Nebraska's weather isn't so bad

Sometimes I think about how much I hate living in Nebraska, but then something happens that makes me realize that it may not be all bad. Yesterday as I watched all of the coverage on CNN about the earthquake in Chile and the possible tsunami moving toward Hawaii, I realized that maybe Hawaii isn't as great as I thought it was. I have always thought it would be great to live somewhere like Hawaii. I would like to live right by the ocean and have warm weather all year long, but I don't know if I would be willing to have to worry about tsunamis, hurricanes, mudslides, earthquakes, and all of the other things that seem to plague all of the warm places near the ocean.

I'm not saying that this changes my opinion on Nebraska's weather. I still think Nebraska is a pile of crap when it comes to weather most of the year. I do enjoy spring and early summer here, but that doesn't make the winters or extremely humid summers worth it to me. I know that many people from other areas are deathly afraid of tornadoes, and are convinced that if they come to the Midwest they will die by being carried away by one, but that really doesn't scare me. I suppose that if I was forced to choose between a place like Nebraska where the weather is generally crappy but not enough to kill me, and somewhere near the coasts where the weather is nice but I might fall through a crack in the earth, get carried away by a wave, or lose my house to a mudslide, I would choose Nebraska.

Get all the facts before deciding on hospital issue - Final Draft

By Matt Kovar

The Kearney City Council is facing a huge decision in the next few weeks with the proposal to build a new physician-run hospital near Yanney Park. There are many people on both sides of the issue that have expressed their opinions, but even more are still undecided on the issue. Both sides are new attempting to sway the undecided to support their cause. Unfortunately, many of the people trying to create opposition against the proposed Kearney Regional Hospital are not telling the truth.

One of the biggest reasons that citizens of Kearney have voiced opposition for the new hospital is its proposed location near Yanney Park. Many have stated that it would cause increased traffic congestion in the area. Eleventh Street has already been widened to four lanes in the area where the hospital would be built, and the widening project will likely extend westward as growth continues. If a four-lane street is good enough to handle traffic on a highway it is certainly capable of handling the traffic of a small hospital. The location has also been debated due to its status as a residential area. Almost all land annexed into a city is at first zoned as residential, and is later changed for other uses. Rezoning this land would not be a radical step, it would actually be typical. It is understandable why some people living near the area would object to a hospital being built in their backyard, but the reality of the situation is that if the hospital isn’t built than something else will come along to take its place. Kearney is going to continue to grow, and we will eventually have to expand out into these green areas.

There have been citizens that have voiced opposition to any for-profit hospital being built in Kearney, because it would cause shareholders to charge higher rates to make a profit. In general, for-profit hospitals encourage innovation and efficiency, which lowers medical costs. While there would be a group of shareholders making a profit off of the hospital, the same thing is going on with Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH). Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), which runs 75 hospitals and 40 long-term care facilities in 19 states including GSH, actually make quite a profit while being considered a non-profit. CHI is worth around $12 billion, and doesn’t have to disclose where the money coming from Good Samaritan goes. This money has not been reinvested in making medical care better for Kearney residents, but has instead gone back into the pockets of CHI.

GSH and its non-disgruntled employees have stated that a second hospital would cause a decline in the quality of health care for the area. How can having options in where you go for health care be a bad thing? Having two hospitals would increase competition and cause both hospitals to look for new ways to attract patients and make health care better for Kearney residents. Good Samaritan is claiming the opposite of this because CHI doesn’t want to have to invest more money and effort into competing with another hospital. It is not about the quality of care, but the loss of a monopoly on health care.

Kearney residents must look past the negative comments about the proposed hospital and look at all of the information on the issue. When it comes down to it, there isn’t much of a reason to block the building of Kearney Regional Hospital. There is nothing wrong with opposing the hospital, but it is important to have all of the facts first.

Hadley sends a mixed message on hospital issue

I have been doing some research on the new physician-owned hospital that has been proposed to be built near Yanney Park. One of the interesting aspects of the issue to me was the opinion that State Senator Galen Hadley of Kearney has given on the issue. While Hadley claims on his website that he is neither supporting or opposing the bill at this time, his actions show otherwise. In the Kearney Hub article Hospital moratorium bill hearing set for Wednesday in Lincoln, it is mentioned that although he did not introduce the bill, Hadley played a role in drawing up the legislation.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think I would spend my time contributing to a bill that I wasn't supporting. Hadley is trying to avoid taking a stand on the issue when he has already clearly done so. It is also necessary to mention that Hadley is a former member of the Good Samaritan Board of Directors. He was also appointed to the Catholic Health Initiatives Nebraska panel, but resigned after people tuned into the fact that he was biased due to his affiliation with them. You can resign from all of the panels you want, but the fact remains that your affiliation with a group does not end simply because you are no longer formally attached to it.

Hadley has a major history with Good Samaritan Hospital, and it appears to be a positive one. If Hadley is on the side of Good Samaritan than he is on the side that supports LB999. I think that most Nebraskans would find it much more respectable if Hadley would come out and voice his support for the bill instead of pretending to be impartial. Honesty is a good quality, and one that is rarely found in politicians. If Hadley had the guts to stand up for what he believes in than he wouldn't have to mislead the public in an effort to calm both sides of the hospital debate.

The battle for a new hospital

When reading the article Planners hand back hospital issue to council in the Kearney Hub I was interested to see the varying extremes of opinion on the issue. Many people interviewed in the article are obviously biased due to their positions in the community. Most of the people who were not connected with Good Samaritan Hospital and Catholic Health Initiatives appear to be at least willing to consider the benefits of another hospital in Kearney.

Janice Wiebusch of Kearney was quoted as opposing the new hospital due to its for-profit status and the changing of the land from being zoned for residential development. Of course she is opposed to the hospital; she is a member of the Good Samaritan Hospital Board of Directors. The fact that the land is zoned as residential has no real standing in this debate. Most land that is annexed into a city is at first zoned as a residential area. The city council then goes back later to change the zoning laws to allow development. Another citizen opposed to the hospital mentioned that the building of a hospital would cause the city to lose land that promotes wildlife. How does building a hospital lose any more wildlife space than building a residential neighborhood? If the hospital is not built it will only be a matter of time before new houses are built in the area. Although one house many not take up as much space as a hospital, a large neighborhood does.

One of the biggest arguments against building Kearney Regional Hospital is that it will hurt the quality of health care in central Nebraska. I fail to see how competition can hurt the quality of health care. If anything, the new hospital will force Good Samaritan to provide better service to the community. For-profit hospitals are often condemned for trying to make more money off of their patients, but the truth is that the for-profit status encourages efficiency and usually leads to cheaper health care costs. I think that the city council needs to look carefully at this issue and not allow Catholic Health Initiatives to intimidate them into voting against the hospital. A second hospital may very well be a bad idea for Kearney, but it is not up to the other hospital to make this decision for us.

Sinner

I decided that this year for Lent I would give up Lent. I know that this doesn't really count, but it makes me feel better than saying I simply don't care. At least this way I can still say that I actually gave up something. I have never been good at remembering to not eat meat on Fridays, and I usually end up making it a few weeks before breaking my Lenten promise anyway. I guess I fail to see how giving something up and not eating meat on Fridays makes me a better person. I actually think it makes me a worse person. I usually end up getting cranky and being an even more mean spirited person than usual. I decided to do us all a favor this year and skip all of it. I may be going to hell for doing it, but I am pretty sure that there are other people doing things worse than eating a hamburger on a Friday.

The Olympics help me cope

I am someone that hates winter, so at this time every year I start to get really tired of the crappy Nebraska weather. If you had asked me this time last week I would have told you that I was completely sick of winter, but something has changed since then that is helping me cope: The Olympics. It never fails that once every four years I enjoy winter for about two weeks. Watching all of the winter sports makes me appreciate all that winter has to offer, even though many of those sports can't be enjoyed in Nebraska due to our general lack of anything interesting.

While the Olympics are helping me deal with the mid-winter blues, they are taking a toll on my productivity. I have absolutely no desire to do anything else but watch television. I wish I could call in sick to work and school for two weeks so I could sit on the couch and watch the games. Who am I kidding . . . I wish I could avoid work and school to watch TV all the time.

Why I gave a crap about this year's Super Bowl

We should get one thing straight right off the bat: I hate pro football.

Now that we have that cleared up, I can tell you why I cared slightly about this year's Super Bowl. For the first time that I can remember, I actually cared about who won the game, because of two reasons:

1. I think Peyton Manning is a turd.
2. New Orleans needs something to be happy about for a change.


Peyton Manning has always been near the top of my list of athletes I can't stand. I think he is incredibly full of himself, and I wanted nothing more than for him to get knocked on his rear-end. The Saints were underdogs that many thought had no chance of winning against Manning and the Colts, and I was cheering for them to prove people wrong. After everything that the people of New Orleans have been through, they deserve to have something to celebrate.

I am ecstatic for the people of New Orleans. It is their time to shine. With the momentum of the Super Bowl win behind them and Mardi Gras coming up, they are ready to show the rest of the country that they are back on their feet. There are few times when a simple football game can hold so much more meaning for the winning team than a trophy and a paycheck. If the Colts had won, we would have all had to endure countless "I am amazing" interviews with Peyton Manning. We should all be thankful that everything turned out the way it did.

Congratulations, New Orleans!!

The time has come to let go

By Matt Kovar

When the Nebraska State Fair was moved from Lincoln to Grand Island two years ago, many citizens were upset about the decision. There were those in Lincoln that did not want to lose the fair, and those in Grand Island that were concerned about the costs of the new facilities. Over time most people have accepted the fate of the fair, and have begun to move on with their lives as usual.

Many people in eastern parts of the state have voiced their discontent with the move. They have a right to be upset about losing the fair, but there comes a time when complaining becomes unproductive. There have been several attempts to stop the move of the fair through the Nebraska court system. These multiple attempts have been rejected, but this has not stopped opposition groups from talking their case to the Nebraska Supreme Court. The leader of the opposition group has acknowledged that even if the court declares that the law moving the fair to Grand Island unconstitutional the fair will most likely move forward in Grand Island as planned. This is due to the fact that the new facilities are well into construction and most of the equipment at State Fair Park in Lincoln has been sold. Moving the State Fair back to Lincoln would cost such a large amount of money that the fair would most likely be too unstable to survive.

Many of the opposition group members feel that by giving the fair to Grand Island the Legislature gave an unfair advantage to the central part of the state. This may be true, but the fact remains that Lincoln and Omaha have the advantage in almost every situation due to their size and location. Lincoln will certainly not go into a downward spiral because it lost a struggling fair being held in worn-out facilities. The new facilities being built in Grand Island are set to be among the most advanced in the nation, and will bring more attention to the agricultural aspects of the fair, which is what Nebraska is known for. It makes little sense to have an agricultural fair in a predominantly urban area. Relocating the fair to Grand Island is a smart move.

The best bet that Nebraska has at keeping its fair is to support the efforts of Grand Island and the State Fair Board. In order for the fair to survive it is necessary that the public not only support the fair, but attend it. While the people of Grand Island have begun to embrace the fair, the smaller population base in and around the city is not enough to supply the necessary attendance that the fair needs to succeed. People from all parts of the state, including Lincoln and Omaha, need to help Grand Island welcome the fair. If the Nebraska Supreme Court overturns the law moving the fair it may not stop the fair from moving, but it will most lessen public support and cause the fair to struggle from the start.

The people of Nebraska must stop fighting the move of the Nebraska State Fair and start supporting Grand Island in its efforts to bring Nebraska a better fair. To those that support the court case attempting to stop the move we remind you that the State Fair has moved on, and so should you.

Waste of Court Time

In the article Court verdict may not matter in state fairgrounds move from the Lincoln Journal Star, the fact is mentioned that whatever the Nebraska Supreme Court decides, it will most likely make no difference. The initiator of the court case admitted that even if the law that moved the fair to Grand Island was deemed unconstitutional, the State Fair Board would most likely go on with the construction of the fair as it is. I fail to see how hearing a case that will have no real impact whatsoever is in the best interest of Nebraskans.

I completely understand the views of those in Lincoln that are upset that the State Fair has been moved, but the time has come to stop fighting. Many have mentioned that the law that moved the fair was unconstitutional because it gave Grand Island an advantage over Lincoln. I find this a total load of bull. The cities of Lincoln and Omaha will always have an advantage over anywhere else in the state simply because of their size and location. Moving one event away from a city that has much more going for it than Grand Island will not destroy Lincoln.

Wanted: Public Support

This article from the "Grand Island Independent" focuses on the progress being made at Fonner Park in Grand Island to ensure that the new State Fair Park is ready for the opening of the fair in August. All of the buildings but one are to be completed before the fair begins, and most of them are partially completed already. The new State Fair Park is set to be one of the most advanced in the nation, and will be much nicer than the run-down facilities that were used in Lincoln.

The article also addressed the concerns that many had when the fair was first moved that there would not be enough support for the fair in Grand Island. Joseph McDermott, executive director of the Nebraska State Fair said that the biggest way to ensure that the fair is a success is participation. Without the support of the public the fair will not thrive in Grand Island or anywhere else. People need to go to the fair in order for vendors and other businesses to invest in the future of the event. When the move was announced there were many people in Grand Island that didn't want the fair and said that it would fail miserably. When I heard these comments I was discouraged, because if someone wants something to fail bad enough, it will. If Grand Island and the rest of the state decide not to support the fair than it will fail. The best way to ensure that the fair is successful is simply to go and enjoy it.

Oh, Canada!

I know that most people don't care about the Olympics at all, and the winter games are much less popular than the summer games, but I am a huge fan. I have been waiting for the upcoming games since the end of the Beijing Olympics. There is one thing that makes me more excited than ever to watch the Vancouver Olympics: I love Canada. Vancouver is one of the coolest cities in North America, and the mix of cool seaside weather and wintry mountain climate miles outside the city is sure to make visitors happy.
I think that the biggest thing Canada has going for it in terms of making a great impression on the world is that no one is friendlier than a Canadian. I truly believe this to be true. Have you ever met a mean Canadian? I haven't, but then again I don't come into contact with many of them in Nebraska. The Canadian government has done a great job of creating a warm and welcoming environment for the visiting Olympians and fans, which is sure to make the games much more enjoyable than the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I was a little upset about the mascots that have been chosen for the games. I simply don't understand how Terrance and Phillip could be passed up for a Sasquatch.

Get Over It

There has been a lot of talk in the past year or so about the Nebraska State Fair moving from Lincoln to Grand Island. I was for the move the second I heard about it, because my family lives in Grand Island, and it is nice to have something outside of Lincoln or Omaha for a change. I have followed the progress of the move over the past few months, and have driven by Fonner Park in Grand Island to look at the new buildings. The main structures for the fair are already partially completed, and yet there are still people challenging the move in court. I fail to see how the fair could be moved back to Lincoln now, even if the courts overturned the law that caused the move. After investing over $40 million in new facilities and selling off most of the equipment at State Fair Park in Lincoln, it would be complete chaos if the fair was taken away from Grand Island. I think that the handful of citizens from Lincoln that feel compelled to fight for a fair that has already left them in the dust should give up and let the courts focus on something serious.