Mike Rogers did something right this week and he wants people to know it. He sent me (and a few thousand others) this message:
Given your interest in healthcare issues, I wanted to send you my comments regarding my support of a bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program:
“With our economy in recession and so many East Alabama families struggling with layoffs and lost healthcare coverage, it’s critical Congress reauthorizes this important program that ultimately helps children and families who need it most.
This bill is far from perfect, but with working families facing increasingly difficult economic times I believe it’s time to get this done. I am hopeful that the state of Alabama will continue to run a successful ALL Kids program and this bill will only help in their ability to serve the needy kids in our communities.”
The bill passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 289-139. I voted in favor of the bill.
Rogers then proceeds to hedge his bets a little:
I also voted in favor of the Republican alternative, which I believe would have forced states to cover the poorest children first and included other features to improve the bill.
Clearly, Rogers wants to be, and be seen to be, on the "yes" side of children's health insurance come the next election. His shift in position is getting kudos from the media as well. This is from the Anniston Star:
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers' long-standing reluctance to vote for a federal program that would offer health insurance to millions of uninsured American children had long been one of the congressman's more disappointing stances.
That said, it was a pleasure this week when Rogers, R-Saks, voted for the expansion of S-CHIP. Kudos are in order for Rogers, who was one of the three Alabama delegates — and the only Republican — to vote for the program that will provide health care for 4 million additional children of working families.
The Star had endorsed Rogers in previous elections but decided to endorse his opponent, Josh Segall, last fall. I'm pleased that Rogers voted for SCHIP, a very worthy program that benefits many Alabama families, and glad that his scare at the ballot box made him see things in a different light.
Now, why the heck did Rogers vote against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act? Unless my geography is totally off, Lilly Ledbetter lived and worked (and maybe still lives) in his district. She's one of his constituents and he still voted to prevent women discriminated against as she was from seeking a remedy in the courts. If he's going to turn over a new leaf he needs to turn it completely over. Helping working people get fair pay for their work is another way to make Alabama families stronger in these difficult economic times.
I support the continuation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program(S-CHIP) to the extent that it is available to the children of families who cannot afford health insurance.
I don't see how he can possibly justify or his vote based on this position. Or how could he reconcile that statement with this vote? Bright needs some help awfully quick. He's not winning any friends with too many Democrats. A good point is that Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick voted for SCHIP and he's in an even redder district than Bright.
Jim Marshall was the only other Dem that voted against SCHIP and I cannot find any references to issues on his campaign re-election website.
Unfortunately I think Bright's voting record is going to resemble Marshall quite often. Marshall was the mayor of Macon, Georgia before Congress. So like Bright, I think he is a lot better city executive than a Congressman.
A bill to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has once again passed the House of Representatives. President-elect Obama says he will sign the legislation if it also passes the Senate. Bush vetoed a similar bill last year.
Alabama Representatives Artur Davis (D, AL-07), Parker Griffith (D, AL-05) and Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) voted in favor. All the rest voted against SCHIP, including Bobby Bright (D, AL-02) who was one of only two Democrats opposing SCHIP. Bright and Griffith were among a handful (fingers of one hand, only) of Democrats voting against two fair pay bills last week which were also extremely partisan votes.
Aside: Did Mike Rogers support SCHIP last year? I don't think he did but don't have the vote at hand.
If you want to express your displeasure, Bobby Bright's Montgomery office phone number is 334-277-9113 and his Washington, DC office phone number is 202-225-2901. Or e-mail Bobby Bright.
Can someone explain to me how fair pay for everyone and health insurance for children came to be partisan issues? Exactly who is the constituency in favor of wage discrimination and making sure there are uninsured kids out there? I had lunch recently with a politically mixed group of women and the Lilly Ledbetter vote came up (I didn't raise it). The majority of them were astounded that this was a party line vote. How did this happen?
In a recent press release Robert Aderholt professed his love of the poor children by taking time from his busy schedule of overseas tours and finally voting for a SCHIP extension. This legislation already passed and was vetoed by Bush. Aderholt voted against the original legislation and then voted to uphold the Bush veto. Aderholt regurgitated the Republican lies about the SCHIP bill as his defense for denying children the healthcare they need.
Unfortunately, it appears that we can’t talk about SCHIP without including coverage for families making $80,000 and illegal immigrants. That’s not what the program is designed to do.
He is exactly right, that is not what SCHIP is designed to do and it does not do either one of those things. Both of these accusations are false. If Robert Aderholt is not smart enough to look it up or hire somebody to do it for him then he should resign immediately.
George W. Bush was so ashamed of vetoing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) reauthorization act -- again -- that he did it in private. Can you blame him? More money than you can imagine (see the war cost at left) for war, but not a penny more to make sure American children have health care.
He can do this because Republican Congressmen like Robert Aderholt, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers will vote to uphold his veto. They have proved time and again that they will rubber stamp Bush's actions on children's insurance. How low will this President and the Republican party go?
Thousands of children, veterans and seniors face another winter without health care - putting off doctors visits, prescriptions - and crowding emergency rooms when they have nowhere else to turn.
Unfortunately, Congressman Robert Aderholt isn’t doing anything to help.
Aderholt has stood with President Bush and voted against the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and against a bill to fund veteran’s health care and community hospitals - all while voting to fund the war in Iraq.
Aderholt and Bush would rather spend half a trillion in Iraq than a fraction of that here to help our kids, veterans and seniors get the health care they need.
Congress is preparing to vote to override Bush’s vetoes of these health care measures - giving Congressman Aderholt one more chance to decide - does she/he stand with us or Bush.
Call Congressman Aderholt at (202) 225-4876 and tell him: override Bush's health care vetoes.
The battle to fund health insurance for children in working class American families is starting to feel like Groundhog Day -- we're just stuck in an endless loop. The Senate passed the SCHIP bill 64-30 yesterday, after Republicans rejected more negotiations toward a bipartisan compromise. Do they not want a genuine bipartisan compromise, or something?
The House passed the bill last week and Bush is expected to veto it again, soon. The Decider doesn't waste any time when he's deciding to deny health insurance to American kids, you know.
All the Republican members of Alabama's House delegation voted against SCHIP - three times now, if we count the attempt to override Bush's first veto - so we know where they come down on this issue. I say the only solution is to make sure there are fewer Alabama Republicans in our House delegation in the next Congress.
We need to support candidates who will accurately and honestly represent the wishes and values of Alabama citizens in Washington, DC, not political rubber stampers like Aderholt, Bachus, Bonner, Everett and Rogers are showing themselves to be.
Democratic candidates Ben Lodmell and Greg Warren have been taking their opponents to task over the SCHIP vote. Let's get behind them and help retire Bonner and Aderholt next year, at least.
George Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization bill, and the persistent opposition of Alabama's Republican Congressonal delegation, is quite unpopular, even in Alabama. Contrary to what Bush says, the program was not intended to cover our poorest children ... Medicaid helps them. SCHIP was and is intended to provide health insurance for the parents of working, middle class families, who make too much for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance plans.
This year, Congress passed a bipartisan bill that would increase spending in order to cover more children. But Bush vetoed the bill, saying the cost was too high and that some middle-class families might drop their private coverage to take advantage of the government program.
The president's veto put children in Alabama at risk. Some 69,000 poor children in the state are insured through the program. But the state's top health official says that due to rising costs, Alabama may have to freeze new enrollments or even drop some children from the program if the federal government doesn't allocate more money for SCHIP.
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Bush should abandon his threat to veto the new bill. But if he doesn't, more Republicans in Congress should join Democrats in voting to override his veto.
Alabama's congressmen, in particularly, must make sure they are on the right side - the side of uninsured children.
The Decatur Daily urges both parties to patch up their differences and pass a reauthorization for SCHIP. They also point out that President Bush is proposing an alternate funding source for SCHIP:
The Democrats' proposed 156 percent hike in federal cigarette taxes is popular with 70 percent of people in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll taken last week. But the president says he will not sign a bill that contains that proposal. He wants to hike drug costs for veterans who are not disabled and drug and doctors' costs for Medicare recipients.
The president's not on sound ground on paying for the bill. He opposes a tax that people don't have to pay while embracing cost hikes for medical care for older Americans and veterans.
So the options are a cigarette tax (optional, although they are hard to give up) or increasing the cost of health care for America's veterans and senior citizens? That's a tough choice for Congressional Republicans. Check your compassion at the party door.
Robert Aderholt, whose name led all the rest, voted against a new State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization bill today. He was followed closely by the rest of Alabama's Republican Congressmen: Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers. Naturally, they were acting as rubber stamps for George Bush -- again! Empty out Fort Knox to pay for foreign wars, but not a penny to spare for America's children. Go figure. Better yet, go vote -- against these turkeys -- on Nov. 3rd, 2008.
I'll say it again: Democrats should be lined up three deep to run against these guys next year. And Everett is retiring, so the 2nd District race is even more attractive.
Alabama Republican Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers voted to uphold George Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Plan reauthorization act last week. They gave a variety of inane reasons for the vote. The Anniston Star calls them on the hypocrisy of it all:
Although health officials in Alabama warned that thousands of low-income children in this state could lose health insurance if Congress did not override President Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, Alabama's Republican representatives lined up like good little soldiers and did what their commander-in-chief wanted them to do — sustain the veto.
We might be willing to accept their claims that the bill was (as one of them put it) a "first major step toward socialized medicine" or was, as another claimed, supported by a punitive tax on tobacco products. But only if these off-the-wall statements didn't fly in the face of what Republicans claim are their core beliefs and if their action did not stand in stark contrast to how they have voted in the past.
Good advice to Alabama Republicans from that bastion of left-wing liberalism, the Birmingham News.
Unfortunately, Democratic U.S. Reps. Artur Davis and Bud Cramer are alone among Alabama members of Congress who favored the bipartisan bill that would expand the health insurance program for children of poor working families. U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and Reps. Robert Aderholt, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers - all Republicans - side with Bush against SCHIP expansion.
...
many working families, particularly those without employer-subsidized insurance, can't afford the $12,000 to $13,000 a year private insurance costs. And, as far as cost, it's hypocritical for the president and lawmakers to pass a $700 billion Medicare prescription drug bill - a badly flawed one at that - and then say the country can't afford $35 billion to provide insurance for children.
Alabama's congressmen should think hard about what's more important: Protecting the health of children or protecting the veto of a misguided president.
They won't think hard about it, of course. These good little Republicans have been told what to think by the most unpopular President since Nixon, and they're sticking to him it. Lemmings.
Alabama Republican Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers voted against the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization, as did Republican Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby.
MoveOn is raising money to air this TV ad to highlight the need for SCHIP reauthorization -- and the need for Congress to override Bush's veto of that reauthorization.
Did you get that? HEALTHCARE FOR 800,000 AMERICAN CHILDREN COSTS THE SAME AS ONE WEEK IN IRAQ. Plus, Congress has identified a souce of funds for the SCHIP -- the war in Iraq just adds to the national debt that Bush is leaving for our kids and grandkids to pay. Those would be the same kids that he wants to deny health insurance to right now.
Via email:
We need to remind Republicans there will be dramatic consequences if they stand with Bush on this one. The consequences aren't just political: this means real health problems for millions of real kids.
One of those kids is Bethany, a 2-year-old girl born with a heart defect who's only healthy today because of the SCHIP children's health program. Our friends at USAction put together an ad with her story, and we want to raise money to tell that story in the districts of representatives who vote wrong.
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Bethany Wilkerson was born with several holes in her heart. Her family lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, on an annual income of $34,000—not poor, but unable to afford private health insurance. Even if they could, Bethany's "pre-existing condition" makes it impossible to qualify. Only because of SCHIP is Bethany healthy today.
With children's lives hanging in the balance, this is a politically risky vote for Republicans, and they're watching public reaction closely to decide what to do. We're announcing our ad to the local press in the districts of our top targets. No member of Congress will be able to vote against our kids without knowing they will be held accountable by voters.
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President Bush vetoed SCHIP because it's such a successful public program—and the right-wing's ideology is about running the government into the ground to keep it from serving the common good. But children's health care has so much popular support that Bush's supporters are paying a heavy political price for defending this failed ideology.
The Republicans are so up in arms to get rid of SCHIP precisely because it is a successful government program that helps people. That endangers the whole conservative ideology, which can be summed up as EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF. And women don't count anyway because they ought to be barefoot and pregnant.
The Anniston Star used the goulash term. When I read this quote from Rogers (R, AL-03) in yesterday's Star
"I have strong reservations about attempting to pay for it through a large, regressive, and fiscally questionable tax increase on tobacco," he said in a statement. "I remain hopeful Congress will develop a reasonable compromise that covers more truly low-income children without a tax hike of this scope."
my reaction was more like "Pure bulls**t! Rogers has aided and abetted the most fiscally irresponsible administration in American history." Today the Star's editors call Rogers on his BS (or putrefied goulash, if you prefer):
Just who does Rogers — and the president, for that matter — work for here? The people or the health-care industry that's getting rich off us?
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That won't wash, Mr. Congressman and Mr. President. Irresponsible spending is the domain of the Bush administration and its stubborn supporters in the House.
What the guardians and protectors of the health-care industry can't get their heads around is how close many Americans are to being destitute because of health-care coverage — or the lack thereof.
Rogers has trotted out this fiscal responsibility hogwash as a fig leaf to cover his unconscionable vote against the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization act last month. It won't wash, but he gets a "do over" chance tomorrow when the House will likely vote on overriding Bush's veto of that bill. Mind you, the SCHIP legislation has broad BIPARTISAN support in the House and the Senate -- the Representatives opposing SCHIP are mostly hardcore Bush loyalists or Dennis Kucinich (R, OH) who opposed it because it wasn't perfect enough.
Kucinich has already stated he will vote to override Bush's veto. Will Rogers redeem himself by doing the same? You can give him a push by calling today:
Get out and put some pressure on those Bush Rubberstamps, Robert Aderholt and Mike Rogers. They are going to keep doing this stuff as long as voters keep rolling over for it. Stand up for what's right! Via email:
TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17 – Join our friends in Etowah County. Let’s walk the talk!
Families, Community Leaders to Gather to Demand Congressmen Support Children's Healthcare, Vote to Override Bush Veto Reps. Aderholt, Rogers Must Change Course and Condemn Backwards Bush Policy of "Billions of Dollars for Iraq War, But Veto for Kids' Health Care"
[Gadsden, Alabama] – On October 17th, at 12 p.m. families will join with labor and community leaders, state lawmakers, physicians and other concerned citizens outside USW Local 12 to call on Reps. Robert Aderholt and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) to do the right thing and vote to override the President's veto of health care for children.
Nearly 10 million kids and thousands in Alabama would receive affordable health coverage under a bipartisan plan passed by the U.S. Congress. Last week, President Bush vetoed the bill. If the veto is overridden, the number of uninsured kids in Alabama will fall by nearly 65 percent.
Reps. Aderholt and Rogers put loyalty to President Bush and funding for the Iraq war ahead of Alabama families "http://clerk.house.g... voting against the Children's Health Insurance Program. Now Alabamans will call on them to take advantage of one last chance to do the right thing and vote on Oct. 18 to override the President's veto.
WHO: Northeast Alabama Labor Council President Garry Frost State Senator Larry Means (D-Gadsden) Alabama Rep. Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) Dr. J. Walden Retan, chair Health Care for Everyone – Alabama Families, community leaders, political leaders and more WHAT: Press conference to call on Reps. Aderholt and Rogers to stand with Alabama's children and override the president's veto of their health care WHERE: USW Local 12, 110 Hoke Street Gadsden Alabama WHEN: Wednesday, October 17, 12 p.m.
Congressman Artur Davis said this about the vote to overrride Bush's veto of SCHIP reauthorization, "This is the single most important vote for the state of Alabama that will be cast in Congress this year." From the same article:
"The current level of funding will not provide sufficient funds," said Dr. Don Williamson, state health officer.
Alabama either would have to freeze enrollment this fiscal year or take people off the rolls in fiscal 2009, Williamson said. All Kids is designed to take care of children who don't qualify for Medicaid but whose parents don't make enough to pay for private health insurance.
[snip]
While other states have expanded eligibility of their program or might do so with increased funding, All Kids remains for the working-poor, Williamson said. The program is for children under 19 whose parents make up to $41,300 per year for a family of four. Two-thirds of the children covered in Alabama live in families making less than $31,000 for a family of four.
"This isn't a Cadillac program in Alabama," Williamson said.
All Kids covers about 69,000 kids in Alabama now and several thousand more are eligible, but aren't enrolled. Congress is expected to vote on SCHIP Thursday and Artur Davis also said "I'm simply hoping that conscience is what people vote ... ." I'm not holding my breath, because the SCHIP battle has turned nasty.
12 year old Graeme Frost was covered by SCHIP after he and his little sister were injured in a car crash. He spoke out in favor of the program and the right wing immediately attacked his family. A staffer in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office helped propogate the (largely false) attack on the Frost family. Frost's parents were on MSNBC last night and admitted that they did own a business at one time, but it went under.
HALSEY FROST, FATHER OF GRAEME FROST: It would seem to me it would be common sense if you do all the math on that, that we‘d be doing really, really well. And that‘s far from the case. You know, that‘s quite a rosy picture they painted. But the fact is I did have a business. Of course, they did not report properly that I ran from like—Frost Works from 1990 and folded up around ‘98, ‘99, went as far as incorporating that, actually carrying health insurance. And actually that was probably one of the nails in the coffin in that business. It became cost too much to bear for that.
The cost of health insurance was part of the reason the business failed. How many small business owners across the country can relate to that? Probably all of them. If you try to provide health insurance for yourself and your employees, you'll go broke. But if you don't, what happens if someone gets sick or injured? Damned if you do, damned if you don't and the Republicans just don't give a damn.
These Alabama Republicans voted "NO" on SCHIP reauthorization.
Robert Aderholt, AL-04
Spencer Bachus, AL-06
Jo Bonner, AL-01
Terry Everett, AL-02
Mike Rogers, AL-03
Please call 202-224-312, ask for them by name and urge them to vote to override the President's veto of childrens health insurance on Thursday.
Sometime this week Congress will attempt to override George Bush's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance (S-CHIP) reauthorization bill. The original vote in the House was 18 "ayes" short of the 2/3 majority needed to override a Presidential veto. Rumor has it that the Democratic leadership is within 10 or 12 votes and is applying pressure to the handful of Democrats who initially voted against S-CHIP as well as Republicans in vulnerable districts. This came via email today:
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement on the debate in Washington over President Bush's veto of legislation to expand children's health insurance to cover 10 million kids:
"There's something wrong when in a country of our wealth, 47 million Americans don't have health care. There is something drastically wrong when 9 million American children – including nearly 50,000 in Iowa – don't have health care.
"President Bush's veto of the S-CHIP bill shows the importance of nominating a candidate and actually electing a president who will not compromise when it comes to children's health care, who will fight the lobbyists and special interests who stand in the way of truly universal health care, and who will never compromise on our Democratic values.
"I urge all Members of Congress to put aside their partisan interests, stand up for the millions of children without health insurance, and override Bush's veto. And if they don't, if the Republicans stand in the way of progress, I am committed when I am the Democratic nominee to make sure that we elect a Congress that will help move this nation forward with the bold change we need, starting with truly universal health care."
If you're reading this blog you probably know how I feel about S-CHIP, but the important part of the Edwards statement is this bit of the last sentence -- "to make sure that we elect a Congress that will help move this nation forward with the bold change we need ..."
The Oval Office is not the whole enchilada in the next election. A Democratic President without a working majority in the House and Senate (no, 51 votes is not a working majority) will be hamstrung. Edwards has it right on this -- the Democratic nominee must work to get elected, but also must work to increase the Democratic majorities in Congress. If he or she doesn't have at least modest coattails, the first two years could be spent in stalemate with major progressive legislation bottled up on Capitol Hill.
The 2008 election is about more than just electing a Democratic president -- at least if you expect that president to accomplish much.
Democratic Congressional hopefuls Greg Warren (4th District) and Benjamin Lodmell (1st District) are making their opponent's vote against S-CHIP reauthorization a campaign issue. Alabama Republicans are wrong on this issue and voters here know it.
Warren, whose opponent is CAFTA tie breaker Robert Aderholt, issued this statement on Tuesday:
Is Alabama's current Representative from the Fourth Congressional District actually representing his district or is he representing President Bush? Yet again your current Representative has voted against helping his own constituents to fall in line with the Bush Administration. The latest being his vote in opposition of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization act. This bill would have provided an additional $35 billion for SCHIP -- $30 billion more than Bush wanted. This legislation would reauthorize coverage for 6.6 million children and extend the program to 4 million more. This program has significantly affected the health status of children from low-income families. As before with his deciding vote for CAFTA (which has cost his district numerous jobs) your current Representative has again come up with his excuses for turning his back on the needs of his constituents to be President Bush's "rubber stamp". Your current Representative had rather tell you what you need and what is good for you instead of the job that he was elected to do which is represent you and your needs.
As noted, Aderholt has exhibited a paternal attitude toward his constituents, first assuring them that his CAFTA vote would protect textile jobs in the district (wrong!) and more recently through absolute opposition to a tribal casino, with no consideration to any positive economic impact it might have on the area.
Down in South Alabama, Benjamin Lodmell is taking on Jo Bonner. From a statement issued by the Lodmell campaign on Monday:
“That must be what they mean by compassionate conservatism,” Lodmell said when learning of the President’s veto. Even if Congress eventually gives the President what he wants, it won’t be enough to even maintain the ‘ALL KIDS’ version of S-CHIP that has been operating in Alabama for ten years, according to estimates by Department of Health officials. “That’s heartless and intolerable.” When asked about his vote against S-CHIP, one member of Alabama’s Congressional delegation reportedly said he “didn’t join the Republican Party to raise taxes on the American people.” Point well taken, Lodmell said, “Especially when you consider how a failed Republican ideology has destroyed this country’s sense of fiscal responsibility by replacing years of federal surpluses with staggering deficits and reducing taxes for the rich while trying to fight two wars at the same time. “It’s incredible that those who managed to increase our national debt by about $3.5 trillion since Jo Bonner and President Bush first took office can now say ‘no’ when asked to provide healthcare for children who through no fault of their own are uninsured. “The difference between what the bill calls for and what President Bush opposes is less than 4% of the $190 billion the Pentagon asked for in fiscal 2008 to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s also a drop in the bucket compared with what Congress has been secretly sneaking into its annual appropriations bills. Which, by the way, may be the reason why Jo Bonner refused to discuss his ‘earmark’ activity with a journalist during a recent interview. “No matter how they try to explain it away, Bonner’s vote and the President’s veto against children’s healthcare simply boggle the mind. Regardless of their new-found fiscal sanctimony, trying to make political points at the expense of poor children is just plain unconscionable.”
Bonner, Aderholt and other Republicans of their ilk are in Bush's pocket on this and everything else. They have happily voted to spend, spend, spend on Bush's foreign entanglements, but now they draw a line over a small spending increase for children's health care -- which won't increase the deficit by one dime. How can these men sleep at night?
Democrats decided to use the reauthorization of SCHIP this year as an opportunity to create another middle-class entitlement. They snorted at President Bush's proposal to increase SCHIP spending by $5 billion, then whipped up a huge expansion of the program that would add $35 billion to its price tag over the next five years.
As usual, the big spenders used fiscal trickery to conceal the true cost of their scheme. To keep the total cost below the very tidy sum of $60 billion, they forecast a dramatic cut in SCHIP spending in 2012, knowing that Congress would never significantly reduce health care "for the children."
"Entitlement," "snorted," "whipped up," "big spenders," "fiscal trickery" and "scheme." Their political bias is definitely showing. Sean Hannity? Rush Limbaugh? One of those right wing bloggers, maybe at Free Republic or Powerline? We've heard how rude bloggers can be. Nope. This came from the editors of one of the "big three" newspapers in Alabama, the Mobile Press-Register.
They say this veto proves that Bush "has limits when it comes to fiscal irresponsibility." It's taken almost 7 years for him to find those limits, which are only to be exercised on a program that benefits poor and working class children, never on spending for his precious adventure in Iraq. He came into office with a budget surplus and promptly turned it into the largest budget deficits in American history.
So, Bush has decided to do fiscal responsibility on the backs of poor kids, but is he going to give up great photo-ops like this one? I doubt it, but the White House may be reduced to hiring child actors to pose with him.
Greg Warren is running for Congress in Alabama's 4th Congressional District. He issued this statement regarding reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) earlier today:
Is Alabama's current Representative from the Fourth Congressional District actually representing his district or is he representing President Bush? Yet again your current Representative has voted against helping his own constituents to fall in line with the Bush Administration. The latest being his vote in opposition of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization act. This bill would have provided an additional $35 billion for SCHIP -- $30 billion more than Bush wanted. This legislation would reauthorize coverage for 6.6 million children and extend the program to 4 million more. This program has significantly affected the health status of children from low-income families. As before with his deciding vote for CAFTA (which has cost his district numerous jobs) your current Representative has again come up with his excuses for turning his back on the needs of his constituents to be President Bush's "rubber stamp". Your current Representative had rather tell you what you need and what is good for you instead of the job that he was elected to do which is represent you and your needs.
I strongly support programs that help the citizens of our district and SCHIP is a good example. When elected I will put your welfare and that of our district above all else. It is time for real representation for Alabama's Fourth Congressional District.
-Greg
The "current Representative" is Republican Robert Aderholt. Health insurance for poor and working class kids is worth fighting for. It's great to see Alabama Democrats like Warren and Lodmell (1st Congressional District) calling out Bush loyalists on this.
Benjamin Lodmell's campaign released a statement today (full text below) with some harsh -- and deserved -- criticism of Jo Bonner for his NO vote on reauthorization of the S-CHIP program. Republicans like Bonner point to S-CHIP and cry socialized medicine, taxes and government health care. Those words aren't quite as scary as they used to be.
If you want to see how socialized medicine works in this country, take a look at our military and veterans hospitals and clinics. Or check out Medicare, an extremely popular, government-run, tax-funded program. This bridge is an example of what happens if we go hell-bent down the "eliminate taxes" and "drown the government in the bathtub" road.
I don't see any moral ground for opposing S-CHIP reauthorization. Thankfully, Democrats like Lodmell are calling Republicans out over this unconscionable vote. Bonner is so deep in Bush's pocket, he will probably vote to uphold the veto anyway. Who will suffer if Bush's veto stands? The children of working class Alabamians will feel the pinch right away. Bonner and his ilk will have to wait until November of next year.
MOBILE, October 8, 2007 – If Representative Jo Bonner has his way – and it looks like he will - the ranks of Alabama’s uninsured children will likely swell, thanks to President Bush’s veto last week of legislation calling for an expansion of the federally-subsidized State Children’s Health Care Program. If enacted, the so-called “S-CHIP” program would be paid for by an increase in federal tobacco tax. Much to his shame, Bonner, and every other member of Alabama’s Republican Congressional delegation, voted against the five-year S-CHIP reauthorization and expansion bill that would add as many as 4 million of the nation’s 9 million uninsured children to the popular healthcare program at a cost about $6 billion a year more than the President wants. Estimates are that if Congress fails to override the President’s veto later in the month, about 68,000 Alabama children could lose their existing health insurance and join the 75,000 kids currently uninsured in the state. “That must be what they mean by compassionate conservatism,” Lodmell said when learning of the President’s veto. Even if Congress eventually gives the President what he wants, it won’t be enough to even maintain the ‘ALL KIDS’ version of S-CHIP that has been operating in Alabama for ten years, according to estimates by Department of Health officials. “That’s heartless and intolerable.” When asked about his vote against S-CHIP, one member of Alabama’s Congressional delegation reportedly said he “didn’t join the Republican Party to raise taxes on the American people.” Point well taken, Lodmell said, “Especially when you consider how a failed Republican ideology has destroyed this country’s sense of fiscal responsibility by replacing years of federal surpluses with staggering deficits and reducing taxes for the rich while trying to fight two wars at the same time. “It’s incredible that those who managed to increase our national debt by about $3.5 trillion since Jo Bonner and President Bush first took office can now say ‘no’ when asked to provide healthcare for children who through no fault of their own are uninsured. “The difference between what the bill calls for and what President Bush opposes is less than 4% of the $190 billion the Pentagon asked for in fiscal 2008 to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s also a drop in the bucket compared with what Congress has been secretly sneaking into its annual appropriations bills. Which, by the way, may be the reason why Jo Bonner refused to discuss his ‘earmark’ activity with a journalist during a recent interview. “No matter how they try to explain it away, Bonner’s vote and the President’s veto against children’s healthcare simply boggle the mind. Regardless of their new-found fiscal sanctimony, trying to make political points at the expense of poor children is just plain unconscionable.” Lodmell declared his candidacy for the Democratic Party’s nomination early last month. Raised in Huntsville, Lodmell describes himself as the people’s representative. “When it comes to the people’s money, I’m an anti-special interest fiscal conservative,” he said. “Beyond that, I’m a pragmatic, independent-thinker with a social conscience that can bridge the ideological extremes that often get in the way of getting the people’s business done in Congress.”
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