The President who won't go away
By Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com ReporterDemocrats gave President George W. Bush a drubbing in the last election, and they can’t believe he’s again providing them with an opening as he threatens to veto the expansion and re-authorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
"I just don’t know what he’s thinking about," said state Sen. Joseph Vitale in a telephone interview as he returned from a press conference with Gov. Jon Corzine, who today announced his decision to join a lawsuit with seven other states against the Bush administration.
"If the bill goes through, almost half of New Jersey's 250,000 children without healthcare would receive healthcare," said Eve Weisman of New Jersey Citizen Action.
But Bush is calling the bill a jumpstart to universal health insurance, and instead wants to offer tax credits to families so they can purchase their own private coverage.
Children in a family of four making 250% of the poverty level -- or up to $52,000 per year -- would be eligible under the SCHIP bill that passed last week in the U.S. Senate. Democrats who champion SCHIP’s expansion in New Jersey point out that the cost of living here is three times the national average.
"SCHIP is an unqualified success in New Jersey and in states across the nation, and the Bush Administration’s determination to pursue a course of action that will harm our children’s health is incomprehensible," Corzine said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-MD, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said of the radio ad the party on Monday began running on U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton's turf in the 3rd Congressional District, "We're going district by district to tell Republicans and President Bush to stop obstructing progress and start putting children first. Republicans who continue to vote in lockstep with President Bush and against children will be held accountable."
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"That issue, which was raised more than two years ago in the midst of the election, will not influence this process, nor will it impede the senator from carrying out his responsibility to help select the individuals who will best protect New Jerseyans. -- Afshin Mohamadi, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who says a probe of the junior Senator by the U.S. Attorneys office will not impact his recommendation on a new federal prosecutor once Barack Obama takes office.
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Press Release or News Story?
Max, is this a press release or a news story? I only see one side quoted. There were three members of the New Jersey House delegation who voted against this Communistic legislation.
This is part of the Democratic Party's national agenda to make everyone a welfare recipient, since the Democratic Party on a national and state level has become the party of the government handout.
Also, every "child" (defined under this bill as anyone under 30) has "healthcare." The only question is whether they have Health Insurance. There is a big difference to anyone except those who believe that it is government's "job" to be our nanny.
New Jersey FamilyCare
We should take a long look at our FamilyCare program before we go trying to expand it. Right now 10-20% of the people enrolled in familycare don't qualify. The are substantial numbers of people making six figure incomes that are on the rolls. Many of the programs that used to weed these people out have been shut down. In fact thousands of people who failed to pay their premiums were never removed. Tens of thousands of people on the rolls have moved out of State. NJ Medicaid/FamilyCare provides better benefits than any insurance for any working person in the State. Unlimited pharmacy, nursing home, and get this.... we spend $60 million per year for people to have a personal care assitant come in and do their cooking, cleaning and shopping, all because they have high blood pressure. These programs are a pit for politicians to bilk money from our hospitals and healthcare. A significant number of our hospitals have off shore insurance and investment funds that funnel money back to pols and board members... NO NJ doesnt care about healthcare for children... they just want more money to line their pockets.
Goebbels style Propaganda
The Camo dressing for socialism is the Children. Fishing for political sympathy in the fertile ground of NJs perpetual victims while fruitfull in the short term is immoral.
SCHIP
Leave it to Democrats to come up with a half-assed idea like making people spend more money to smoke in order to pay for children's healtcare! All smokers have to do is quit which is what liberals have professed to have wanted for years. Boy, if the Democrats really hate "big tobacco" the way they say they do, they sure have a funny way of showing it.
So what happens when this idea flops like every tax hike flops, raise another tax or create a new one to offset the loss? This is what happens every time a tax is raised which is why President Bush opposed it. Raising taxes never works.
What are Democrats going to come up with next, a donut tax or a cheesburger tax that causes people to go on diets???
Keep smoking everybody! Democrats are counting on you to raise other people's children!!
"I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money."- Will Rogers
SCHIP = success
Unlike the fallacious argument that a health care plan for children is socialism, the real story here is a health care program that works for working, lower and middle class families. By revoking its expansion, Bush is pushing the funding of SCHIP back to the states, another example of the federal government cheating New Jerseyans out of their income.
SCHIP has been an unqualified success in its ability to provide health care for children from families that can't afford private insurance. Bush and Saxton need to be held accountable for their terrible stands against SCHIP.
Welfare handout
Politicians who vote for this think voters are simply looking for another welfare handout. While there are many Americans (and illegal aliens) who live day-to-day waiting for another check courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, most of us are not looking to feed off the government cheese.
Martin
Does this mean you're in favor of more people lighting up and getting emphysema, lung, and throat cancer so other people's kids can have health insurance?
I knew you libs were backwards in your thinking and logic but...damn!
"I can remember way back when a liberal was one who was generous with his own money."- Will Rogers