Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has written state education leaders asking their support in repealing the federal health care reform bill because it will cost Nebraska taxpayers over $526 Million, which is money we do not have, and will necessarily mean deeper cuts to education and other services.

State Sen. Jeremy Nordquist has attacked the Governor as a hypocrite for attacking NelsonCare on one hand and accepting millions of dollars in federal funding to operate the new legislation.

It is Sen. Nordquist who is in the wrong. Already Nebraskans pay more in federal taxes than we ever receive back in federal spending. I.e. Nebraska taxpayers are bailing out states who receive much greater returns on their federal tax dollar investment.

According to research by the National Priorities Project, a liberal-leaning think tank no less, Nebraska ranks 45 out of 51 governments (Washington, D.C. is included at #7)in expenditures by the federal government per dollar paid by state taxpayers.

For every dollar Nebraskans send to Washington, D.C. we only receive $0.79 cents back where the national average is $1.01 and some states, like Maine, are getting $1.99 back from the feds for every dollar spent.

Nebraska is getting a raw deal, and has for some time.

Besides the fact that Sen. Nordquist seems to forget that federal money is not a pot at the end of the rainbow, it is our tax dollars, we wish Sen. Nordquist would join Gov. Heineman in sticking up for Nebraska taxpayers.

The 'Cornhusker Kickback' will cost Nebraskans an additional $526 Million. This is an unfunded federal mandate of historic proportions. It further cements Nebraska’s raw deal with the federal government and endangers the quality of life we enjoy. Please, Sen. Nordquist put aside your partisanship and do what’s right for Nebraska.