is a great city and I love going there when I can, is a drain on resources that can also help out rural Nebraska. Where are more pictures of Omaha? You stopped posting them young lady!