Why?

Well, the truth is that there are already 6.6 million kids being covered by the current bill. They’re not introducing a new bill at all, they’re expanding an old one.

When I read statements like what Nancy Pelosi made, “It’s very sad that the president has chosen to veto a bill that would provide health care for ten million American children for the next five years,” the hair just stands up on the back of my neck.

Normally a bill isn’t cut and dry. Many of them are poorly-worded, leading to misuse by the government or “We the People.” Often both sides will attatch riders to a bill to sneak something into it that didn’t belong in an attempt to sneakily get their pet issue passed or drag the bill down (either way, they win). They did that with the National ID card, attaching it to a bill to approve funding for the Iraq war and whether or not we agree that we should be in that war or funding it the rider had NO place on the bill and is just plain wrong.

“Poor kids first,” Bush said later in explaining his decision, reflecting a concern that some of the bill’s benefits would go to families at higher incomes. “Secondly, I believe in private medicine, not the federal government running the health care system,” he added in remarks to an audience in Lancaster, Pa.

When I read statements like that I’m not convinced that the President is doing this out of malice. My suspicions are that this bill is as poorly-worded as many of them are and that he’s preventing abuse of it. If this is true, he did the right thing.

If it’s equally true that the Democrats intentionally designed this whole fiasco (knowing the President would veto the bill) to make the President look bad (as if they needed to help with that) then shame on them because they did the wrong thing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071003/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_children_s_health

Misleading Spin on Children’s Health (Editorial, NY Times)–

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/opinion/05fri1.html

According to the Times, here’s the main problem in just keeping SCHIP as it is:

“As president, [Bush] is again trying to shrink the program for the entire country. His proposed five-year budget does not provide enough to continue enrollments at current levels, let alone cover millions of the uninsured”.

Bush’s agenda is clear: he wants to see the program dead altogether, and one way to accomplish this is for the program to run out of money, which it will if funded at current levels — “…does not provide enough to continue enrollments at current levels…”. Those children already covered will soon find themselves without coverage, and those now without coverage have utterly no hope of getting it unless SCHIP funding is increased.

So, you’re with Bush, atomictesting? You too want to see this program dead? Somehow, I don’t think you really believe that. Somehow, I think you’ve bitten on the hook of conservative misinformation.

p.s.: Really, atomictesting, you need to inform yourself before speaking out. Regarding your final paragraph in your post, in fact this bill to increase SCHIP funding received BROAD BIPARTISAN support in both houses of Congress. “The [House] bill reflects a Senate version that was drafted with great care by key members of both parties”. (Same NY Times Editorial). It was not in any way a product of sole Democratic making. Many prominent conservative Republican legislators helped draft and present it to get it passed. It is a great representation of the will of the majority of the American people. But Bush says in effect “The people be damned”.

http://tinyurl.com/2f6mf5

I can’t find a reason not to stand by my previous statements. People making $60,000-$80,000 a year can afford health care for their kids.

This is tax and spend, it is “creeping sociali$m” just like they’re saying it is and it’s playing politics with a bill to smear the GOP. The Democrats were planning to spend tax revenue they don’t even have.

I can’t stand what the GOP has done to our country and I didn’t think I could find an issue that would make me despise the Democrats equally. This is that issue and it’s just plain dirty politics.

I’m sorry, Peter. This issue has nothing to do with atheists or atheism. We’re not all Democrats (or Republicans for that matter). I can’t side with you on it at all.

Read the big, bold word at the top of the page you linked… “Opinion.”