Bush Flips The Bird To Children, Vetoes Health Care Bill

Well, he might as well have flipped the bird because he basically said fuck you to children when he vetoed the health care bill.

Bush vetoes child health plan

WASHINGTON - President Bush, in a confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children's health insurance.

It was only the fourth veto of Bush's presidency, and one that some Republicans feared could carry steep risks for their party in next year's elections. The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override the veto, but the margin in the House fell short of the required number.

The White House sought as little attention as possible, with the president wielding his veto behind closed doors without any fanfare or news coverage.

The State Children's Health Insurance Program is a joint state-federal effort that subsidizes health coverage for 6.6 million people, mostly children, from families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford their own private coverage.

The Democrats who control Congress, with significant support from Republicans, passed the legislation to add $35 billion over five years to allow an additional 4 million children into the program. It would be funded by raising the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents to $1 per pack.

The president had promised to veto it, saying the Democratic bill was too costly, took the program too far from its original intent of helping the poor, and would entice people now covered in the private sector to switch to government coverage. He wants only a $5 billion increase in funding.

Bush argued that the congressional plan would be a move toward socialized medicine by expanding the program to higher-income families.

Democrats deny that, saying their goal is to cover more of the millions of uninsured children and noting that the bill provides financial incentives for states to cover their lowest-income children first. Of the over 43 million people nationwide who lack health insurance, 9 percent, or over 6 million, are under 18 years old.

Eighteen Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate, enough to override Bush's veto. But this was not the case in the House, where despite sizable Republican support, supporters of the bill are about two dozen votes short of a successful override.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Democrats were imploring 15 House Republicans to switch positions but had received no agreements so far.

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said he was "absolutely confident" that the House would be able to sustain Bush's expected veto.

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Congress should be able to reach a compromise with Bush once he vetoes the bill. "We should not allow it to be expanded to higher and higher income levels, and to adults. This is about poor children," he said. "But we can work it out."

It took Bush six years to veto his first bill, when he blocked expanded federal research using embryonic stem cells last summer. In May, he vetoed a spending bill that would have required troop withdrawals from Iraq. In June, he vetoed another bill to ease restraints on federally funded stem cell research.

In the case of the health insurance program, the veto is a bit of a high-stakes gambit for Bush, pitting him against both the Democrats who have controlled both houses of Congress since January, but also many members of his own party and the public.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched radio ads Monday attacking eight GOP House members who voted against the bill and face potentially tough re-election campaigns next year.

And Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, said a coalition of liberal groups planned more than 200 events throughout the nation to highlight the issue.

I have absolutely no problem with what this bill was trying to do. Every person in this country deserves to have health insurance. Every child in this country deserves to have health insurance. But the Boy King doesn't think so. By vetoing that bill, he told the children of America to fuck off. Nice!!

As an American without health insurance, I can relate to this issue. I haven't had health insurance since I was 18 years old and my parents could still cover me. It's not by choice either!! I don't make enough money to purchase my own insurance. I also make too much money to receive health insurance through my state. A few years ago I attempted to get insurance through the county I live in. I was given a choice. Either choose to have insurance by cutting my hours at work so that I would only make less than $400 a month, or have no insurance at all. My job didn't offer health insurance either. So, I was given a choice. Have no money to pay my bills but have insurance, or have money to pay my bills but have no insurance. It's a sad day in this country when you have to make a choice like that. I chose the insurance but after about a month the county canceled my insurance because they claimed that I was making too much money. Since then, I haven't had any insurance.

I have to pick and choose when to seek medical attention because I don't have insurance. I'm sick right now, possibly with strep throat. But I can't go to a doctor because I can't afford it. I'm not alone. Each and every single day, millions of Americans are faced with this decision. Most often, they make the choice to not seek medical attention. Sometimes, that decision proves deadly.

If the Boy King doesn't want to insure people, let me make this suggestion. Let's revoke his insurance and the insurance for his entire family. Then let's revoke the insurance for every member of Congress who voted against this bill, and the insurance for their family members. Let's stipulate that they can't obtain any insurance, be it private or taxpayer funded insurance. Then let's see how they deal with that. Oh wait, they're millionaires so it doesn't matter. They'll just pay for it out of their pockets. But we can't!!

Let this be a lesson to those who are completely ignorant to what is going on in America. This is another example of the haves and have nots in this country. Those who have insurance don't want those without insurance to have what they do.

GOD FUCKED AMERICA THE DAY HE LET THIS JACKASS AND THOSE LIKE HIM INTO OFFICE!!