Posted on 02/01/2009 12:59:50 PM PST by Libloather
Senate Passes SCHIP Bill with Federal Tobacco Tax Increase
January 30, 2009
The U.S. Senate voted 66-32 this week to approve a major expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), funded with a 61-cent-per-pack increase in the federal tobacco tax, Reuters reported Jan. 30.
The $32.8-billion SCHIP bill would expand eligibility for the health-insurance program to an additional 11 million children; about 7.4 million kids are covered by SCHIP now. The measure was passed twice last year, but vetoed both times by President George Bush.
A similar measure has already passed the House of Representatives, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a final vote could come next week after differences between the two bills are ironed out.
Some critics objected to the bill because it would allow states to enroll moderate-income families and does not include a ban on legal immigrants from getting coverage unless they have been in the U.S. for at least five years.
I HATE those stinking liberals who call themselves Republicans. We need to get rid of them. They might as well vote with the DemonRATS because they’re just as bad. No, in fact, they’re worse. At least we KNOW that the RATS are going to do but we can never be sure what the liberal Republicans are going to do. We can’t trust them.
“The object of my statement is to DRIVE people away from smiking and thus, improve their health and the health of any poor child stuck in a smoke filled enviroment!”
In other words, you have an agenda to prevent people from using a legal product. What is consevative about taxing someone who uses a legal product? I think we should to the same for fatty foods, salt, sugar, alcohol consumption, any activity that people consider fun that might have risks and other activities.
That's news to me. I noticed her posts as she was in Maine, as am I, and very much enjoyed her spunky attitude.
We all inhabit time as a temporary gift, and I hope to meet her in a place where time doesn't play, and smokes are irrelevant.
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