Omaha's 'Bob Kerrey' Footbridge

Opening in November

The Omaha City Council voted today to spend almost a million taxpayer dollars to survey the land on the Nebraska side of our pork-barrel pedestrian bridge for an art display and much-needed fountain. This is the bridge that our former Senator Bob Kerrey thought would be a smart way to spend 17 million federal tax dollars. At the time, folks said, "who needs a footbridge across the Missouri River?" But sharper minds prevailed. Minds that reasoned, "If we don't take the money, some other city will get it."

The Plains Feeder thought it was a bad idea at 17 million coconuts. Over the years, the price of the weird looking bridge has gone up and up while the design has gotten fruitier and cheesier. Nobody can get an honest answer as to what this useless as teats on a boar bridge has cost Nebraskans up to now. Apparently the squandering isn't over. All those other prices we were quoted didn't include anything at the end of the bridge.

The costly footbridge is slated to open this November. The weather should be just perfect then for a long walk in the wind over the icy river. And where will you be after your long, freezing hike? Iowa. Even the suicides won't want to walk that far to jump. Maybe Nebraskans who have hocked their cars in Iowa to cover their Council Bluffs casino losses will use it to walk home. Omaha, who wouldn't want to be a part of it?

Thank you, Bob Kerrey. Thank you, wise ones of the Omaha City Council. The footbridge to nowhere is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
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Just thought of another use for the new footbridge. Omaha taxpayers rendered destitute by their state and city taxes can leave it all behind and walk to Council Bluffs, where gamblers from Nebraska voluntarily pay a big chunk of the taxes.

Norman Hsu stinks up Bob Kerrey's Senate plans

Norman Hsu's ugly shadow falls on Bob Kerrey

Former Nebraska Governor, Senator, Presidential wannabe, lesbian joke teller, New York City society gadfly, capitalist oppressor, secret warrior, current President of New York's wack-o New School and Medal of Honor recipient Bob Kerrey's relationship with Norman Hsu is in the news again. Kerry is considering a run for the Senate seat that proved too confining for retiring incumbent 'Maverick' (read: RINO) Chuck Hagel. I saw it at The Politico.

Most of the Democrats that took money from Mr. Hsu proved to be fair weather friends. Feigning surprise, they scrambled to make it look like they were giving the money all back. But Kerrey's connections to Hsu run deeper than mere illegal campaign money. It will be harder for Bob to scrape the Hsu off his shoes. From Josh Kraushaar at The Politico:

“Bob Kerrey was not only a receiver of contributions [to the New School], he actively recruited [Hsu] to the New School,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher. “Nebraskans need to be aware of that.”

Kerrey’s recruitment of Hsu came several years ago when Hsu was known as a prominent Democratic donor in New York fundraising circles.

In addition to serving on the school’s Board of Trustees, he donated money intended for a school scholarship.

Since Hsu’s arrest, Democratic politicians have distanced themselves from Hsu, and most have returned donations received from him. Clinton’s presidential campaign returned $850,000 in Hsu-connected campaign donations.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee returned $43,700 in donations directly from Hsu.

But Kerrey’s ties to Hsu could prove to be a unique distraction. Unlike other Democrats who simply accepted Hsu’s money, Kerrey had a personal relationship with him.

Kerrey also was one of the last public figures to openly praise Hsu before his recent downfall.

Kerrey's response so far: “I don’t know what is going on in his mind,” Mr. Kerrey said. “I thought that I knew him, but obviously I didn’t.” Tip of the straw hat to Leavenworth Street.

Sure Bob. Keep scraping, it still stinks.
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Update: Tom Becka of KFAB radio just interrupted his entertaining impressions of frog fart noises and review of school lunch menus to announce that the AP has reported Hal Daub will end his short campaign for Hagel's Senate seat. Thats OK, a little Daub will do ya.

Bob Kerrey

Bob Kerrey - Vietnam Ghost

Former Nebraska Senator and Medal of Honor recipient Bob Kerrey was the speaker at a Democrat fund raiser in Omaha Saturday night. The old baby-killing Lincoln leftist has a big nerve coming back before his cursed pork footbridge is finished. He is thinking about running for the Senate again. This makes two mixed-up, Viet-Nam tainted dunces sitting on that fence. Jon Bruning looks smarter every day.
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Nobody.likes.Bob.Kerrey. What kind of suckers does he think Nebraskans are?

Omaha's footbridge to nowhere: new design approved

Bob Kerrey Footbridge Final Design

Nebraska's own Pork-Barrel Bridge to Nowhere has been subjected to the Plains Feeder's derision before. If you don't know about the Hopalong Bob Kerrey Footbridge, you may read its sordid history here. Evidently, yet another decision on the 'final design' is about to be or has been made. It is difficult to say, given the numerous 'final designs' that have been bandied about over the years. Recent footbridge flap-jaw was engendered by former Nebraska Governor and Senator Bob Kerrey. The retired war criminal says Nebraskans will, "come to love the bridge". Kerrey is believed to have produced this laughable cut of pork just to spite Nebraskans for rejecting his Marxist ideology.

Yup. They'll come to love your bridge all right, Bob. Especially in the wintertime. Nothing like an ear-freezing stroll across the icy river in the howling wind.
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Update: Even Mickey at SirPrize is weighing in on the Omaha-Iowa pork bridge.

A Footbridge Too Far

Footbridge to Nowhere

The Bridge to Nowhere lunacy has the blogosphere, the TV poonditi, and the radio talkers all a-twitter. Everyone loves the story about buying everyone at the 'other end' of the proposed bridge a Lear Jet for the same cost. It is a perfect example of timing being everything in political polemics.

They have had the pork barrel rolling in Congress since forever. This isn't even the first idiotic pork barrel bridge. In fact we have our own idiot pork barrel bridge story right here in Nebraska. Nebraska's pork-barrel bridge never raised a ruckus like the Ketchikan - Gravina bridge has. There was no Coburn Amendment , the fate of which is still undecided, despite its sensibility. Kevin Aylward's take on this at Wizbang inspired this blast from the pork-barrel past

When Nebraska's Senator Bob Kerrey decided his political career had hit a wall (read: Viet-Nam atrocity stories surfaced), he left Nebraska a chunk of pork to remember him by. It was to be a footbridge across the Missouri River. Why Kerrey thought Nebraskans would want to walk to Iowa, nobody knows. It started off getting roundly razzed. Most folks here (read: Nebraska Republicans) were sick of Bob Kerrey.

First, Reason.com. tried to point out the stupidity of it. They thought it would cost a mere $4 million, and illustrated it with this little comparison:

The next time you go to the ballpark, imagine the seats are filled with 42,321 low-income, taxpaying spectators, each with an adjusted gross income of between $3,000 and $5,000 -- students, part-timers, and the working poor. Then hold on to your hot dog and think about this: All of the federal income taxes paid by everyone in that stadium over the entire 7-month baseball season will go to build a footbridge in Omaha.

Also in April of 2001, OmahaRiverFront.com touted the bridge at Missouri River News , saying it will be, "among one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the nation". But the price mentioned was now $17 Million.

The bridge is being funded by a $17 million federal grant obtained by former U.S. Senator Bob Kerry, a $1.7 million federal planning grant, $1.5 million each from the states of Nebraska and Iowa, and $1 million from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. It is expected to be completed sometime in 2003.

Next, in 2004, it finally came time to let the bids for this fabulous footbridge to Iowa. By now it is become:

The futuristic bridge, with its two suspension towers designed to look like giant sails, was supposed to redefine Omaha's skyline and symbolize the cooperation between Omaha and Council Bluffs. It was proposed as a $22.6 million project

Only two bids were submitted. The low bid was $44,942,000. The other bid was $50,286,498 . Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, feigning surprise, noted that, "It missed by so far it's mind-boggling" and concluded that the "city doesn't have enough money to build the project for the $45 million low bid". The Nebraska Footbridge to Nowhere story still drags on, and won't die until the speculators, developers and pols have milked it to death. Bad timing.
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Update: From Power Line: The Coburn Amendment fails 82 - 15 - the pork barrel is intact.

Update II: A hysterical Senator Stevens of Alaska threatened Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum parking lot pork to protect his bridge pork. Michael Yanney, Joslyn director, defended the museum parking pork and even asked for seconds, saying: "I think we’ve got to spend considerably more taxpayer money on cultural activities,” he said. “Kids need culture. I don’t think the private sector can possibly afford to do all the cultural activities by themselves." Read about it in the Omaha World Herald, quick, before they archive it. OWH notes that Nelson and Hagel "came down on opposite sides of the fiscal tempest". Yanney thanked Nelson for pulling our pork out of the fire.