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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Picture of the Day - 3




















(AP) "Bush vetoes child health insurance plan"

There's not even a mention of it on the White House's page.

(President George W. Bush speaks about the budget during a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania October 3, 2007. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

6 Comments:

  • Will an override attempt succeed or fail? I suspect it will fail.

    By Blogger -epm, at 1:04 PM  

  • I really don't know.

    It's a hard spin to vote against poor children's healthcare in an election year.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 1:29 PM  

  • I really think there are enough amoral ideological Republicans in the House that it might be impossible to get the necessary number to switch their votes. I'm reminded of the Taliban who let school girls burn to death rather than violate their convictions that men should not enter a school for girls....

    These people really are a throwback to Dickensian times. They think Scrooge had it right in the first place.... That damned radical left-wing Dickens!

    By Blogger -epm, at 3:59 PM  

  • This president can ignore healthcare issues like this one because he's not running again, and he's already at the bottom of the polls -- not much further to go.

    He thinks that corporate, for-profit healthcare is the way it oughta be. I don't get that. In that model, healthcare is not the priority -- profits for shareholders is the top priority. It just seems wrongheaded.

    In that model, we'd pay monthly premiums for attention from the fire department if a house burns, buy cop insurance in case we're burglarized. No one would want that: imagine the cops and fire bureaus run for profit.

    Those two programs are 'socialized', in that they're run equally for every person, and equally available to all, at least in theory.

    What's so bad about a system of 'socialized' medicine, equally available to all, for the least possible cost? why does somebody have to make a buck on sick people?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:13 PM  

  • There's a lot more good about socialized medicine (if you want to call it that) than bad, Local. But we'll never see it unless we first end the influence of money over our political process. The Dem frontrunners all have plans that are designed to keep the private insurers and for-profit medical providers fat and happy.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:34 PM  

  • EPm, I think the taleban burning children's schools might be another of your excited statements, but to respond to the other part, I don't think it's so much of the Republican congressmen being set up against their morals, I see them as pinned against their elections. On one side, they have to appeal to the base that supports Bush, on the other side, they have to face the campaign commercial saying "Congressman X supported cutting healthcare to poor children."

    I think it's an evaluation of their local politics on this vote more than morals. Something's gonna pass, it's just a question of where the $ cutoff level is.

    ....

    Local, Yeah, Bush has little to lose.

    I think it was David Brooks on NPR who said the Bush admin was looking for a spending veto to try and restore the Republican brand on spending, so the Dems tossed him the worst possible veto he could have.

    ...

    On "socialized" medicine.

    I have no fear of "socialized" medicine. The toughest part, though, is the slection process by which certain procedures are offered.

    For instance, is it better to pay for one expensive life extending surgery for an old person, or do thousands of immunizations.

    It's a more rational decision process than the current one, where the rich older person buys a year and the risk is assumed by thousands, but, at the same time, that's a tough pill to sell.

    ....

    Abi, Yeah, that's a real problem.

    The insurance companies make billions a year in the current system. That's alot of money pushing back.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 6:01 PM  

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