Posted by ( Wayne Blake ) on October 12, 2007 at 9:12 am

Ah those bleeding heart liberals again.  Shame on them for believing that children should receive healthcare if they need it instead of only if their parents can afford it.  Some parents have made bad choices in life.  Conservatism says their children should suffer accordingly.  Bleeding heart liberals say no, that no one can choose their parents and in the richest nation in the history of the world that they should be treated. (I don’t recall what scripture it is where Jesus said Come and I will heal thee, but only if thou can pay with gold and silver).

Now that the right wing spin machine has taken up the story, swift boating one 12 year old child named Graeme Frost who, along with his sister, suffered terrible injuries in a car accident, conservatives (meaning Republicans) have shown their true colors.  They have attempted to show that the kid’s parents are just gaming the system.  Let’s see, the Frosts make about $45,00 per year.  They also own their own home, which they purchased in 1990 for $55,000, and today is worth about $250,000, according to tax appraisals.  Clearly they are members of that vast lower middle class of Americans who simply haven’t been able to keep up their earnings power with where it was then.  Their annual income would never allow them to purchase a comparable house today but with effective home budgeting they might be able to stay in the one they already own.  Of course, since they do not make enough to pay for healthcare coverage (approxomately 12,000 per year for family coverage) and they do not have employment that furnishes it as a benefit (sidebar:  if you do have coverage from your employer, have you ever considered that your real wages are reduced by an amount at least equivalent to that huge sum that your employer pays on your behalf?  Because they are and you would not have that benefit without the tax break given to that employer because some bleeding heart liberals in years gone by established that as a tax deduction for employers if they furnished healthcare coverage for their employees.)

Another attack the right wing has levied against this family, supposedly proving that they are rich and gaming the system is that these kids attend a private school, which is true.  They attend on scholarship, since their parents could never afford the $20,000 per year tuition.  School vouchers from taxpayer funds, which have to reduce the amount available to the public schools, is alright by the right wingers, but poor kids attending private school because of qualifying for scholarship is not.  Republicans believe that a parent should have to sell their home and bankrupt themselves to pay for their children’s healthcare.  We are the only industrialized democracy in the world that requires you to go bankrupt over healthcare.  I very much disagree with that.  And just try buying healthcare coverage outside of one’s employment.  If you have ever been sick or are not the poster person of good health it is impossible. 

So yes I would think that this expansion of children’s healthcare coverage is a beginning to guaranteeing every American citizen access to the very healthcare that can save, improve and extend one’s life.  Call me a bleeding heart liberal for thinking such a thing.  And unfortunately I have a congressman (David Davis) that thinks the American dream should only be available to those fortunate enough to be able to afford healthcare, among living wages and responsible foreign policy.  He will not vote to override this veto.  But then again, why should he?  As a member of Congress he has one of the very best healthcare coverage plans available for him and his family, and you and I pay for it, whether we can have access for our own family or not.  That truly is the Republican mantra. I’ve got mine, to heck with you.  Just try calling his office and asking where the congressman stands on an issue.  They will not even tell you how the Davis is prepared to vote on a pending issue if they suspect you would not agree with his position.

People had better wake up before this country is hopelessly bankrupted by the Republicans.  It’s closer than you think.

Posted by ( Jody Lee ) on October 28, 2007 at 7:51 pm

Sorry, Wayne.  You lost me after second sentence, which proved to me that you did not even bother to read what I wrote - just the topic.

You wrote “ Shame on them for believing that children should receive healthcare if they need it instead of only if their parents can afford it.”

Had you bothered to read my entire entry, you would have quickly noted that I pointed out that Bush said exactly the OPPOSITE of your comment.  Let me extract my point on this matter from my writing to make it easy for you:

“Bush explained his veto pretty succinctly - the legislation called for adding another 4 million children to a program that now covers about 6 million kids for health insurance.  But the way it is worded, it would be “mostly” lower income children added to the program.  Not exclusively low income - just mostly.  Which means some kids from middle and even upper income families who do not NEED the help would be eligible for it anyway.  Duh.
Bush said it simply.  “Poor kids first”.  Well put.  Make it exclusive to low income kids and we’ll talk. “

As you can see, it is EXCLUSIVELY kids whose parents cannot afford medical attention for their children that Bush would like to see the legislation benefit, contrary to your claim.. 

My kingdom for intelligent response as opposed to regurgitated rhetoric.

Posted by ( Jody Lee ) on November 01, 2007 at 8:41 pm

I hate to hear, Wayne, that providing children from low-income families with free health care is something you deem as “cruel”. 

That you claim “...all Republicans hate anyone who is not rich...” makes you look a little bit like a raving extremist.  Such bigoted blanket statements are beneath you, I think.

I am frankly baffled as to why you keep ignoring the direct quotes and facts that I provide.  But let me try one more time:

George Bush:  “After going alone and going nowhere, Congress should instead work on a bill that PUTS POOR CHILDREN FIRST”.

Seriously, can’t you put your political agenda aside for just a teeny tiny moment and consider that this bill does NOT put poor children first and that THAT is what Bush is fighting for, just like YOU are!

And yes, I do indeed have a kingdom.  However “Your Highness” is not necessary.  “Your Lovely Majesticness” will do nicely.

Thanks as always, Wayne,
Jody