Talk about not being able to catch a break. After years of being maligned by bloggers for accelerating deficits and huge spending , just when republicans get a dose of fiscal reality it comes on the legs of the SCHIP and childrens healthcare.
These same spinmasters who have been critical of a Congress that authorizes huge funding measures for the War in Iraq and blame the administration for its own shortcomings with regard to leadership need to wake up and start asking the real hard questions that they have been avoiding for about two decades. If you think there's been an overblow of rhetoric about SCHIP, what about solving Social Security or revising Medicare? Heck Medicaid and SCHIP provisions seem like a pretty easy thing to get a hold of but now after the last few weeks how will we get the reform we need in the other areas which would certainly aid in reducing of budget shortfalls.
As bloggers go after Republicans for being "anti-children" in terms of SCHIP, where is the outrage for the lack of funding by this Governor in his budget proposals geared towards child adoptions in Virginia. We get a heavy dose of rhetoric but where is the funding. Are Virginia Democrats turning their backs on the children of Virginia who have been placed in foster homes or put up for adoption by those who subscribe to the pro-life ideology. Are Democrats sacrificing the future of these programs because they simply do not endorse these programs and believe that there should have been alternatives taken to prevent this funding necessity? Are they saying that the private sector should be funding these programs? Or are Democrats simply just "anti-children" as well?
I certainly do not believe anyone is "anti-children" and to spread such rhetoric is not only reckless by shameful. These matters come down to policy unfortunately and just like the adoption programs I am sure there are funding levels that can be undertaken and those that simply cannot in the face of other policy matters. Afterall, no one is saying that the children should not be funded. It is the manner in which the program should be funded that is the issue.
FYI: In Virginia, enrollment in FAMIS for Children under 19 dropped to some 47,770 participants and the Medicaid portion rose to 35,814. Total SCHIP Children dropped to 83,584. FAMIS PLUS Children under 21 has a number of 343,066. We also have FAMIS MOMS, FAMIS Select, and then Medicaid for Pregnant Women as part of the entire Virginia SCHIP package. FAMIS PLUS is Medicaid.
What I find interesting is Republicans in the GA are being criticized for being "anti-children" because of the Presidential veto on the coattails of being blasted as racists and hate mongers over their stance on illegal immigration when the immigrant community is endorsing the veto by the President with regard to SCHIP.
40% of Hispanic children take advantage of SCHIP/Medicaid. 40%.
Fact is Congressional Democrats stripped the language of the SCHIP bill that would have ALLOWED immigrants to become eligible for the program immediately over the current 5 year residence requirement that is in place currently. Seems to me an arguement could be made that it is the Democrats who are not concerned too much about the children of the immigrant community being enrolled in SCHIP.
Peter Zamora of MALDEF, an immigrant activist group was quoted as saying that the SCHIP legislation "doesn't go far enough" in addressing the needs of immigrant children and Jennifer Ngandu, a senior health policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza another Hispanic activist group stated that the current legislation "eliminates healthcare to about 400k Latino children who are in the United States legally" because the eligibility requirement reduction was removed from the legislation by the Democratic leadership before bringing the bill to the floor.
Why is it no one in the MSM is talking about this little bit of information?
The Republican veto is actually being supported by groups that the Liberals claim Republicans are out to get. State Republicans need to hammer this home. The veto was certainly not about children but about the policy behind it and the impacts and requirements it would have on the budget....you know like Democrats talking about the vitality of the gas tax and then telling all of us we should buy Priuses and electronic hybrids to lesson our oil dependence which would lower the revenues generated through the taxes and same goes for the SCHIP we will tax the smokers right out of the market by adding $6 a carton tax and use the revenues for SCHIP financing meanwhile you get a shrinking pot year after year as healthcare costs soar.. It is simply just misplaced and misguided. It is equally as misguided as State support for "abuser fees" and yet liberal bloggers have pounded Republicans over the issue. Where is the outrage of taxing the poverty line where more than half the country's smokers sit? Aren't we trying to get people to stop smoking to reduce healthcare costs in the first place?
And why is it that not a single liberal blog bears to mention as it blasts the veto of SCHIP about the cigarette tax angle? Could it be Democrats fear being placed back in the "we raise taxes" box? Instead we get this:
"We're going district by district to tell Republicans to stop obstructing progress and start putting children first" DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen
Apparently increasing taxes is "progress".
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5 comments:
Conveniently the MSM does not want to report the real legislation, simply that Bush vetoed the bill to save healthcare for children all the while spending its time talking about Rush and his comments. You would think something as important as the healthcare debate would get more focused covergae on the bill itself and of course the taxes associated with it that Democrats do not want to talk about or even acknowledge.
I was unaware of the Democrats being the ones keeping the requirement of five years for immigrants before being eligible. You would think that could be exploited more by the Republicans here in Virginia.
What do you think about Democrats and the smoking ban bills as it relates to the SCHIP financing???
If I understand all this right, Liberals in Virginia, excuse me "progressives", have this big problem with "abuser fees" and how it unjustly hits people unfairly and does not cover out of state offenders and yet feel perfectly willing to have excise taxes on cigarettes penalize a consumer to pay for another welfare and socialized program under the guise of healthcare for children.
Exactly where would have all those fees gone. If your willing to penalize smokers for their habit why are they so unwilling to penalize drivers for their poor habituals behind the wheel of a car. I simply just do not understand the logic they try and project other than to to whatever they can to bring down any measure created by the right no matter what the merits.
Evidently it is pefectly fine for a portion of the population (smokers) to solely flip the bill to provide healthcare funding for SCHIP and children with the other portion with no responsibility whatsoever. Can you say indifference or what?
Maybe smokers should have to flip the bill for increased healthcare costs related to that habit might be more suitable but while their taxes go to support one form of socialized care how will they be covered when it comes time for them to seek treatment for the effects of smoking their entire lives.
James:
I think the greater point is that the leadership in Richmond is pushing a ban of public smoking period. They will be going after restaurants and such in an effort to limit the availability of smoking access. One can debate that later. What I find ridiculous is pegging funding for SCHIP to those taxes generated from smokers consumption, which of course the Democrats and some Republicans in Virginia are trying to limit.
They will argue of course that people will never stop consumption, which begs the question why they through countless revenues at health programs to do just that..limit consumption by consumers and at the same time peg funding SCHIP to the a decelerating revenue stream.
I liken it to the gas tax. Liberal seem to want to increase the gas tax as a means of generating more tax revenue as the answer to the transportation funding question over the so-called abuser fees and yet nationally endorse ending our dependence on foriegn oil, environmental impacts on drilling within the US, pushing for electronic/hybrid standard cars, demanding higher epa standards and miles per gallon fuel efficeincies all of which would decrease the number of gallons of gas consumed and thus lower the revenues generated from the underlying tax. Its also like looking to France and saying we should change our healthcare system to mirror there but ignore the fact that much of it is funded by the savings of the fact that 80% of country is nucluered powered. You will not get one Democrat running for President to address nucluer energy as an option. They simply give talking points about "waste" and yet all of our nucluer aircraft carriers do not seem to have an issue with "waste"...I wonder why that is?
We need some straight talk about solutions and not mixed messages appeasing various groups.
I don't know single person who does not want to fund children's healthcare for the poor, but it how the policy is shaped that brings the debate. As it stands today this legislation is poorly conceived and ill-advised. Hopefully they will fix it so it makes sense.
I agree with you in terms of what seems like misinformation coming from leading Democrats. I do not think that the Virginia Democrats are the same breed as those in Washington. I think the more liberal Democrats and those favoring the socialization of government are largely not from Virginia. I think the Democratic base of Virginia is more moderate conservative though liberal are making in roads here thanks to progressive bloggers which I feel are not really representative of the values and traditions we Virginians have always embraced.
Mark Warner is certainly not your average Democrat by Washington standards. One of my concerns is what will hapeen to our Virginia Democrats if the Democrats win the White House in 2008 and Virginia should we have a Democratic Governor as well the full term in terms of our policymaking within the GA.
A the veto is sustained. Finally some conservatism coming back into play here. Reid and Pelosi however have to be quite a disapointment for the Dems. They cannot even get concensus of SCHIP or FISA but of course they will blame the Republicans.
If this leadership is any indication of the kind we will have if they take the White House and the Senate and House remain the same...no thanks.
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