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July 15, 2007
Unconscionable
Once upon a time, George W. Bush rose to political prominence on the mantle of "compassionate conservatism" -- lean government, but with a heart. My, how things have changed. Six and-a-half years into his presidency, the federal government is bigger than ever, and the country is saddled with the biggest defiicits and debt in its history.
So much for conservatism, but who's been feeding at the bursting federal government trough? Not that favorite right-wing bogeyman of old, the liberal entitlement program. Oh no, endless tax cuts for the fabulously wealthy have been the order of the day, while the calamitous war in Iraq swallows enormous government dollars with little accountability (our brave service personnel go under-equipped while billions of tax dollars simply disappear there) -- ah, GOP government efficiency at work.
Meanwhile, compassion has also been a Bush administration casualty. Some 45 million Americans lack even basic health insurance -- many of them children -- in the richest country in the world, a statistic that speaks volumes about priorities in our society. On the bright side, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has been an important policy vehicle in recent years, whereby states have invested to insure low-income children and received a large federal match for that investment. Even the State of Texas, which had substantially cut CHIP in a previous legislative session, moved in the recently completed session to reinstate some of the kids who had been dropped from the program. The generous federal match, however, has always been key to CHIP's success. States simply cannot afford to insure low-income kids without federal assistance.
Word came yesterday, however, that our "compassionate conservative" president, doesn't think CHIP should be fully funded and is threatening a veto of the bill expanding the program that is currently before Congress. A compromise Congressional deal would increase funding for the program by $35 biilion over the next five years -- or $7 billion per year -- Bush wants $5 billion over 5 years. For some perspective, the Iraq War costs American taxpayers about $2 billion per week.
That the president would even consider vetoing such a vital, basic program to ensure the health of America's children is outrageous on its face and begs the question, just what are we fighting for overseas if not a bright, healthy future for Americans? Children have no control over how much money their parents make or their family's financial circumstances. They should not be made pawns in an ideological, political battle -- they should get the care they need.
All American kids deserve access to needed healthcare - period. Any presidential veto denying that access is simply wrong. Don't let President Bush get away with it.
Posted by houtopia at July 15, 2007 10:16 PM