| Topic: |
Science > Abortion |
| User: |
"james g. keegan jr." |
| Date: |
29 Sep 2007 10:28:37 AM |
| Object: |
Overcoming a Veto and Helping Children |
The New York Times
September 29, 2007
Editorial
Overcoming a Veto and Helping Children
Unless President Bush backs away from his threat to veto a
significant expansion of the State Childrenıs Health Insurance
Program, it will be incumbent on all Republicans in the House who
value health care over ideological warfare to summon the courage and
vote to override him.
The Senate approved the legislation with enough votes to overcome a
veto. It also passed the House with a hefty margin but fell 24 votes
short of a veto-proof majority. Although it will be an uphill battle,
it may still be possible to bring another two dozen House members to
their senses.
Any Republicans courageous enough to defy the president on this issue
will find themselves in good company. The measure, which would
increase federal funding for the program by $35 billion over the next
five years, is the product of intense bipartisan negotiations that
included prominent Republicans in the Senate, led by Charles Grassley
of Iowa and Orrin Hatch of Utah. It has been endorsed by governors
from both parties and by a wide array of organizations, including the
American Medical Association and the chief lobbying groups for
private insurance plans and for senior citizens.
The president objects to the size of the proposed funding increase,
which is seven times what he had proposed. But the costs would be
fully covered by an increase in tobacco taxes, which would bring
health benefits of its own by discouraging smoking. He complains that
the bill would encourage middle-class children to enroll in a program
that was originally designed to cover low-income youngsters. The main
effort and primary impact, however, will still be on low-income
children.
Mr. Bush also warns that a substantial number of middle-class
children will simply be switched from private insurance to the public
program, shifting costs to the taxpayer. That will inevitably occur.
But experts have calculated that the presidentıs preferred approach
tax deductions for people who buy their own insurance would provide
a much higher proportion of its benefits to people who already have
insurance, thus doing far less than the Congressional measure to
reduce the number of uninsured children.
Mr. Bush seems determined to use the childrenıs program to take a
stand against what he calls ³an incremental step toward the goal of
government-run health care for every American.² He would rather
sacrifice the health of uninsured children than yield an inch of
ideological ground. House Republicans ought to take a more humane
approach and override the presidentıs blinkered obstinacy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/opinion/29sat2.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
&oref=slogin
--
"New York Times has all ready sent me a response stating you have
been warned."
-- prison clerk heishman lying as "Osprey" <noneedtok...@mail.com>
in news:2rCdnZNy7LA5OojdRVn_iw@comcast.com
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