S-CHIP: Why Republicans Being In The Minority Is A Good Thing

There are so many reasons that the American people have rejected Republicans at the ballot box in the last two elections. Here today we have House Minority Leader John Boehner, trying to make excuses about why we should not give health care coverage to children whose parents have trouble affording it:

Bush's Lies About S-CHIP

As the S-CHIP override veto vote is coming up in two days, it is important to know what we are dealing with here. The President is trying to communicate that his proposal still increases S-CHIP, but only for the poorest of the poor.

Basically he could care less about people that consider themselves "middle class." The successful passage of this bill would serve as a tremendous blow to his ideology that government must not help average Americans. But for PR's sake, he does not want to look as mean as he is so he favors a "20 percent increase in funding" or so you would believe. The traditional media is reporting it as fact, but we can never count on them to discern facts or practice journalism here. Thankfully we have Media Matters.

From Media Matters:

An October 13 Wall Street Journal editorial criticizing the response by congressional Democrats to President Bush's veto of legislation that would increase funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion over five years asserted that "in truth, the Bush Administration endorses a modest expansion" of the program. The editorial went on to claim that "after his veto Mr. Bush repeatedly signaled a willingness to compromise and spend more than the $5 billion he would prefer to pump in -- which is by itself a 20% expansion." In fact, Bush's plan to "pump in" an additional $5 billion over five years would underfund the program by $9 billion during that period, according to the Congressional Budget Office. As Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, in May, the CBO estimated that "maintaining the states' current programs under SCHIP would require funding of $39 billion for the 2007-2012 period." But a $5 billion increase from baseline funding -- Bush's proposal -- over five years would total $30 billion.

Bush and his handlers try to be clever, but this isn't fuzzy math here. The CBO knows what it's doing and easily exposes the President's bullshit. See, he would rather crush and underfund the program more than anything. His blind devotion to his so-called ideology is sickening to say the least.

Kids Strike Back!

McCain Hates Kids Too

Apparently John McCain is not satisfied with his attempts at sabotaging his own campaign. One of the reasons many attribute his downfall over the spring and summer months was his devotion to George Bush and the war. Since he is still technically in the race, it seems he thought one last blow might do him in. What better way to endorse a failed Presidency than to snub poor kids along with George?

From CNN:

"Right call by the president," the Republican White House hopeful told CNN's John King. "We've laid a debt on these same children ... that we're saying we're going to give health insurance to."

The bill, which would cost $35 billion over five years, is meant to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program to provide coverage to an additional 10 million children.

Bush said he vetoed the bill because he considered it a step towards "federalizing" medicine and an inappropriately expanding the program's goal beyond its original focus on helping poor children.

Hmmm, where do I start with this? Using the talking point that the bill is meant to help only the really, really poor children is ridiculous. Due to the skyrocketing costs of health insurance, it is impossible to afford it even if you are in the middle class, let alone near the poverty line.

As for the costs? Thirty-five billion over five years is a drop in the bucket compared to lost revenue from Bush's tax cuts and not even close to the costs of Bush's disastrous war in Iraq. It isn't hard to see that $35 billion for poor kids is a lot less than hundreds of billions for a pointless war. The fact that he calls this a debt on our children.....where the f**k does he get off trying to use that as a reason. As a Senator that approved and approves of this war, the tax cuts and many other drains on the treasury, he has no right to talk about putting debts on our children.

McCain may not be ashamed of his actions but the nation assuredly is.

They May Be Innocent But You Know Better

Now follow the message and do your part, these kids deserve better.

Bush Wields The Veto Over Helpless Children

Well now it's official, Bush actually carried through with a pledge to keep health care away from children. Through no fault of their own, millions of young kids will go without the benefits of health insurance. SCHIP is already a successful program but that didn't matter to our benevolent President today.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — President Bush, in a confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children's health insurance.

It was only the fourth veto of Bush's presidency, and one that some Republicans feared could carry steep risks for their party in next year's elections. The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override the veto, but the margin in the House fell short of the required number.

The White House sought as little attention as possible, with the president wielding his veto behind closed doors without any fanfare or news coverage.

There may not have been a party at the White House for this, but the champagne is surely flowing at places like Blue Cross/Blue Shield and HMOs across the country. At least the Senate has enough members to override the veto, but House Republicans should be ashamed that their caucus cannot agree to protect children over the President's faithfulness to his friends in the health insurance business. How they can ever look children in the eye again is besides me. I hope the GOP pays a high price for this cruel act during next year's elections.

NY And Others Taking SCHIP To The Courts

George Bush may want to take away health care for children simply because it is a "government program," but that isn't stopping several states (including our own) from going to court to stop his villainous efforts. Not only is Bush threatening to veto the extension of the bill, he is trying to stop the program from working as it is now.

From The New York Times:

In August, federal health officials informed states that they could no longer receive federal matching funds for children in families living above 250 percent of the poverty level, except under special conditions that the states say would be almost impossible to meet. Three weeks ago the federal health officials denied a request by New York to insure more children by covering those in families with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty rate, or $82,600 for a family of four.

“Despite every effort to negotiate in good faith, the Bush administration did nothing but put roadblocks and poison pills in our path,” Governor Spitzer said at a news conference yesterday. “The president was out of touch with the reality on the ground.”

Mr. Spitzer said that Maryland, Illinois and Washington would join New York in the lawsuit, with Arizona, California and New Hampshire filing amicus briefs in the case. He has argued that the new rules violate the intent of the federal law that created the children’s insurance program in 1997.

The feds that run the program assert they only want the poorest kids to be in front of the line, but the funds are meant to cover all families that qualify as the legislation dictates. The President is essentially failing his constitutional duty to faithfully carry out and execute the law of the land. One more notch in the bastard's belt so far. It is amazing he executes anything that the legislative branch signs into law anymore.

William Kristol And Fox News Hates Kids Too

Kristol jokes about hating kids, but their is some truth in his twisted humor. The fact is, George Bush and his neo-con friends do not want kids from low-income backgrounds to have health insurance because....well....the government program on the books works, and private health care doesn't.

Bush Hates Children Because They Aren't Profitable

This week we saw the expansion of SCHIP pass the House with 265 votes (mostly Democrats in favor) but short of a veto-proof majority. SCHIP stands for the State Children's Health Insurance Program which insures millions of underprivileged kids. Congress wants to expand the successful program to cover an additional three million young Americans. So why does George Bush vow to veto it?

Rockridge Institute explains:

The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly for an expanded children's health care program (SCHIP), 265-159. President George W. Bush has said he will veto any expansion of the program, and supporters fear they will fall short of votes necessary to override Bush's veto. And what's Bush's reason for the veto? Well, SCHIP works, and because it works it may lead the nation toward (gasp!) a health care security plan that doesn't measure the nation's health or moral standing by the size of private health insurance company profits.

Bush has a point. If 10 million American children are made healthy through a government managed program, the next thing you know some more of the 100 million or so uninsured or under-insured Americans might recognize that their health has been sacrificed on the altar of a private insurance industry that didn't even exist 70 years ago.

That's right. The property and life insurance industry didn't want to get into health insurance because they couldn't figure out how to make a profit. Insuring houses was a piece of cake. Only a few burn down, after all. And the companies get all those premiums from all those people whose houses don't burn down. Life insurance worked because premiums paid to a company over a lifetime could be invested, earning more for the company than would have to be paid in death benefits. But health? Heavens, everyone gets sick, everyone ages and weakens. Benefits would be paid continually to everybody who paid premiums. Where's the profit in that?

Ultimately it comes down to the money. Forget the welfare of helpless children, they don't make money for his buddies in the insurance industry. Not only that, but evidence of a good government program doesn't mesh with the typical Republican talking points of less government and the mantra that the market takes care of everyone. Bush doesn't just hate children, he hates programs that work for Americans in general.