House Editorial: Oh Bush, will you ever rescue your plummeting popularity?

Posted on October 4, 2007

Despite outstanding support from Republicans, policymakers, health care advocates and insurance agencies, President Bush has recently struck down a children’s health insurance plan.

The five-year, $60 billion insurance plan would greatly benefit children of low-income families by augmenting a state-federal health insurance program. Bush vetoed the bill proposed by Congress, asking instead to cut the federal spending on this plan to $30 billion.

The families who would benefit from the revised health insurance plan are in perpetual limbo, making too much money to receive Medicaid benefits but not enough to afford decent health insurance. The Washington Post article claims that there are 9 million uninsured children living in the United States.

Ironically enough, Bush refused to pass this plan right before going to Pennsylvania to preach about holding down the cost on federal spending. Way to show them you mean business, Bush, at the expense of families who don’t make enough to keep their kids healthy.

The Bush administration is apparently keeping fiscal discipline at the forefront of its agenda this fall, according to a Washington Post article. This means Bush is adamant about consistently spending a monstrous $100,000 every minute on the Iraq war, while refusing to help American families in need.

The White House press secretary wonders why Congress would send a bill to Bush that would be immediately struck down. What we’re wondering is why Bush would strike down such a no-brainer bill that could positively affect the U.S. health care system.

The only good that could come from Bush vetoing this plan is if health care reformers and the president sat down and came to an agreement on how to tackle this momentous problem that plagues the health care system. The health care system is already chock full of issues that need to be addressed before Bush leaves Washington.

Providing health insurance to American children should trump the tendencies of governmental bureaucracies to blow millions on an unpopular war. Instead of bidding on contracts to supply the military with state-of-the-art tanks, we should be implementing state-of-the-art technology in pediatric offices around the country.

The education and health of our youth should be of utmost importance in ensuring the well-being of our future generations. After all, there could be another Bush in the White House in twenty years.