BUSH vs... THE REST OF US

As a society and as a country, through our congressional representatives-- in this case, our congressional representatives of both political parties and across the ideological spectrum-- we have decided that it's high time we cover the health care for needy children though the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). If legislation, overwhelmingly passed by the House and Senate, isn't signed by next week, over a dozen states will run out of money to care for children. The carefully-crafted compromise between the magnanimous plans pushed by House Democrats and the Scroogier plans approved by the more narrowly-divided Senate gave Bush an opportunity to sign a reasonable bill.

But today the most hated man in the world and the most hated man to have ever occupied the White House has reiterated that he doesn't give a rat's ass what Congress thinks or what the American people think; he's vetoing the bill. It's not likely that the disruption of the vaccination process in the U.S. will bring an epidemic of disease to our country like Bush's agenda of greed, selfishness and arrogance has brought epidemics of war and anguish to every part of the globe he has meddled in. But it could happen. The man should be removed from office. No matter what Nancy Pelosi ever accomplishes she will always be shamed as the person who took impeachment-- of the most execrable character to ever disgrace our nation--off the table.

Bush said, "Democrats in Congress have decided to pass a bill they know will be vetoed." Does he include mainstream conservative Republicans in that epithet-- like Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Chuck Grassley (R-KS). Bush and his rump coterie of extremists, like David Diapers Vitter (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Larry Toilet Cruiser Craig (R-ID) vow to stand by and watch while ill children go untreated. They just don't care.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell was on the air this morning appealing to Americans on behalf of children and common decency. "The administration has tried to turn this into a partisan issue and has threatened to veto. The health of our children is far too important for partisan politics as usual. If the administration is serious about solving our health care crisis, it should be expanding, not cutting back, this program which has made private health insurance affordable for millions of children."

Giuliani and the rest of the pathetic pygmies™ have ducked out of discussing this of course and would rather grandstand about a newspaper ad they didn't like my citizens who have banded together to pressure stubborn politicians to end the occupation of Iraq. Giuliani's idea of health care is a slapdash plan to further enrich the HMOs and insurance conglomerates while he tries to convince that NRA that he's as big a gun loon as the varmint shootin' Full o' Mitt and the rest of the silly Republicans vying to personify a third Bush term. It's possible that no one in Thompson's campaign has mentioned the issue to him yet-- although, like Giuliani and the varmint hunter, he's in Mackinac, Michigan talking to the gun worshippers.


UPDATE: HOW MUCH WOULD THIS BILL BUSH IS VETOING AS TOO EXPENSIVE COST?

Glad you asked! It costs $1,220 per month in federal money to insure a child. So ten million kids would cost $12 billion. Gee; that's a lot-- almost as much as a whole month of occupying Iraq! That's right-- Iraq is $9 billion a month, most of it going to line the pockets of war profiteers/Bush cronies. SCHIP will cost $12 billion for a year of insuring 10 million American children. We know where the Republicans priorities lay.