Jackson Free Press

This from the NYTimes this afternoon:

WASHINGTON, July 19 — Defying a veto threat from President Bush, the Senate Finance Committee approved a major expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program on Thursday, with a majority of Republicans joining all Democrats on the panel in supporting the legislation.

The vote, 17 to 4, sends the measure to the full Senate, which is expected to take it up within two weeks.

President Bush has repeatedly denounced the bill as a step toward "government-run health care for every American," calling it a "massive expansion of the federal role" in health care, financed by "a huge tax increase."

Only 4 of the 10 Republicans on the panel sided with the president and voted against the bill. The no votes were cast by Senators Jim Bunning of Kentucky, John Ensign of Nevada, Jon Kyl of Arizona and Trent Lott of Mississippi.

The bill will increase Federal cigarette excise taxes (from $.39 to $1.00) to defray the increase in the program's budget from $25 billion to $60 billion over five years, with claims that it will give health care coverage to an additional 4 million children. The Bush administration proposes increasing the budget by $5 billion over five years.

(It's worth noting that estimated Pentagon spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is between $6 billion and $8 billion per month.)

Previous Comments

ID

113517

Comment

What's wrong with him? Oh, yeah. Bush puppet. *sigh*

Author

Lady Havoc

Date

2007-07-19T15:43:29-06:00

ID

113518

Comment

So much for compassionate conservatism.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2007-07-19T15:52:00-06:00

ID

113519

Comment

We have long needed to send Hell-Bent Lott and Sad Cochran into retirement, so we can get some forward thinking and moving Senators fom Mississippi.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-07-19T16:58:09-06:00

ID

113520

Comment

Ray, I'd assume you're going to find the "thinking" senators in the democratic party? Hah! They'd be no-Senority rookies which would set Mississippi back decades. I'd hazard a guess that Lott realized it was going to pass and voted like his position required, knowing it wouldn't hinder progress.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-07-19T17:29:23-06:00

ID

113521

Comment

Ghost, can anyone set us back further than Stennis, Eastland, Lott and Cochran? I could vote for an ant and expect just as much progress.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-07-21T10:59:49-06:00

ID

113522

Comment

[quote]Ghost, can anyone set us back further than Stennis, Eastland, Lott and Cochran? I could vote for an ant and expect just as much progress.[/quote] Your faith in the democratic overlords is fascinating. I doubt however that they'd have Mississippi's best interests at heart. Cochran's inclusion in that list is suspicious, considering I'd label him more moderate than Lott who plays the Leadership game all to well.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-07-21T15:28:35-06:00

ID

113523

Comment

That's why I label sad Cochran.

Author

Ray Carter

Date

2007-07-22T12:19:02-06:00