The Greyhound Editorial: Of vetos and children left behind
Issue date: 10/9/07 Section: Opinion
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The Greyhound believes that a student newspaper has a responsibility to spot what is important, what is newsworthy, and what is rare. The war in Iraq is important. Vladimir Putin's political posturing is newsworthy. But once in a while a truly rare event takes place. The event we are referring to, of course, is President Bush's fourth veto. In his tenure as the national spender and decider he has twice vetoed federal spending for embryonic stem cell research, and he vetoed a $120 billion war bill that included timelines for war withdrawal, forcing the Congress to acquiesce to his limitless funding requests. In his fourth installment the president has attempted to strike down the SCHIP health bill.
The bill seeks to expand federal funding for children's health insurance, to the tune of $35 billion. If the bill were to pass the healthcare benefits would extend to children of families with incomes of up to $62,000 for a family of four. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll indicated that over 72 percent of Americans support the bill. The Senate passed the bill by a veto-proof margin, while the house fell a bit short of the necessary two-thirds majority. The American Medical Association called the bill "vital to protect low-income children whose parents work hard but aren't able to afford health insurance."
While fiscal responsibility seems to be the illusive goal of the president's veto, his past spending record gives this veto a smack of the non sequitur. This administration has run up an unprecedented debt in the past seven years. And while our tax dollars pour into the Middle East, our bridges, levees, and healthcare systems are now on the verge of crisis. Is it strange to wonder who the president is looking to impress with such a veto? Perhaps this point is best illustrated by a recent Fox News interview with Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, who has staunchly supported the president in the past. In response to the bill Roberts said, "I am not for excessive spending and strongly oppose the federalization of health care. And if the administration's concerns with this bill were accurate, I would support a veto.' But Senator Roberts added: 'Bluntly put, they are not.'" As Democrats and Republicans alike seek to squash the president's veto, Senator Robert's lack of support reminds us at The Greyhound of the words of Arthur Miller, "Betrayal is the only truth that sticks." And that is veto-proof.
The bill seeks to expand federal funding for children's health insurance, to the tune of $35 billion. If the bill were to pass the healthcare benefits would extend to children of families with incomes of up to $62,000 for a family of four. A recent Washington Post/ABC News poll indicated that over 72 percent of Americans support the bill. The Senate passed the bill by a veto-proof margin, while the house fell a bit short of the necessary two-thirds majority. The American Medical Association called the bill "vital to protect low-income children whose parents work hard but aren't able to afford health insurance."
While fiscal responsibility seems to be the illusive goal of the president's veto, his past spending record gives this veto a smack of the non sequitur. This administration has run up an unprecedented debt in the past seven years. And while our tax dollars pour into the Middle East, our bridges, levees, and healthcare systems are now on the verge of crisis. Is it strange to wonder who the president is looking to impress with such a veto? Perhaps this point is best illustrated by a recent Fox News interview with Republican Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, who has staunchly supported the president in the past. In response to the bill Roberts said, "I am not for excessive spending and strongly oppose the federalization of health care. And if the administration's concerns with this bill were accurate, I would support a veto.' But Senator Roberts added: 'Bluntly put, they are not.'" As Democrats and Republicans alike seek to squash the president's veto, Senator Robert's lack of support reminds us at The Greyhound of the words of Arthur Miller, "Betrayal is the only truth that sticks." And that is veto-proof.
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