Christensen feels wrath of Chambers

Sen. Mark Christensen took a verbal lashing from Sen. Ernie Chambers last week over Christensen's resolution that would ban affirmative action.

Christensen said he harbored no ill feelings toward the Omaha senator, and that the resolution will probably languish in committee.

"I was told by people that this reminded them of the Chambers from the 1970s," he joked this morning at the McCook Chamber of Commerce Legislature conference call.

Christensen had introduced a resolution that would have put a constitutional ban on affirmative action on Nebraska's November ballot. He doesn't expect the resolution to make it out of the Judiciary Committee but the bill has garnered some favorable comments from people, he said, although the University of Nebraska opposes it.

Christensen said he was walking by Chambers' desk Jan. 24 when Chambers unleashed a verbal torrent against him for sponsoring the bill, starting out with 'Here's comes Christian Christensen, the biggest racist in Nebraska,' Christensen recounted.

The resolution wouldn't allow hiring quotas based on sex, ethnicity or other factors but instead would allow "the best person to be hired," Christensen explained.

The Imperial senator also responded to a question asked about why he defended the use of AK47s, as reported in the Omaha World Herald on Sunday.

"Where do you draw the line?" asked McCook resident Duane Tappe, adding facetiously, "Do we allow people to have bazookas and dynamite too?"

Christensen said his concern was that language that restricts gun use that could also be used to eliminate guns used for hunting. He has no problem with curbing AK47 use but banning gun use will only allow criminals to have guns, he reasoned.

"I've never seen a gun hug, but I've seen people hug," he said, adding that "guns don't kill people, people kill people."

"Guns are a hot issue, "he said, "but what is the real root of the problem?"

Christensen also gave his concerns concerning LB 235, which gives film companies incentives for films shot in Nebraska.

On the surface it appears to be a very good bill, he said, as the bill would give film companies a 25 percent rebate on production costs if the film has a budget of at least $30 million.

But Christensen's concerns is that a documentary or short film shot here could be seen as hostile to major industries in Nebraska, such as ethanol or beef. He proposed an amendment that would develop an economic development board that would oversee the incentives.

Other topics Christensen touched included:

* moving the State Fair - it's going to take a city with facilities already in place for it be moved from Lincoln, he said. Although the university wants to expand, its not willing right now to foot the bill of moving the fair somewhere else, he said.

* water bills he introduced this year would be designated as priority bills either by himself or by Sen. Carlson, who also introduced some water bills. One of the bills he's introduced will protect water that has been sent to Kansas from being diverted. Currently, Nebraska is getting credit for only 57 percent of water that is sent downstream, he said. It is not his intent with this bill to shut down quick response wells, he added.

"It's not an issue of forcing wells off," he said. " We don't want to give a gift to (Kansas) and not use it toward compliance."

* Christensen has sent a letter of opposition against LB 881, that imposes an excise tax on the production of ethanol, with the revenue collected going to the Water Resources Cash Fund. The Water Resources Cash Fund was created by LB 701 last year, to be used by Natural Resources District to help rivers designated over or fully appropriated to comply with intra-state compacts. Christensen said the ethanol industry is one of largest economic tools in western Nebraska and he is opposed to taxing that industry.

* Christensen was invited to attended Red Willow County Commissioner Leigh Hoyt's confirmation hearing Wednesday, for his appointment to the Environmental Quality Council on the Natural Resources Committee. Hoyt was appointed by Gov. Dave Heineman.