SCHIP and Big Tobacco

[Coexist]

SCHIP would be paid for with a tobacco tax. That is the problem - its not "socialized medicine". Its Big Tobacco.

What good Democrat wouldn't fight for children's healthcare? Let's take a look at the final vote:

Boren, Oklahoma
Etheridge, North Carolina
Hill, Indiana
Kucinich ??
Marshall, Georgia
McIntyre, North Carolina
Taylor, Mississippi

Where did the Democratic crossover votes in the House come from?

- Indiana, second in the nation in smoking population.
- North Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia (nuff said).
- Kucinich - I don't get??

Labor and religion are gearing up to put pressure on Congress to override this veto - so the Democrats are smart to delay the vote.

Let's hope we can all work together to put the interests of children's healthcare over big tobacco.

[Crazy Dave]

1. Veterans health care too

Then maybe help the rest of us out

[Zodiak]

2. Kucinich is probably against it because of regressive taxation

A lot of poor people smoke, and with inflation moving up at a rapid pace and swallowing modest incomes, these people will suffer tremendously. They are addicted....I find it reprehensible that we tax a captive audience because we know they will pay it (to serve their addiction) and we know we can get a majority of votes for it (because it is popular now to go after smokers).

[againes654]

3. I am a smoker

sadly. I would pay the tax. I keep saying that I will quit, but it is so hard. We, poor people, have to smoke to deal with the stress of our children not having health insurance.

I called Rep. Gohmert's office to voice my concerns. The lady I spoke with was so quick to tell me how this bill would have given so many illegal children health care, and that it would tax cigaretts. I said, so he is willing to fuck America's children to keep illegal children from having access to CHIPs?

It is like banging my head against a wall talking to my stinking representitives. Now I have a headache.
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[MH1]

4. No. He voted for the House version, vetoed the conference report, because of exclusions.

Children of legal immigrants were excluded from the final version. Kucinich had a statement on his website that this was the reason he voted against SCHIP expansion.

Many more children would be covered by the SCHIP bill, but because one group was not, it was not good enough.

I did not see a word in his statement about having problems with it because of "regressive taxation," and if that were the case he would not have voted for the House version either.

[Coexist]

5. thank you for that information - I could not figure out Kucinich.

[Zodiak]

11. OK...that sounds like Kucinich

The regressive taxation angle was only a guess.

Thanks for the info.

[madmom]

6. Kucinich said he voted no because it didn't go far enough.

[azurnoir]

7. Put the tax on alcohol

There are more people that drink then people who smoke, that is some smokers drink and non-smokers drink also, alcohol costs far more in not only medical but also law enforcement and social services, why did the Dems not do that, easy their wealthier supporters would have pitched a bitch, seems Dems are willing to pick pocket the poor also.

[Vinca]

8. Tax everything that's bad - smokes, booze, snack foods -

then big tobacco won't feel so put out. If it was all taxed, maybe we could all have healthcare, not just kids.

[riverdeep]

9. I don't think it's as simple as a tobacco lobby.

What they are worried about, fundamentally, is taxes. They are worried that the revenue from cigarettes will run out, but there will still be bills to pay. They figure dems will then just start taxing whatever they can to make up the difference. Their theory is that by raising the tax, there will be less smokers buying cigs, less taxes coming in. They also see an overall decline in smoking and a smoking population that can't support the plan finacially. You will be hearing this argument over the next few days. It's endorsed by the Heritage Foundation.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/wm1548.cfm

It's the shift to other tax revenues that scares them.

edit: Also, they are worried that it will get people a little further away from the private based model of healthcare, and toward a more government oriented model. It could lead to less resistance for healthcare reform.

[MadHound]

10. Frankly I'm glad that this was vetoed. Not because I'm a cold hearted bastard

But by taxing smokers you are enacting a regressive tax on some of the poorest people in our society. This isn't Democratic, nor progressive.

[Blue_Roses]

12. Oh, boo fucking hoo...

:nopity: My dad died of emphysema from years of smoking, not to mention the many others who I know of that have died or are dying from smoking. The tax on cigs gets no sympathy from me.

[MadHound]

13. So let's see, you support a regressive tax on a segment of the population that is poorer

All to support a program that smokers didn't cause? Wow, how do you even place yourself on the left side of the politcal spectrum? Hell, you're lining up with the Congressional Republicans who inserted this funding option. The original funding proposed by the House Democrats was provided by getting rid of the subsidies paid to health insurance companies through the Medicare Advantage program. It was the Republicans who rammed through this regressive tax on one of the poorer segments of our society.

Congratulations, one can tell a lot about the character of a person by the company they keep.

[MH1]

14. But isn't it offset by the health care benefit for their kids?

Unless of course they don't have kids. Of those, 99% (I would guess) thus have no distractions to keep them from buckling down and QUITTING.

Okay, it's probably not 99%. But someone is going to end up paying. And if raising the price on smoking keeps more kids from ever starting, then I think it's a good deal overall.