When Children Cry

Just when you think the Bush Administration couldn’t get any lower, they dig a little deeper. This time the President himself had a press conference to announce his opposition to Congress’ version of the SCHIP bill. Charles Dickens must be spinning in his grave!

It’s one thing to oppose this program, but to go so far as to LIE TO MAKE YOUR REASONS SOUND PALATABLE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

It’s not news that this Administration is built on lies. There has been absolutely nothing, NOTHING!, about this Presidency that can stand the scrutiny of the light of day. From the election of 2000 on, it’s just been one falsehood after another. But back to the case at hand:

Here is a quote from FactCheck.org (http://www.factcheck.org/ ), the non-partisan website run by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania that strives to set the record straight, regardless of whether you’re a Republican or Democrat:

“President Bush gave a false description of proposed legislation to expand the 10-year-old federal program to provide health insurance for children in low-income working families…Bush has threatened a veto. In explaining his opposition to Congress' plans, however, he falsely characterized the bill in one instance and was misleading in others…He said it ‘would result’ in covering children in families with incomes up to $83,000 per year, which isn't true…Bush said, ‘The legislation would raise taxes on working people.’ Actually, what SCHIP would do is increase the federal tobacco excise tax on all tobacco products.”

I could go on, but you can read FactCheck.org’s report in its entirety on their website. I’m here to rant about this new outrage. First of all, note that this program was put in place before the Bush fiasco.

What exactly does this president think his legacy is going to be? He has said that history will judge. Well I don’t think we need to wait 30 or 40 years to figure it out. President Bush would much rather send people not much older than those who are to be covered in this bill to a country half-way around the world to fight in a war that he lied us into, than give them medical care. And if he has his way, some of those that would be covered under this plan would be sent to Iraq because we would be there long enough!

Mr. President, what exactly do you consider a moral imperative? If it’s not the truth, if it’s not upholding the Constitution, if it’s not caring for our wounded vets when they come home from fighting your immoral war, if it’s not being good stewards of our environment, if it’s not even helping under-privileged children, then what in God’s name is it?