Wednesday, December 12, 2007

President Again Vetoes Children's Insurance Bill

If there was any question as to whether or not Chimperator Bush gives a damn about poor and lower middle class children, his second veto of the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance program, passed not once but twice by Congress, shows the answer is "NO" he does not give a damn. This Washington Post story (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/12/AR2007121200933.html?hpid=moreheadlines) gives the details. What is interesting is that John Aravosis over at America Blog notes that he, Markos of the Daily Kos, and Arianna Huffington, like me, all were once members of the GOP, but left because of what that party has become. Let us hope the defections continue in ever greater numbers. Clearly, if you are not the child of one of the Chimperator's country club set, you are not worthy of note or health care in the view of the Chimperator, who has squandered hundreds of billions in Iraq, but who cannot spare $35 billion for children in America. The man is truly despicable. Here are some highlights:


For the second time in three months, President Bush yesterday vetoed legislation that would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance program by $35 billion over five years and would have boosted its enrollment to about 10 million children. Bush cited the same reasons that led him to veto a version of the bill on Oct. 3 -- that it raised cigarette taxes and provided coverage for children of middle-class families instead of focusing on the working poor.


The fate of the $5 billion-a-year program remains undecided, as lawmakers negotiate a new five-year funding package that can win Bush's approval or draw a veto-proof majority in the House and Senate. If they cannot do that soon, Congress is expected to pass a temporary extension that would keep the program funded through much of next year.

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