Submarine   USS Wahoo  ss238

Someone in Congress finally said it like it is

Rep Pete Stark D-CA finally slammed the Republicans and this ignorant

administration.....................

You go representative Stark. If you missed it listen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhK7vdDEMFY

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross." ~ Sinclair Lewis

"I'm just pissed off that not enough other people are pissed off."~Bill Maher

"You don't have money to fund the war or children, but you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement."

“I have nothing but respect for our brave men and women in uniform and wish them the very best. But I respect neither the commander-in-chief who keeps them in harms way nor the “chickenhawks” in Congress who vote to deny children health care.”

Rep. Pete Stark

I might have said "enrichment" or "glorification" instead of "amusement." However, I'll support the comment as spoken, because, as a wise man once said "It's good enough for government work."

Ed Schultz brought up the media culture of apology. Someone makes a comment, and then the media holds a vigil until an apology was issued. He urged Stark not to apologize; I heartily concurr.

The strange thing is, only anti war politicians are held to this standard. Here is John Boehner:

"Congressman Stark's statement dishonors not only the commander in chief, but the thousands of courageous men and women of America's armed forces who believe in their mission and are putting their lives on the line for our freedom and security."  He then called for Stark to retract his statement and apologize.

Where was John Boehner when Rush Limbaugh talked about "Phony Soldiers"? Where was he when Ann Coulter called John Edwards a "faggot", or said the Jews needed "perfection." Where was Boehner when Republican-gun nut-wacko Ted Nugent told 3 US Senators to "suck on his machine gun"?

Republicans have had no problem dishonoring the brave men of the armed forces when it serves their puropse -- just ask anyone in the Saxby Chambliss campaign that smeared Max Cleland, or the Swftboaters wearing band-aids to denegrate John Kerry's purple heart.

So I say don't apologize. I say that these Republicans, with their wide stance on issues of morality, have lost their authority to criticize anything we have to say.

Raw Story had a link to SFGate.com that reported Nancy Pelosi 'rebuked' Rep. Stark for his comments......

October 25, 2007

Edwards: House Passes Bipartisan Compromise on SCHIP Bill to Provide Health Coverage for 10 Million Kids, Strengthen Income Eligibility Caps, & Ensure Adults, Illegal Immigrants Cannot Use Program

(Washington, DC) – –U.S. Representative Chet Edwards supported House passage Thursday of compromise legislation, H.R. 3963, that will reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) through 2012. Following the President’s recent veto of similar bipartisan SCHIP legislation, a new bill was written to again provide health coverage to 10 million American children of working families, but also add new provisions to strengthen the cap on income eligibility and further prevent adults and illegal immigrants from accessing the program.  The bill passed by a vote of 265 to 142 with 27 members not voting.

 "The CHIP program is vitally important for kids and their hard-working families who simply cannot afford the high cost of health insurance. This legislation is strongly supported by a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress, 43 governors, private health care providers, and over 80% of the American people because people, regardless of party, overwhelmingly believe that children in working families deserve quality health care,” said Edwards. “I would ask each Member one question: If this vote meant the difference between your child or grandchild having health insurance or not, how would you vote?”

The previous SCHIP bill, H.R. 976, had been passed by strong, bipartisan votes of 265 to 159 in the House and 67 to 29 in the Senate, but was vetoed on October 3rd.  The new bill, H.R. 3963, has strengthened provisions that cap family income eligibility at 300% of the poverty level; explicitly bars illegal immigrants from enrolling in SCHIP by requiring the Social Security Administration to verify the citizenship of all applicants; requires states to remove all childless adults from SCHIP by the end of 2008, and requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on state efforts to minimize any shifting of children into SCHIP from private insurance.  Texas caps its income eligibility for enrollment at 200% of the poverty level.

“With CHIP, children receive better health care, schools have healthier students and parents are encouraged to pursue work, not welfare, without losing health care for their children. CHIP is a win-win,” said Edwards. “Preventive health care provided by CHIP also saves taxpayer dollars because uninsured children lack access to preventive care, and they end up seeking mandatory care at our hospital emergency rooms for untreated illness, and local taxpayers are forced to foot the bill.”

The bill will not increase the deficit because it is paid for by increasing the tax on cigarettes. The Senate is expected to pass the bill. Despite the changes, the president has vowed another veto.

Rep. Edwards represents District 17 in Congress.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE ON THE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007

Provides incentives to find and enroll uninsured children ensuring CHIP remains focused on the lowest-income children.

• Permits States to only receive Federal funding for children covered in CHIP with family incomes up to $51,510 (300% of the Federal poverty level for a family of 3).
• Permits States to receive performance bonus payments only for finding and enrolling the lowest income uninsured children.

Further minimizes the substitution of employer-sponsored coverage with CHIP coverage.

•Requires all States to submit plans and implement recommended best practices for helping kids already covered stay in employer-sponsored coverage.
•Encourages States to use CHIP dollars to subsidize employer-sponsored health insurance for children as an option.

Targets CHIP for Children.

•Phases out coverage of childless adults after one year.

Clarifies and Strengthens CHIP as a Program for U.S. Citizens.
 
•Clarifies the role of the Social Security Administration in verifying citizenship for purposes of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility. SSA will verify name, social security number, and place of birth of enrollees and applicants. This will assist States in identifying potential non-citizens and permit States to follow-up.
•Clarifies that States will NOT receive Federal funding for payments made to non-citizens.
 
Revised bill maintains and protects coverage of 10 million children for $35 billion over 5 years.

•Protects the coverage of the 6.6 million children currently insured through CHIP.
•Ensures 3.9 million of the lowest-income uninsured children gain coverage.
•An additional 100,000 of the lowest-income children would be covered under this proposal compared to H.R. 976.
• Extends the effective date of the moratorium on school-based care for the disabled and rehabilitation services from May 24, 2008 to January 1, 2010, on regulations that would deny access to these services.

It would be better to fund health programs by rolling back the tax breaks to the rich. However, the SCHIP funding by using tobacco taxes isn't leaning on addiction. Maybe more people wouldn't be able to pay for their cigarettes and cigars if SCHIP passed  and they might stop smoking. If the health and well-being of their coronary arteries or their lungs or virtually every organ in their bodies and in those of the people with whom they live have not stopped them from smoking, maybe the lack of money in their pockets will. Tobacco use raises the cost of all healthcare. We need SCHIP. America's children are all of our responsibilies.

Taxing the cigarette smokers can be considered preventive medicine. Raising the cost of the cigarettes may prevent people from smoking. Then, we have to find new funding or just wake up to the fact that the insurance companies who sell healthcare want to insure only the healthy or those who are too busy working to pay their premiums to go to the doctor. If you get a chronic, protracted illness, they want you to die quickly and cheaply.  We spend more money on healthcare in the US and what do we get for it? We wouldn't need SCHIP if we had universal healthcare. Then we will all be paying for each other's healthcare.  MRSA and cancer are universal. Thus, healthcare should be too.