SHIP/ What should and shoudn't be done

SCHIP, States Children’s Health Insurance Program, enacted in 1997 to provide health care to poor women and their mothers is now up for renewal. For years, President Bush was campaigning to expand the program; however, when the Democrat control congress passed HR 976 to expand SCHIP, President Bush vetoed it. Bush argued that HR 976 is too costly and would move the nation towards universal health care. The Republican Party is split on whether to support the president’s veto. On of the 18 Republican Senators who voted with the Democrat Senators is Christopher Kit Bond. HR 976 would increase tobacco taxes by 61 cents to pay for an additional 4 million children. See SCHIP Bill Includes Parity Provisions, HR976 summary and HR976-sec701. Senator Bond argue that the tax would hurt the poor. Kit Bond/PressRoom/SCHIP Another Problem with the tobacco tax is there is to contradicting goals. One goal is to decrease smoking, and the other goal. If the 61 cent tax increase would reduce smoking, good. But would about the additional 4 million children that the 61 cent tax increase is suppose to fund? You see how mathematical nonsense HR 976 is? HR976 should be rewritten to exclude the tobacco tax increase or extend the current SHIP to the summer of 2009. If extended to 2009, we’ll have a new congress and hopefully, a Republican majority.