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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Beatrice Daily Sun: Sen. Nelson makes stop in Beatrice

By Chris Dunker
From: Beatrice Daily Sun

Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson spoke with a select group of Beatrice community leaders Monday morning at the Beatrice Public Library.

Representatives from various businesses and agencies — Beatrice Community Hospital and Health Center, Beatrice State Developmental Center, Mosaic, Beatrice Public Schools, Southeast Community College, Gage County Extension, Homestead National Monument of America, Natural Resources District — in addition to local politicians including Sen. Norm Wallman, Beatrice City Administrator Neil Niedfeldt and Gage County Board of Supervisors Chairman Rex Adams attended the invitee only meeting at the Norva Price room at the library.

Nelson covered a wide range of topics from the recent debt ceiling debates and credit downgrade to worries overreaching by what he called “alphabet agencies” into lower levels of government.

The senator, who is up for re-election in 2012, began his talk by discussing “what isn’t happening” with Washington. Nelson said civil debate has been replaced by political attacks on both sides of the aisle.

“Nobody can remember a time when Washington has been this divided,” Nelson said. “The issues are challenging, to say the least because some of them are social, but many of them are purely economic issues.”

Nelson said the debate surrounds how to lower unemployment and cut spending while not slashing any programs that benefit Nebraskans — namely Medicaid, Medicare and education funding.

“I have been pushing to get our budget under control with some restraints on some spending and try to figure out a way we can cut so we can cut fairly,” Nelson said.

He reiterated several times that cuts to federal spending need to show “shared sacrifice” between all Americans — a question the senator said has been on the table for the past six months.

The Senate, Nelson said, planned for $3 trillion in cuts paired with tax increases for the wealthiest of Americans. Instead, Congress sent a bill to President Barack Obama for $2 trillion in tax cuts with no revenue increases.

“I voted against it, not because I wanted us to go over the edge,” Nelson said.

The senator said Congress has “been held hostage by a small group of individuals with their own ideologies and their own approach in saying ‘it’s our way or no way,’” indicating the Tea Party’s refusal to consider any revenue increases.

“There were some people ready to push us right off the cliff for default,” Nelson added. “They think default was better than what we did. I think we could have done better, but I don’t think default was better.”

Nelson voted against the new legislation that moved further to the Tea Party’s idea of a budget solution, a law he feels will send the U.S. into further spiraling debt talks in the future.

“I think if more people would have been against that legislation, we would have actual cuts put in place for the future as opposed to kicking the can down the road to 12 of our members who will be making these decisions — maybe,” he added, referring to the bipartisan “supercongress” committee the Senate hopes to convene to deal with the country’s mounting deficit.

While the debt ceiling was raised, averting a national default, Nelson said uncertainty in Washington has led to uncertainty across the country for business owners and investors — evident by the 600 point drop in the stock market on Monday and the 500 point plunge the market took last week.

The turmoil has stifled any confidence in Washington, Nelson said, citing the politics of the debate to be the biggest cause of the uncertainty of the markets.

“Business tells me they want certainty. We have created, with this legislation, uncertainty,” he said. “Too many budget gimmicks, convoluted systems here that hardly anybody can understand.”

If the supercongress committee cannot reach an agreement, the body will reach into the Medicare and defense budgets and begin cutting disproportionately — an unpopular move heading into an election year, Nelson said.

“If anybody thinks there is going to be a lot of cuts going into an election year even if there should be, they’re not following Washington and they haven’t followed Washington in the past,” he said.

Nelson chided members of the Tea Party caucus who lobbied for deep cuts across the board, mentioning a budget plan by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan several times as a dangerous plan to reduce spending.

“There’s a right way to cut and a wrong way to cut,” Nelson said. “You can do it either way, but if you do it the wrong way, you get adverse consequences.”

Nelson later said it’s difficult to discuss raising taxes or simplifying the tax code until cuts are made, adding he will continue to do what he feels is best for Nebraskans.

“I’ll take the political risks of doing what I think is the right thing instead of giving it to someone else and hiding behind that decision,” Nelson said.

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