[HM2Viking]

Source: http://www.americanprogress.org/issu...riorities.html

[HM2Viking]

See:
"The difference between the SCHIP program and Medicare Part D is the private businesses were cut into Medicare Part D."
Bingo.
You see, the writers of the SCHIP legislation worked on the simple-minded idea that the taxpayers could help uninsured children by just picking up their medical bills. They didn't understand the subtle thinking of the Bush administration, which can't support a government program that doesn't also enrich private interests.
The Medicare drug law gave insurers and drug makers a big piece of the action. In return, they a) supported a giant new government program that Bush wanted and b) generously rewarded obliging lawmakers with money, campaign and otherwise.
...
So here's what Democrats must do to get Bush's blessings on children's health coverage: They should spend 30 percent more on it than necessary to keep private businesses happy. And once they have the corporate lobbyists on board, all the complaints about socialized medicine, subsidizing the well-to-do and big government would vanish.

Source: http://www.creators.com/opinion/from...e-of-bush.html

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by stevielynn

Interesting story. Thanks.

And glad to see you - sometimes I feel all alone.

I am exhausted so that is probably why I'm in the mood I'm in but I am very tired of being characterized as mean because I'm a conservative.

http://allnurses.com/forums/f112/con...rs-254135.html

"Don't hate me because I'm a CONSERVATIVE".

(stopping the whining now . . . .)


steph

You know I like you. I've liked and admired you for years. I think we are a lot alike in many ways.
THIS was MY opinion:

I think Krugman is half right because people of both parties make thoughtless remarks.

I do think he has a right to think imitating Michael J. Fox and acusing him of exagerating his Parkinsonian movements was NOT funny.
But a radio host seemed to think he was being very funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o6yrdInw6s

[Elvish]

FTR -- Steph, I like you too. And we probably agree on more than we disagree on.

[Spidey's mom]

Oh please people . . .I was in a mood that day . . .let it go.


steph

[Elvish]

Originally Posted by stevielynn

Oh please people . . .I was in a mood that day . . .let it go.


steph

We all have 'em...

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by ZASHAGALKA

http://corner.nationalreview.com/pos...lhOGU3NjNlZDA=
http://www.floppingaces.net/2007/10/...oor-schip-kid/

THIS is the Democrat's posterchild for spending YOUR tax dollars to provide health insurance for the less fortunate:

"The Democrats sign up a sick kid to read their Saturday morning radio address.

Graeme Frost of Baltimore is 12 years old, a seventh-grader at the Park School, and he understands why children need health care and their parents need help paying for it.

Bonnie Frost works for a medical publishing firm; her husband, Halsey, is a woodworker. They are raising their four children on combined income of about $45,000 a year. Neither gets health insurance through work."

A sad, sad, case, yes?

But, with just a little investigating:

"Mr Frost (father), the "woodworker", owns his own design company and the commercial property it operates from, part of which space he also rents out; they have a 3,000-sq-ft home on a street where a 2,000-sq-ft home recently sold for half a million dollars; he was able to afford to send two children simultaneously to a $20,000-a-year private school; his father and grandfather were successful New York designers and architects; etc. This is apparently the new definition of "working families"

Turns out, the father's employer is too cheap to buy this family's insurance because that employer is the boy's own father, the owner of his business.

Amazing, charity is now defined as helping out people that live in million dollar homes that can readily afford high dollar private tuition, but not health insurance. Well, at least YOU can afford to provide this family with insurance. Thank God for taxpayers like YOU or whatever would this family have done.

Remember THIS is the DEMOCRAT'S posterchild for SCHIP. . .

~faith,
Timothy.

1) Graeme has a scholarship to a private school. The school costs $15K a year, but the family only pays $500 a year.

2) His sister Gemma attends another private school to help her with the brain injuries that occurred due to her accident. The school costs $23,000 a year, but the state pays the entire cost.

3) They bought their “lavish house” sixteen years ago for $55,000 at a time when the neighborhood was less than safe.

4) Last year, the Frosts made $45,000 combined. Over the past few years they have made no more than $50,000 combined.

5) The state of Maryland has found them eligible to participate in the CHIP program.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/wa...in&oref=slogin

[pickledpepperRN]

It was a blogger who didn't have the facts and did it anonymously
The Swift-Boating of Graeme Frost

http://www.time.com/time/politics/ar...670210,00.html

[multicollinearity]

Another op-ed rebuttal:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/op...rugman.html?hp

Swiftboat, indeed.

[ZASHAGALKA]

The parents owned a 160,000 dollar business property. They owned a house THEY suggest is worth 220k, but that is likely worth far more.

Even stating lowest numbers, this family has almost 400 THOUSAND DOLLARS in assets. Why should I be forced to pay for their insurance?

The father says he can't get insurance because of the children's pre-existing conditions. That might be true. The REAL question is why he didn't have that insurance, before? It was a choice. When you have 400 THOUSAND DOLLARS in assets, failing to insure your children is a choice.

In any case, assume everything else about this family you want. The bottom line is this: THEY WERE ALREADY ON SCHIP. As a result, they do NOT make a case for expanding it. President Bush has agreed to a 5 billion dollar expansion; not a 35 Billion dollar one. Even without ANY expansion, this rich poster family was already on your dole, under the existing funding for the program.

Nobody is sliming the boy. HIS family, and the Democrats, held this family out as an example. It's a double standard to say, "Hey, look at me!" and then be upset that people actually do. The DEMOCRATS brought this family into the debate. It was a sucker punch game of hard politics to put this boy in front of the mike last saturday. It's kind of hypocritical to NOW claim that politics is a hard game to play when it comes to children.

~faith,
Timothy.