http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=164x1940Oh my.
Athelwulf (240 posts) Wed Apr-08-09 01:01 AM
Original message
Unicameralism: Good or bad?
Hi Nebraskans. This Oregonian would like to talk a bit about your nonpartisan, unicameral state legislature. I get the basics: It's got only one chamber, and there are officially no parties. Do you think it's a better way of doing things than the way every other state does it? Do people generally approve? Does anyone ever think it shouldn't be that way? If there were a proposal to change it, would you be against it? And why? Isn't it a pain not being able to tell right away who's a Repug and who's actually decent?
It's easy.
If they're (R), they're actually decent.
If they're actually decent, it's a given they're (R).
Simple as that.
silverojo (1000+ posts) Wed Apr-08-09 01:14 AM
Response to Original message
1. Everybody knows who the Republicans are
It may not be mentioned, but people know the past history of the politicians well enough to know if they're Dems or Repukes.
And let's face it, in Nebraska, it's damned hard to tell the Dems from the Repukes at times.
As for the Unicameral...I've been away from the state for several years, so I don't know how well the system is working, compared to a traditional House/Senate setup. I'll leave it to longtime Nebraskans to answer that question.
Oh, it appears to work, and it's popular.
That however doesn't mean franksolich likes it. It's pretty stupid, really.
joeglow3 (554 posts) Wed Apr-22-09 04:29 PM
Response to Original message
2. I love it
For no reason other than I don't understand why you need 2 houses in a state legislature. While we pay out Senators crap (it need to be increased), I am glad we don't have to pay salaries for double people.
The reason the Nebraska state legislators are paid "crap" is because we want them to hurry up and get done legislating, and get back to their real jobs as quickly as possible, leaving us alone.
residentfan (61 posts) Fri Apr-24-09 11:00 AM
Response to Original message
3. Term Limits
The Unicameral was much more non partisan until the people of Nebraska, in their "wisdom" decided to put term limitations on their senators. Now partisanship is the catch word and the Republican Party has been working overtime to make Nebraska a third world country. Oh, and so the Democrats don't feel too cocky: it was a Democrat that led the mob to vote for this idiotic law.
That of course is nonsense.
The Nebraska Democrats began partisanizing the unicameral back in the 1970s; term limits never came along until about 25 years later.
I'm not sure who the "Democrat" was, who "led the" decent and civilized people of Nebraska to vote for this utterly-sensible law. There's gaps in my knowledge, because while it was going on, I was wandering around the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants, out of touch with Nebraska.
