4 of 5 child welfare private contractors quit Nebraska. GOP Privatization FUBAR has home to roost.

[IADEMO2004]

This is a link to recent Omaha World Herald reporting GOP childrens welfare mess in Nebraska.


http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/search?SearchCategory=%25&ExclCat=test%25%3Btopstory%25%3Bappfeed%25&SearchProfile=0&category=search&execute=1&module=1&TextSearch=kvc&StartDate=20120202&EndDate=20120303&f_news_category=-1&BuildNavigators=1&crit=kvc

Feb. 28
http://www.omaha.com/article/20120228/NEWS01/702289914

Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha called the measure "the first in a series of bills that's going to clean up a mess."

"Child welfare privatization has been a miserable, unmitigated failure," he said.
On tap Tuesday and Wednesday are five more bills that grew out of a legislative investigation into the privatization effort.
Among them is a measure that would require the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to take back responsibility for case management statewide.
Come Thursday, the department will be managing cases in all areas except Douglas and Sarpy Counties, where the collaborative will manage the cases.
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Congratulations Gov. Heineman pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Put those at risk at the back of the line. Tax cuts first is the rule.

[liberalhistorian]

1. I live not far from the NE border in a neighboring state,

and this fiasco has been in the news for months. At first, a lot of legislative republicans simply refused to look beyond their Privatization Makes Everything Perfect No Matter What blinders, but more and more of them started to take those blinders off as the situation became more and more serious and obvious and now the majority are finally seeing it. It's the idiot DEM governor who still refuses to acknowledge that the problems are enough to scrap the system and who still clings to his bullshit about how it would cost too much to go back to the old system, taxes still aren't cut enough, etc., moneymoneymoneyblahblahblah, screw the kids, etc. Every time this idiot speaks he sounds like a teabagger republican, not a Dem. I realize Dems have to be more conservative in western states in order to be and stay elected, but this is ridiculous.

[IADEMO2004]

2. Gov. Heineman is GOP. Sen. Ben Nelson is the D from NE

and I can't say I'm sorry he not running this year.

[liberalhistorian]

3. Oh, Heineman's GOP? My mistake, in several

media articles they've said he was a Dem. Hmmmm. Now, I wonder why that could be, lol........

[LiberalAndProud]

4. Where was he misidentified as a Democrat?

I'd be interested to know which media outlets would make that mistake. For the record, the last Democrat to hold the office of governor in the state of Nebraska was Ben Nelson, and yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself.

[liberalhistorian]

5. If I'm remembering correctly,

it was AP articles used by some local papers. Shocking, I know, that the Associated Press would have any bias. NOT.

[shcrane71]

6. I believe State Sen. Gwen Howard refered to one of the private CPS contractors as extortionist.

And indeed, they were trying to suck more tax dollars out of Nebraska without provided near the quality of services that the state was providing.

[jwirr]

7. Extortionist is a good word. As a social worker who has been a government case manager for both

Developmentally Disabled persons and the elderly I have always wondered what the rethugs think "for profit" means. I got a negotiated wage and understood that I was not going to be able to manipulate the case so I could get more.

[mdmc]

8. ..