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BUSH TO SENATE: LEAVE THE KIDS BEHIND. The president has rejected a bipartisan proposal to offer health insurance to 3.3 million low-income children for the cost of $35 billion over 5 years. The plan was to raise the funds by increasing the tax on cigarettes. But Bush objected:
I think it's going to be very important for our allies on Capitol Hill to hear a strong, clear message from me that expansion of government in lieu of making the necessary changes to encourage a consumer-based system is not acceptable.Ideology trumps children's welfare again! And speaking of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, educators agree that poor kids do much better in school when they receive adequate health care and are well-clothed and fed. So President Bush, why can't you get behind S-CHIP as part of your education reform strategy?--Dana Goldstein
