In a move the Democrats decry as "cold and heartless," President Bush has vetoed a domestic spending bill meant to cover poor, uninsured children.
The vetoed bill called for $35 billion over five years to add millions of children to the Children's Heath Insurance Program, aimed at insuring children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance.
Bush promised to veto the bill, which was a step toward socialized medicine, saying it was too costly. He offered a compromise of $5 billion, which would be just enough to sustain the program in the wake of rising health care costs.
The bill proposed expanding coverage from families who earn $40,000 a year to families who earn $60,000. Bush argued that was taking the program too far away from its original intent at helping children, and entices people to switch from private insurance to federal insurance, according to MSNBC.com.
Funding for the proposed $35 billion would come from raising the federal cigarette tax anywhere from 61 cents to $1 per pack. Those who support the veto, such as John McCain (R-Arizona), say increasing the cigarette tax is a "phony smoke and mirrors way of paying for it," according to CNN.com.
Vetoing a bill for poor children in order to save smokers a little money appears to be a bad move on the president's behalf. Smoking is a luxury, but health is (or should be) an inalienable right. Regardless of whether this bill becomes a law, private versus federal health care is going to be a major issue for Republicans and Democrats in the upcoming election.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
