10 million of them.
You have a phone call to make to 202-456-1414 202-456-1111. Here's why.
Yesterday, President Bush threatened to veto bipartisan funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Think about it. The President of the United States of America, who has so far spent half a trillion dollars on a war of choice based on lies does not want to provide health care to the children of American working families.
Stunning.
Senator Kerry's statement on Bush's threatened veto of SCHIP
“President Bush today once again threatened to veto health care for poor children. The president hides behind the word “federalization” because his political base opposes doing what is decent and humane. The Senate and the House both approved legislation that would extend health care coverage for poor kids, not cut it back. It would be a refreshing reversal if the president remembered the promise he made in 2004, when he spoke out forcefully in favor of SCHIP. On behalf of families across the country who want him to put kids first, we ask the President not to put their health care coverage last.”
Nice. We're talking about kids, W. Grow a heart, will ya?
Even Republicans couldn't believe the callous disregard of President Bush to the needs of America's children. Because even Republicans think kids should have health care. Besides, it's really a pretty conservative position. Providing health care to kids is, in the long run, cheaper than not providing it. And it's the right thing to do.
[Bush's] veto threat has angered one of the most important Republicans negotiating on the bill: Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.After hearing Bush say Thursday that he was going to veto the bill in part because it would allow families of four making $80,000 to place their children on the the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Grassley blasted the president, saying his assertion was dead wrong.
"The president has been served wrong information about what our bill will do," Grassley said Thursday between Senate votes. "There's nothing in our bill that would do that. His understanding of the bill was wrong."
Source: CBS News.com
Senator Kerry has a long history of fighting for children's health care, beginning with his Healthy Children, Family Assistance Health Insurance program in 1996, a precursor to SCHIP, that became law in 1997.
He made Kids First a centerpiece of his 2004 campaign for President.
His "Kids First Act of 2005" was endorsed by:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrialized Organizations (AFL-CIO)
- American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
- American Federation of Teachers
- Americans for Health Care
- American Public Health Association
- Every Child Matters
- Families USA
- March of Dimes
- National Association of Children’s Hospitals
- National Association of Community Health Centers
- National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
- Small Business Service Bureau, Inc.
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- United Auto Workers (UAW)
I could go on. JK has long been a champion for children's health care, and his record proves it. For George Bush to veto health care for kids is about as low as a President can go.
The SCHIP vote is on the floor next week, and September 30 is the deadline for the current program. Call President Bush at 202-456-1414 202-456-1111 and insist that he support America's future.
UPDATE:
Governor Rendell of Pennsylvania delivered the Democratic radio address today which focused on SCHIP.
Give it a listen. » 
UPDATE #2:
Just read in The Sac Bee that the Bush administration is cutting funding for school transportation for disabled kids. More "compassionate conservativism"? Bush is literally leaving these children behind.
The Bush administration plans to stop reimbursing states for school-based Medicaid activities, including transporting disabled students...
