On Wednesday, Senator Kerry urged his colleagues to vote for $50 billion dollars for the S-CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program -- $15 billion more than had been agreed to in a bipartisan compromise that had been engineered to ensure that the bill would pass with a veto-proof majority. While people such as Senator Grassley spoke about senatorial process and the necessity of compromise and the importance of reaching bipartisan agreements, Senator Kerry spoke directly and simply about the heart of the matter: Children. Children who depend on us, the adults, to do the right thing. Children who may suffer lifelong impairments -- blindness, deafness, learning disabilities -- because they are denied health care that would cost a tiny fraction of what is being squandered in Iraq.
This is a powerful, thoughtful and thought-provoking appeal to our basic sense of morality, as well as one of the more impassioned speeches Senator Kerry has given, at least in my recollection. Senator Kerry added a great deal that wasn't in the remarks-as-prepared, and all of it came from the heart.
We are saying we cannot afford to cover children to the tune of an additional $15 billion over 5 years, but we can give $43 billion of tax cuts next year to people earning more than $1 million a year. That is obscene. It is ridiculous. It has absolutely no basis in economic argument, and it certainly has no basis in any kind of moral or decent argument.....
If we, as senators, don’t stand for insuring every child in America ,then what do we stand for? If America can spend $10 billion each month in Iraq , surely we can also spend $10 billion each year on children’s health.
...I hope, as a matter of priority, we make a bipartisan down payment of no less than $50 billion toward health care coverage for all our children. The only excuse for not spending more is saying: Oh, we cannot afford that. When somebody says we cannot afford that, then you have to look at what we are choosing to afford. That is the real test of the balance of what we care about and of where we are willing to put our votes.
Comments (3)
Posted by GV | August 3, 2007 8:23 AM
Thank you, Karen. Excellent speech.
How could 60 senators hear such a reasonable and compassionate argument for providing healthcare to children and vote against it? It boggles the mind.
At least the Senate passed the SCHIP bill, even though Bush has threatened to veto it, so there's progress. But to vote against Sen. Kerry's amendment to provide care to children? I just don't think I can wrap my head around that one.
I hope we have the votes to override a veto on this and that the Senate Republicans will have the guts to do the right thing.
Thanks again for this video.
Posted by wisteria | August 4, 2007 1:38 AM
Wonderful post.
Senator Kerry obviously has the common sense along with 35 other senators to realize that it makes moral and economic sense to insure as many children in need of health care as possible.
Unfortunately in this country we too often go for the current bottom line costs without considering the escalated costs in the future. It is such a shame because when it comes to healthcare for America's children in need, money should not matter at all. The most important issue is the well being our our kids.
Posted by MalkEvange | August 6, 2007 4:17 PM
Interesting article!
Where can I find more on this theme?