Sick Kids, Sick Politics

Published: October 11, 2007, 5:35 am

Here’s the lead item from yesterday’s collection of outrages: Last week, President Bush vetoed a bill that would have expanded SCHIP, the medical insurance program for low income children, by $35 billion over 5 years. Instead, he favored a bill that would have increased funding at less than the rate of inflation. Given the breathtaking cost of health care and the millions of children who remain uninsured, Bush’s veto showed an amazing lack of compassion for America’s children. After all, the 5 year expansion would have cost less than 3 months of Bush’s war in Iraq. And unlike Bush’s war spending, the SCHIP expansion would not have contributed to the federal deficit because it would have been funded by a tax on cigarettes. But that wasn’t outrageous enough for the Republican party and their supporters. Democrats highlighted the issue by having 12 year-old Graeme Frost, whose medical bills from a car accident have caused hardship for his

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