I got a call yesterday that was a pre-recorded message from the United States Chamber of Commerce. It was about the S-CHIPs program, which helps poor families afford health care for their kids. Bush just vetoed an expansion of it to working families who are not impoverished, but still cannot afford health insurance.
The USCOC claimed SCHIPs would give free health care to people making 80K/year (a lie) and then said something about it being government run health care (another lie). Then they ended with the request that I contact my congressman to support health care for poor people by not supporting S-CHIPS. I didn't know much about the US Chamber of Commerce before now, but I guess it is good to know that they are apparently evil.
Later I was in the car, and heard a clip from Bush about his SCHIP program veto, saying something like “we need to protect poor children.”
But even that isn’t the worst of it. The right wing slime machine (Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, others) then started a smear campaign, featuring more lies, against 12 year old Graeme Frost’s family, who delivered a radio address describing how S-Chip helped him after his brain injury from a car crash.
This is simply perverse. Why is the right so unhinged about this? Not content to merely veto and lie about the program, Bush and his minions must also claim that it helps poor people to do so, while going after a brain-injured 12 year old’s family. That’s insane.
I can't help but wonder if they are just terrified by the prospect that a government program might actually help someone, and that the person helped might not be completely destitute. I know that’s a crazy explanation, but crazy seems to be order of the day, and who am I to resist?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Crazy Talk
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8 comments:
It's evil and if it weren't the Bushies it would be unbelievable.
The Chamber does not think that kids shouldn't have health care, they opposing how Congress wants to pay for it:
"To target a narrow sector of the U.S. economy with the aim of funding a broad-based entitlement program is grossly unfair and burdensome to American businesses and consumers, as well as for those regions of the United States whose economic well-being relies upon tobacco-based agricultural and industrial activities."
...
"Despite our objections to H.R. 976, the Chamber strongly supports reauthorizing SCHIP for currently eligible, uninsured and low-income children. Maximizing enrollment for these eligible children should be the principle aim of legislation reauthorizing SCHIP. We also support market-based reforms to ensure employers can continue to provide affordable health insurance to their employees and their families."
OK, the chamber wants to support tobacco farmers. Fair enough. But why didn't their phone message say that, instead of spreading lies about SCHIPS?
It seems to me that Bush & Co. are so terrified of possibly giving health insurance to one undeserving person that they're willing to sacrifice all the millions of other children who really need it.
Which of these philosophies do you support?
1. In order to make sure that all children that really need health care get it, you might have some undeserving people benefit from this program.
2. In order to prevent a single undeserving child from getting government-subsidized health insurance, we will prevent them all from getting it.
It's pretty clear where the neocons stand on this issue. What does that say about their priorities?
Ok gang. I don't have health insurance because it is too expensive for me. Who here wants to pay for my health insurance to show how concerned you are about others?
Bob, I think you are confusing charity with justice.
I'm concerned enough about the welfare of others that I'm willing to have my tax dollars help even those who would not return the favor to me.
Why do you dollars need to be taxes. Why not just donate them right now. Why wait.
I got the same automated phone call from the US Chamber of Commerce. I was so angry I called the local Chamber of Commerce to complain. The person I talked to disavowed the call and said the US Chamber of Commerce is a totally different entity.
I followed that call to Congressman Tim Johnson's office and told them that because of the scurrilous US Chamber call that I was calling him to urge him to vote to override Bush's veto. The person on the phone their indicated that they were getting a lot of calls from people irritated with the Chamber. Johnson's staffer claimed that they were trying to get the calling stopped.
Johnson voted to sustain Bush's veto. Scoundrel!!
Dannie Otto
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