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American Public vs. Bush on Children’s Health |
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Last week, President Bush told 10 million kids their health care coverage wasn’t important enough to sign a bill that would renew the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
His veto ignited a nationwide mobilization to find the two dozen or so votes needed in the U.S. House of Representatives to override it and a firestorm of criticism. The bill passed with bipartisan support in both chambers, but while the Senate margin was veto-proof, the House vote fell short of the two-thirds needed to override.
With the vote expected next week, we thought it would be a good time to see what others are saying.
On The Huffington Post, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee describes how a coalition of unions and other groups are mobilizing a “big bold campaign” of rallies, phone calls, e-mails and letters to House members demanding they override Bush’s veto.
Who in the world—besides George Bush—is against health care for children? Our polling shows that we have the strength of the American public on our side, and our ground campaign will ensure that Bush and the few holdouts that want to go down with his “stinking” ship get the message.
Bill Scher on TomPaine.com points out that many in the mainstream media, including CNN and MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, are parroting Bush’s claim that the vetoed children’s health bill didn’t include funding to cover the more than 6 million kids currently enrolled and the 4 million who would be eligible under the bill.
Perhaps the only thing going for conservatives in the SCHIP debate is complete journalistic incompetence from the Washington media.
Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Hardball just asserted that the SCHIP bill isn’t paid for and doesn’t include a raise in tobacco taxes. He then charged Democrats for not having the “guts to finance it.”
This is just flat wrong. CQ reports: “The expansion would be paid for with tobacco tax increases.” What else is there to say?
Speaking of facts versus fantasy, check out this rundown of Bush’s claims about the kids’ health insurance and the facts, including Bush’s claim that the SCHIP expansion would hurt the private insurance industry:
Reality: The great majority of CHIP programs are modeled after private insurance and use private plans to deliver benefits. CHIP’s structure in most states is similar to the Medicare prescription drug benefit, in which federal benchmarks and funds guide a program administered largely through private insurers.
Bonddad takes a look at the hypocrisy of Bush claiming that the extra $35 billion in the SCHIP bill was just too much to spend on the program, especially in light of the supposedly fiscally conservative Bush administration.
OK—let me get this straight. SCHIP costs too much. Let’s mull that over. SCHIP costs too much.
Where the hell was this man for the last 6 years!?!?!?!?!Let’s go to the CBO to see what ol’ Bush has been up to.
Discretionary spending increased from $649.3 billion in 2001 to $1.016 trillion in 2006. That’s a 56.47 percent increase.
Maybe we should have included an arms appropriation in the bill. Then Bush would have given it a blank check.
Each state administers its SCHIP and governors are furious at the veto and what it could mean to children in their states. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley says the veto “makes no sense” and Republican leadership claims that the vetoed bill would give well-off middle-class families or undocumented immigrants or children with private insurance now SCHIP coverage.
…are not telling the truth. There is no excuse for any member of the North Carolina delegation to fail to support an override of the president’s veto. The needs of children must come first.
Says Iowa Gov. Chet Culver:
With a stroke of a pen, the president has chosen to put at risk health care for 21,000 Iowa children. The president made a bad decision that I believe is both irresponsible and unacceptable.
Go on over to YouTube to see some House members’ reactions to the veto, including Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), who explains that the House decision to hold the override vote until next week is akin to giving Bush a “time-out.”
As somebody who’s raising two children, who are now 6, the reason we’re waiting is for what we call in our household a ‘time-out.’ You go to your room and think about the mistake you made and when you’re ready to apologize and come back and set things straight, you can come out of your room. That’s what the two-week period is all about.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) points out how Bush’s SCHIP veto follows a pattern:
I think the strongest indication of the President’s commitment to this initiative came when he was governor of Texas. At that time, the state of Texas ranked 49th, 49th,in its participation in SCHIP and meeting the needs of the children of Texas.
Stay tuned. We will keep you updated on the latest news in the fight to override the veto.
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SCHIP
A poem by Dave Hurlburt 9-24-2007
Bush Bush what do you say! you will veto SCHIP today!
How many children will your veto kill each day.
How much money will you make emergency rooms pay!
Causing all of us higher health care cost because of delay!
Preventative care and regular checkup are the way to go.
Even your own party says they will override your veto.
Our children need health care now. Do not cause a delay.
You need to sign SCHIP and you need to do it today!
Your Political ideas not to raise taxes are short sighted
If you veto SCHIP your mistake will be righted.
Parents, children, and the congress are united.
See the Healthy children and you will be delighted!
David Hurlburt CWA local 9410
It’s quite an overreach to claim that “the American people” demand that Bush sign the SCHIP bill, or that the Congress over-ride the veto. Only SOME American people demand that, and I’ll bet they’re mainly the very same people who expect that, as a result, somebody ELSE will have to pay for their kids’ medical bills. They like kids themselves, expecting some rich Daddy to cover their bills. The sense of entitlement, and outrage that anybody could question their entitlement to pick someone else’s pockets, just DRIPS off the pages of this AFL-CIO website!
Hi, In my town of Bloomington ,Il. There are really no democrats available to vote for on a local level. Concerned that our area is filled with wealth because it relies on State Farm Insurance and Country Companies for jobs,and that possibly this is why the other laboring 50% may not have a voice,I emailed a note to Congressman Timothy V. Johnson,urging him to back up SCHIP/Kidscare etc. I did not recieve a message back,but in the mail I recieved a lovely full color brochere about HSAs,AHPs,and No Child Left Behind etc..He is obviosly sticking by Bush and the other half. I believe these guys do not realize on a personal level how it is impossible to afford health care for many Americans,as they have money for these benefits and or my taxes are paying for theirs,while I suffer along with my family to eat and heat. They should shadow a family and live with them for one year of probation for not serving all the people just the upper income people or lose thir job. Maybe then they will wake up,I vote and beggars can be chosers. I feel sorry for their replacements dealing with all of the homeless people this administration is creating each day. God Bless
Childrens Health Care is less expensive in the long run by early diagnosis of an illness and measures to prevent illnesses. The world owes children a living and good health. With the decline of America by outsourcing jobs and illegal immigrants taking jobs, it is nearly impossible to afford health care by the working individual with high rental or house payments and food prices steadily rising with income steadily declining. Congress will have to step up and overide Bush’s veto. When Bush’s children were young, health care was very inexpensive. Now it’s out of sight.
The gullible still believe the Bush rhetoric that the bill would insure kids whose families make up to $82,000 a year, and is the creation of “socialized” medicine. Bottom line is the dictator wants the $ for his “war”, and the Republicans are stuck in the middle whether go with their dictator or vote to override the veto and risk their jobs with the conservative voters.
Bush’s relpy on the subject saying there is health care, people can go to emergency rooms is a slap in the face to working families, while his white collar, stuffy, “christian” cohorts feel poorer children are not part of God’s agenda.
The comments by “Cynical” illustrate my point about a baseless sense of entitlement.
“The world owes children a living and good health”, says Cynical. Where does this sort of thinking come from? The world owes nothing to anybody! If you are lucky enough to live in a well-governed society, you can make voluntary agreements, enforced by government, to exchange your services or goods for those of others, make the best living you can that way, and provide for your children to the extent of your ability. Provide valuable services that few others can provide, you get rich. Offer nothing but low-skilled services that any 14-year-old with a 5th grade education can do, you won’t get rich and why should you? But nobody “owes” you or your children anything.
You Are Nuts , Bush’s veto on that very bad Democratic Health Care bill does not mean he’s against Health Care ! I all ready pay twice as much for Health Care now to pay for people who Don’t thanks to Democrats ! I have more spendable Money under Republicans than Democrats , the Democrats tax the hell out of the middle class to pay for the poor .I wish you would keep your misinformation to yourself but I know that will not happen!
The Truth,
Larry
to larry (the truth):
Now let’s don’t spin the facts like your dictator. What do you do for a living? I bet it’s not a job that you would have any business on this blog! Just infiltrating the blog to spin the facts?
Bush IS not very supportive of health care! Like he says, you can go to an emergency room. What kind of intelligence is that?
The bill he vetoed was to increase coverage to more children. Why are you blaming the democrats for you spending twice as much for your health care? And you think it’s ok for the insurance companies to make huge insane profits as mine and your benefits get cut and the then Republican majority did nothing about it except accept checks of thanks for doing nothing?
Open your eyes. The health care industry is in bed with the Conservatives and many Democrats.(Hillary for one)
Don’t you think it is right for the govt. to assist those in need? I suppose those soldiers getting injured both physically and mentally in your dictator’s “war” don’t deserve 100% assistance?
Single payer health care is the answer. HR 676 is the solution to the health care problems here in the US.
HR 676 has been endorsed by 330 union organizations in 48 states
including 93 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 24 state AFL-CIOs (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN,ME,AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ & TN).
We will all be better off, if this legislation is passed, and you larry won’t be so POd!
OK so Larry and MHinnov you are missing something about the labor movement, it is based on WE not ME. Also Schip come WITH PREMIUMS and a private insurer. So you want tax off your back scream to put it on Bill Clinton’s and Bill Gates and Exxon-Mobil. The stlye of living you seem to push is also known as ‘root little piggy or die’ I gopt mine screw everybody else. That is the talk of the big house overlooking the mine or the mill. The waterfront mansion for the computer god, NOT THE LANGUAGE OF A UNION WORKER. If I look out for you, and you look out for me then nobody gets screwed-So go read the book of the same name by Thom Hartman. I OWE the world my best effort to make it better for those around me. Pretty damn sprirt based for a solid agnostic.
In re dportjoe’s comments: If the spirit of the labor movement is “let’s you and I help each other, using our own resources”, I think that’s admirable. But when it’s “lets you and I help ourselves by ganging up on somebody else that has more than we do”, that’s deplorable. But that’s exactly what you’re saying when you advocate “put it (the tax burden) on Bill Clinton’s and Bill gates and Exxon-Mobile” to pay for your kids’ health care.