Fight Bush’s Veto
President Bush and I have one thing in common.
When either of us wants to see a doctor, American taxpayers cover 72% of our health care premiums. And when it comes time to pick a medical facility, either of us can go to a government-run hospital like the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
President Bush just vetoed a bill extending and reforming the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. So I want to know:
If government-run health care is good enough for me, and is good enough for President Bush, why isn’t it good enough for America’s children?
Earlier this week, I stood outside the White House with working families to ask that very question—and we’ve got it on video. Watch it, and join our effort:
http://www.democraticmajority.org/schip
President Bush says that SCHIP will cost too much.
But for the price of one day in Iraq, we could cover 256,000 children. One week would cover 1.8 million children. And just over one month of the Iraq war would cover the full cost of the bill, insuring more than 10 million children for a whole year.
This is a question of priorities—and President Bush’s priorities obviously don’t include the needs of America’s children.
There has to be a better way. Health insurance shouldn’t be a luxury for the privileged few. It should be a right for all Americans—especially our children.
As part of Monday’s rally, a group of children pulling little red wagons was at the gates of the White House to urge the President to sign the bill. Please watch my video from the rally, and show your support for SCHIP:
http://www.democraticmajority.org/schip
When my son lost his leg to cancer as a child, my family didn’t have to worry about getting him the best possible care. But in the hospital waiting rooms, we saw family after family—middle class families—driven into poverty because of their children’s medical bills.
So I ask President Bush and the Members of Congress who support his veto:
Would you deny your own family what you’ll be denying millions of other families if this bill is vetoed?
If you don’t believe the federal government should support children’s health care, how can you in good conscience accept it for your own families?
We can be a voice for the nation’s children—a voice that every member of Congress needs to hear. If government-supported health care is good enough for Congress, it’s good enough for America’s children. Show your support for SCHIP today:
http://www.democraticmajority.org/schip
