Bush Vetoes Children's Health Care

[Guest Joe Trippi]

You're not going to believe this—President Bush just vetoed health care for millions of low-income children!

 

I know that's hard to believe, and I wish I were making it up. But I'm not. Earlier today, President Bush vetoed a bipartisan expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)—a successful program that provides health care to millions of low-income children.

 

All I can say is, compassionate conservatism indeed.

 

I can't believe Bush's nerve, and I bet you can't either. But wait, it gets worse—two days before vetoing health care for millions of low-income children, George Bush had the nerve to issue a presidential proclamation commemorating—you guessed it—"Child Health Day."

 

Who needs health care when you've got Bush's empty rhetoric? Unfortunately, presidential proclamations don't pay the bills when a child needs care.

 

We're sick of Bush's rank hypocrisy. We're sick of Republicans ignoring the needs of hard-working Americans and catering to special interests instead.

 

On Monday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organized a group of parents and children that marched to the White House to protest Bush's upcoming veto. What happened when they got there? They were asked to go away.

 

Bush's heartless actions could not demonstrate more clearly to voters the choices we're facing in this election. We can choose to stay with the same old system—a system that ignores the needs of regular people and caters to big business and special interests instead. Or we can choose to go in a new direction—and support John's call for the big, bold change we need in America today.

[Guest Marissa]

My vote is with John Edwards. He really seems to be a man of the people. I know he was a big supporter of SCHIP program.

 

Both the Senate and the House have passed an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with strong bipartisan majorities, but the Bush administration has vetoed it. Asked yesterday if there would be a ceremony today when the President signs the veto, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "I would not anticipate that there would be any ceremony." She added, "The President will probably veto it quietly." It's not surprising that Bush is hoping no one notices his veto, which will deny health coverage to four million children. Over 70 percent of Americans support Congress's proposed SCHIP increase. Bush has stated that he opposes funding the program with revenue from cigarette taxes, even though such taxes are tied to decreases in smoking. Furthermore, the public overwhelmingly supports raising tobacco taxes, by a margin of 67 percent to 28 percent. Bush knows his veto is unpopular. After all, he's certainly not opposed to lavish ceremonies and using children for political photo-ops.

[Guest human_*]

I've been waiting for a post like this one. Thanks!

 

The Schip Program is fully funded. It is that the democrats wanted to expand it to include Undocumented Immigrants. If you EVEN bothered to look at which states would have received the bulk of the expanded schip program you too would have realized this.

 

Oh!!! And I have heard that story so many times "IT'S For the Children". Are you so naive to think that the democrats would not use kids as a political tool? <~~~~~ I could make a career out of just suing

The State Governments and their manipulation of funds when it comes to social programs for the needy in order to make sure that those programs get the funding promised "JUST the money that they are supposed to get".

 

Remember the program for Senior's? Do you honestly believe that it would have EVER passed if it weren't for the Republicans pushing heaven, and earth to get it passed? <~~~~~~ the democrats when they had all three houses never passed it.

 

I will give the democrats credit on one thing, when they WERE in the Minority they WERE more fiscally conservative than my group "Republicans".

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You're not going to believe this—President Bush just vetoed health care for millions of low-income children!

 

I know that's hard to believe, and I wish I were making it up. But I'm not. Earlier today, President Bush vetoed a bipartisan expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)—a successful program that provides health care to millions of low-income children.

 

All I can say is, compassionate conservatism indeed.

 

I can't believe Bush's nerve, and I bet you can't either. But wait, it gets worse—two days before vetoing health care for millions of low-income children, George Bush had the nerve to issue a presidential proclamation commemorating—you guessed it—"Child Health Day."

 

Who needs health care when you've got Bush's empty rhetoric? Unfortunately, presidential proclamations don't pay the bills when a child needs care.

 

We're sick of Bush's rank hypocrisy. We're sick of Republicans ignoring the needs of hard-working Americans and catering to special interests instead.

 

On Monday, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organized a group of parents and children that marched to the White House to protest Bush's upcoming veto. What happened when they got there? They were asked to go away.

 

Bush's heartless actions could not demonstrate more clearly to voters the choices we're facing in this election. We can choose to stay with the same old system—a system that ignores the needs of regular people and caters to big business and special interests instead. Or we can choose to go in a new direction—and support John's call for the big, bold change we need in America today.

[Guest Richardson for President]

Help me take George Bush to court!

 

Last Tuesday, I joined 28 other Governors, from both parties, in signing a letter to President George W. Bush, urging him to sign the bill extending the popular children's health care program known as SCHIP.

 

SCHIP funds basic health care for over 6 million of America's children in all 50 states -- mostly children from poor families with little or no access to other health services.

 

Checkups for poor children sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it? It's a proven fact that children with early access to immunizations and regular checkups do better throughout their lives. And in fact, 72% of Americans in a recent poll said they supported SCHIP.

 

But last week, President Bush got our letter ... and he threw it in the trash.

 

He vetoed the SCHIP reauthorization bill the very next day, and he tried to use his veto to make a political point. Congressional supporters are now trying to line up the votes for an override next Thursday.

 

This wasn't a surprise. The President has been openly hostile to children's health care. New SCHIP regulations that his Administration issued in August violate the intent of Congress, interfering with the states' existing SCHIP programs and limiting their expansion.

 

And now we're joining forces with New York, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington, Arizona, and New Hampshire -- and we're taking President Bush to court.

 

Help us win our case. Join the majority by signing our petition today, and tell President Bush and Congress that America's children MUST NOT be pawns in a political game!

 

Here's what our President -- tone-deaf on health care, as on so many other issues -- had to say about health care back in July:

 

I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room.

 

Is he kidding? When was the last time that George W. Bush -- son of a President, grandson of a Senator -- tried to get basic health care in an emergency room?

 

Has he ever set foot in the kind of overtaxed, underfunded hospital that serves low-income neighborhoods in America's cities? Has he ever waited all day to see the traveling doctor who visits a rural community one afternoon a week? Sat in a crowded hospital triage room for four hours? Waited six weeks for an appointment at a public clinic?

 

Has George W. Bush ever been turned away for medical services -- for anything -- because he couldn't afford to pay?

 

Sign our petition, and tell George W. Bush and Congress that you support basic health care for all of America's children.

 

http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/s/schip

 

It's easy for President Bush to play politics. But the lives of real children are at stake. Here in New Mexico, where I am Governor, the SCHIP-funded New Mexikids program brings immunizations, regular checkups, and other health services to 19,000 low-income children. We're poised to expand the program to cover 11,000 more.

 

Basic health services, like immunizations and regular checkups, are one of the most cost-effective ways of giving children a leg up in life. But our short-sighted President would rather turn his back on America's children.

 

We must not let this happen. Please join me today, help us win our lawsuit, and protect this critically important program from political interference.

 

 

Governor Bill Richardson

[Karl Rudder]

Your long reply Governor adds up to being a quick jab at the issue of medical care for American citizens. The battle over medical care needs a strong team effort from the State and Federal Congressional respresentatives at not just jabbing at the issue but rather all join together at taking a big swing and knocking the whole issue out from presenting itself as a crisis for anyone.

I am not able to accept that only elite City, State and Federal politicians are able to receive medical care from the day of their election until they die yet the children and adults that they were elected to serve have yet to receive the benefit of a truly effective medical plan in this country that insists on referring to itself as being the "United States" of America.

[Guest Faiz]

Bush Vetoes Kids...Again

 

For the second time in three months, President Bush yesterday vetoed bipartisan legislation that "would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP) program "by $35 billion over five years and would have boosted its enrollment to about 10 million children." It was the seventh veto of Bush's presidency and the second veto of a children's health bill. In an October press conference, Bush explained that he will continue vetoing bills simply to "ensure that I am relevant. That's one way to ensure that I'm in the process." Similar to his last rejection of SCHIP two months ago, Bush vetoed the bill yesterday "in private." Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) responded, "This is indeed a sad action for him to take, because so many children in our country need access to quality health care." "In case there was any doubt that President Bush's priorities could not be farther from those of the American people, he has vetoed yet another bipartisan bill to renew the successful [state] Children's Health Insurance Program," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said yesterday, adding, "We will not rest until the President joins us."

[Guest David_*]

Bush’s myths on SCHIP.On Oct. 17, President Bush explained that he vetoed Congress’s SCHIP expansion because the White House wasn’t “dialed in in the beginning.” But as The New York Times reports, the White House was heavily involved, but unwilling to compromise:

 

Senator Hatch tried to bring White House officials into the negotiations, believing their involvement would produce a better bill. But, lawmakers said, the administration did not want to discuss the child health program except as part of a broader discussion that included the president’s tax proposals.

 

But after checking their calendars, lawmakers said they and their aides had had more than 35 meetings and telephone conversations on the issue with [administration officials] Mr. Hubbard, Mr. Hennessey and Ms. Goon from January through September.

 

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/04/bushs-myths-on-schip/