Bush Hates Your Children

Junior proved again today that he is as heartless and cruel as we expected.

CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- President Bush on Wednesday vetoed legislation expanding a children's health insurance program by $35 billion over five years.

Bush exercised the veto at 10 a.m. ET before leaving the White House for a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to discuss the federal budget and taxes.

...

The program gives coverage to parents who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance for their children. Critics have said their concern is that parents might be prompted to drop private coverage for their children to get cheaper coverage under the bill.

Read on...

Health care should be provided for all citizens regardless of who you are or what you do.  Of course, Republicans do not agree with this and think the "free market" can provide a better solution, evidence be damned.  This position is reprehensible but at least understandable somewhat within the context of their world view, in which they hold that everyone should just pay their own way and pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

What I fail to see is how this applies to children, who are incapable of providing for themselves.  Our society must be responsible for children even if the parents are failing.  Indeed, the best measure of a society is how it treats the most vulnerable among it.  Today marks yet another tragic and expected failure of our national government, showing its complete and utter impotence to address the issues most important to Americans.

•  Tips for Single Payer.

  by EastCoastShock on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:20:35 AM PDT

•  Hey, watch what you are saying!

  Those special interests that are making his friends rich don't want hear anything about single payer or expansion of SCHIP. And don't you know those kids can just show up at an emergency room and get ALL the treatment they need???

  I hate Bush.

  by dave1042 on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:24:51 AM PDT

  •  "Bush Hate Your Childrens"

    Would be a better title

    by bernardpliers on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:45:10 AM PDT

•  This makes me cry

  ... Thinking of all those uninsured kids, some of whom are going to get sick and die because they can't get care, is really depressing to me.

  But the most depressing part is, the "tragic yet expected" part of your blog-- since when has heartlessness, greed and failure become an "expected" hallmark of American politics?  I can remember when we were the greatest country in the world.  

  by Bright on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:29:12 AM PDT

  •  Since when? Since Bush stole

    the election in 2000.

    by Owllwoman on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:31:24 AM PDT

  •  Yeah ...

    where is the ground swell of indignation over health care in this country?

    by mrgardon on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:31:57 AM PDT

    •  I called my congresswoman today...

      To express my anger, disbelief, disgust and grief.  She voted for the bill, so I hate to take it out on her, but I had to share with somebody.

      by Bright on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:37:02 AM PDT

      •  PS

        ... oh yeah, and I also brought up my strong belief that the President should be impeached for all the harm he has done to this country, this cruel veto included.  I encourage you all to call your congresscritters and bring up the same point!

        by Bright on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:39:33 AM PDT

        •  Well, there you see,

          that's one bit of ground swell in a row.

          Not a big god fan but if you know a pray to insure we're not preaching to the choir send me a copy and I'll tape it to my monitor.

          by mrgardon on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:44:41 AM PDT

  •  Tragic Yet Expected

    I think that sums up well the current situation with our government.

    FISA capitulation?  Tragic, yet expected.
    More Iraq War funding?  Tragic, yet expected.
    SCHIP veto?  Tragic, yet expected.

    The corporations and special interests own our government - at least at the federal level.  I don't think other levels of government are completely oblivious to our suffering, however - look at how many town councils and even state legislatures have called on Congress to impeach Bush, for example.

    Thomas Jefferson advised a revolution every twenty years.  We're long overdue.

    by EastCoastShock on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:41:27 AM PDT

    •  just bend over

      Yeah seems with all the town councils and state legislatures calling for impeachment we should have some sort of ground swell for decent government.  Is big money so powerful in this country that local representatives can be dismissed by simply being ignored?  Perhaps Jefferson was right or have we just chosen to pick up a jar of Vaseline and just bend over?

      by mrgardon on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:03:41 AM PDT

•  What do you expect

  Bush already has his lifetime government paid medical care. He has certainly earned with his competent conscientious job of managing the government.

  Damn kids should have known better than to get born to working class parents.

  by Lib Rule Guy on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:32:20 AM PDT

•  He hates only the poor ones n/t

  by Spud1 on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:33:49 AM PDT

  •  Bush Actually Hates the Middle Class.

    Many of his college classmates confirmed that, and it was evident in the way he spoke about most Americans and in his writings.

    by EastCoastShock on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 09:43:46 AM PDT

•  Just so we're clear

  Several people in congress voted against this bill.  Do all of them hate children too?

  by clonecone on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:15:16 AM PDT

  •  I'd be embarrasses...

    Quite honestly if I were a representative, I'd be embarrasses to go home after voting for such a half assed band aid when we have people young and old dieing in the streets for lack of health care.  I just wonder if those voting against the bill were taking a principled stand or a stand bought and payed for by the health care and health care insurance industry.

    by mrgardon on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:33:46 AM PDT

    •  I'd be embarrassed too.

      But Kucinich voted against this bill and DemocraticLuntz got 17 troll ratings for making the same claim as this diary.

      by clonecone on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:41:00 AM PDT

      •  Have to ask Kucinich ...

        if his vote was on principle or fear of the health care industry or the health care insurance industry.

        by mrgardon on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:44:12 AM PDT

        •  The result is the same.

          Dead kids.

          by clonecone on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:50:27 AM PDT

      •  Oh, ouch...

        I just checked out your troll ratings link and DemocraticLuntz really got blasted.  

        I really wouldn't care if JC and the boys voted for or against any particular band aid bill.  This is real simple for me, when our own kind are dieing in the streets for lack of health care, we ain't doing right.

        by mrgardon on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:54:03 AM PDT

  •  maybe...

    by k franklin on Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 10:37:02 AM PDT