Pub. 5 2010-2011 Issue 5

January/February 2011 7 Extraordinary Service for Extraordinary Members. 233 South 13th Street, Suite 700 Lincoln, NE 68508 Phone: (402) 474-1555 • Fax: (402) 474-2946 NBA Board of Directors NBA Staff George Beattie NBA President & CEO george.beattie@nebankers.org Joni Sundquist Vice President of Communications joni.sundquist@nebankers.org Larry D. Marik NBA Chairman (2010-2011) (402) 562-5846 First National Bank of Columbus, Columbus Kendell G. Holthus NBA Chairman-Elect (2010-2011) (402) 363-7414 Cornerstone Bank, York Colin Anderson (402) 561-7950 Great Western Bank, Omaha Robert A. Balfany (402) 434-1035 U.S. Bank, N.A., Lincoln Cory A. Bergt (402) 434-4122 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Lincoln David P. Dannehl (308) 876-2451 First State Bank of Loomis, Loomis Curt Denker (402) 434-3115 Pinnacle Bank, Lincoln Donovan H. Ellis (402) 396-3431 Midwest Bank, N.A., Pilger Alan L. Fosler (402) 323-1272 Union Bank & Trust Co., Lincoln Stephen J. Hatz (402) 918-1567 Bank of the West, Omaha Michael R. Hilderbrand (308) 537-7181 Gothenburg State Bank, Gothenburg Allan D. Jefferson (402) 759-3114 Geneva State Bank, Geneva Philip Jossi (308) 893-2351 State Bank of Riverdale, Riverdale Martin F. Koopman (402) 664-2561 Scribner Bank, Scribner John F. Kotouc (402) 399-5088 American National Bank, Omaha Vicki L. Kraai (402) 773-5541 Astra Bank, Sutton Clarence L. Landen III (402) 449-0919 Security National Bank of Omaha, Omaha Clark D. Lehr (402) 563-3656 First Nebraska Bank, Columbus Mark K. Linville (402) 337-0323 First State Bank, Randolph Michael Mahlendorf (402) 633-3965 First National of Nebraska Inc., Omaha Scott J. Meister (402) 941-8603 Pinnacle Bank, Fremont Ken H. Niedan (308) 368-5555 Hershey State Bank, Hershey David A. Ochsner (402) 476-1131 Nebraska Bankers’ Bank, Lincoln Carl J. Sjulin (402) 434-3450 West Gate Bank, Lincoln John P. Stinner (308) 436-2300 Valley Bank & Trust Co., Gering Daryl L. Wilton (402) 363-7411 Cornerstone Bank, York Michael B. Jacobson NBA Past Chairman (308) 534-2861 NebraskaLand National Bank, North Platte Jeffrey W. Krejci NBA Past Chairman (402) 438-5858 First State Bank, Lincoln Fighting the Good Fight George Beattie, President & CEO, Nebraska Bankers Association B OTH THE NEBRASKA UNICAMERAL AND CONGRESS are now in session. We have been told over and over by state leaders that the top priorities for this legislative session are budget, budget, and budget. It would seem that Congress should have similar priorities; however, there appears to be little interest these days in presenting and passing a budget at the federal level. The modus operandi is to address the problem through the passage of continuing resolutions. Perhaps the newly elected Republicans and Tea Partiers will seek to challenge the spending binge that weighs heavily on the minds of many constituents. Will Rogers once said, “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.” Unfortunately, it seems we now have all the government we’ve paid for and then some. Formany, government is THE solution to our economic woes. But the fact of the matter is more regulation, more oversight of private business, and more governmental intrusion into our personal lives will only serve to stifle the innovation and growth that have made our country so prosperous. Despite the challenges before us, the NBA will continue to fight the good fight on behalf of the banking industry in Nebraska—today, tomorrow, and in the weeks and months and years to come. As we work on behalf of our membership to mitigate the impact of burdensome regulations that are almost certain to result from the Dodd-Frank Act, we will be calling on you to help. You will need to take an active role during comment periods to weigh in on the numerous provi- sions of this legislation. Don’t underestimate the power of your voice! Telling your story and sharing how this bill will affect you and your bank is extremely important, particu- larly to the regulatory rule writers. If they don’t know how you feel or don’t understand the impact of a proposed rule or regulation on your bank, the outcomes for the industry could be disastrous. You can continue to look to the NBA for information and calls to action as 2011 unfolds. And remember, the next time you hear someone say, “there ought to be a law,” remind them of the law of unin- tended consequences and the negative impact of big govern- ment in their lives. Z ReachGeorge Beattie at (402) 474-1555 or george.beattie@nebankers.org .