Free Republic

Some Republicans groaned at Gov. Rick Perry's announcement that he plans to seek another term in 2010, but Mayor Bill White's camp reacted with glee. White has made no effort to hide the fact that he is looking to run for governor after being term-limited out of the mayor's office next year. And Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the biggest vote-getter in Texas history, has been more than hinting that she plans to "come home" to run for the same office. She outlined to Texas Monthly last November a plan to resign the Senate in 2009 to make the race, while...

Hillary Clinton has tried to claim credit for everything politically popular that happened during her husband’s administration, and has even attempted to create a few that never happened at all. Most of these arguments have resulted in repudiation, as when Lord Trimble scornfully dismissed her supposed contribution to the Northern Ireland peace talks as “cheerleading”. Today, the Boston Globe finds more cheerleading than leadership on S-CHIP, which Hillary had claimed as her initiative (via Memeorandum): Hillary Clinton, who has frequently described herself on the campaign trail as playing a pivotal role in forging a children’s health insurance plan, had little...

House Democrats failed again Wednesday to override President Bush's veto of their plan to increase spending for a children's health insurance program. The final vote, which was 260-152 with 42 Republicans voting for the plan and 151 Republicans voting against it, fell 15 votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. It was the second time in three months that Democrats were unable to override Bush's veto, and Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, said Wednesday that he was fed up. “This fight shows what's wrong with Washington,” Murphy said. “While dozens of Republicans in the House and Senate...

The Democrats staged another attempt to override a veto on S-CHIP expansion, with predictable results. Their refusal to negotiate with the White House produced even fewer Republican crossover votes in the House as the bill went down to defeat. The Democrats promised another try later in the session: House Democrats failed for the second time in nearly four months yesterday to override President Bush's veto of a proposed $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The 260 to152 tally left backers of the legislation about 15 votes short of the two-thirds majority of lawmakers voting necessary to...

House sustains Bush veto of health bill 20 minutes ago The House of Representatives on Wednesday sustained President George W. Bush's second veto of bill to expand a popular federal children's health program. On a vote of 260-152, the Democratic-led House fell short of the needed two-thirds majority to override Bush on a measure certain to be an issue along with the slowing economy in this year's congressional and presidential elections. Pushed by Democrats but also supported by many Republicans, the bill was aimed at providing health insurance to about 10 million children in low- and moderate-income families, compared to...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The struggling economy gives Democratic lawmakers another weapon in their effort to expand a popular children's health insurance program. In the end, however, they appear to have made little headway in overcoming a presidential veto. In December, President Bush for a second time vetoed a bill that would more than double spending on the State Children's Health Program. Bush said the bill would encourage too many families to replace private insurance with government-subsidized health coverage. On Wednesday, the House was voting on whether to override that veto. In recent days, Democratic lawmakers have stressed that more families...

"What do you consider to be your greatest achievement in 2007?.......... Iraq..... Health Care.... Infighting between Democrats and Republicans..... read the article for more.....

For three-quarters of a century, Democrats have advocated liberal economic policies. But a radical shift appears under way. In an attempt to reform their soak-the-rich image, Democrats are casting their ideological heritage by the wayside. Don’t believe me? Just ask the poor. Lost among the wreckage of the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) kerfuffle — the attempt by congressional Democrats to transform an excellent health safety net for tots into a colossal government entitlement — was the proposed 61-cent-per-pack cigarette tax hike to pay for their plan. New cigarette taxes always receive applause: Who could be against discouraging unhealthy...

Rush Limbaugh’s detractors never learn. They’ve tried everything to come between Rush and his more than 20 million listeners, intending to destroy his appeal and impact. But it’s a hopeless, almost laughable endeavor. They led boycotts against his advertisers -- yet his show continues to generate more revenue than any other on radio. They pressured his affiliates to drop his program, but he’s still heard on more than 600 stations -- more than any other talk host. They tried to keep him off Armed Forces Radio, of course, but he has the most popular program on the military’s radio network.

President Bush on Saturday signed legislation that extends a popular children's health insurance program after twice vetoing attempts to expand it. Politically, the move was a victory for Bush, although Democrats say it will come back to hurt Republicans at the polls. The extension of the State Children's Health Insurance Program is expected to provide states with enough money to cover those enrolled through March 2009. Bush and some Republican lawmakers say the program will still serve those that it should: children from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. "We're pleased that...

Republicans were accustomed to cutting deals to pass their agenda during the dozen years that they ran Congress but have made few concessions this session as the minority party. "Our members went home happier than they have in the 11 years I've been here," said House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican. "Our members went home happier than they have in the 11 years I've been here," said House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican. "Our members felt like we've taken the weak hand you're dealt in the minority ... and got the maximum impact." Democrats conceded to the Republicans'...

"Give and take" is usually what is meant by "compromise," however, in their efforts to radically expand government-subsidized healthcare services, some Members of Congress will once again refuse to pass legislation that will help those who need it most, low income children. Instead, their latest attempt to override the President's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) could include giving more contraceptives to children, taking away parents' right to consent to - or to even know about! - medical care given to their children through school-based health clinics.Rather than trying to resolve problems that the Administration and other...

TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 3963, the "Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007." Like its predecessor, H.R. 976, this bill does not put poor children first and it moves our country's health care system in the wrong direction. Ultimately, our Nation's goal should be to move children who have no health insurance to private coverage --not to move children who already have private health insurance to government coverage. As a result, I cannot sign this legislation. The purpose of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was to help low-income...

In 1998, then-Gov. John G. Rowland boosted his re-election prospects by creating the Healthcare for UninSured Kids and Youth program. HUSKY was intended to provide no more than 90,000 impoverished children with the same access to medical care as state employees. But the issue was never about access, but who pays; ultimately, this "conservative Republican" chose the government solution. At HUSKY's inception, 6.7 percent of Connecticut's children were uninsured. Today, HUSKY enrollment is a robust 323,000, even though the services it provides have never come close to matching the political rhetoric. And despite the infusion of hundreds of millions in...

The revised children's health insurance bill that Congress is about to send to President Bush still has loopholes that both illegal aliens and ineligible legal immigrants could exploit to join the program, a new Heritage Foundation analysis shows. Under the bill, those applying for SCHIP would not have to prove citizenship. Instead, they only would have to provide a valid Social Security number — something most legal immigrants and many illegal aliens already have, said Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation... "If you're illegal, you're going to have to come with a valid but bogus...

If you need a good idea of what government-run healthcare would mean to you and your family, look no further than Medicare, or the wrangling taking place in Washington surrounding Medicare funding. With much of the media focused on the Democrats' efforts to expand eligibility and funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), much less publicity has been given to Congressional deliberations on Medicare. While SCHIP is a backdoor effort to grow government-run healthcare, the Medicare funding process is a good example of what happens once politicians get to decide how much and what sort of healthcare participants...

Congress' Latest Attempt to Send Your Tax Dollars to Planned Parenthood After two vetoes by the President, Members of Congress are negotiating to  pass a new version of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).The problem is, instead of improving the program, legislators are planning to make the SCHIP program worse.  How?  By allowing Planned Parenthood to access even more taxpayer funds through SCHIP.   Your voice is needed now more than ever to tell Congress this is unacceptable. Please contact Congress today and urge your legislators to keep funding for Planned Parenthood out of this program.Several Republican members with...

Here are some recent statements on the character and background of recent conservative favorite Mike Huckabee: Phyllis Shlafly, president of Eagle Forum: "He destroyed the conservative movement in Arkansas, and left the Republican Party a shambles ... Yet some of the same evangelicals who sold us on George W. Bush as a 'compassionate conservative' are now trying to sell us on Mike Huckabee." Betsy Hagan, Arkansas director of the Eagle Forum and a key backer of his early runs for office: "He was pro-life and pro-gun, but otherwise a liberal ... Just like Bill Clinton he will charm you, but...

I’ve said it all along: The Democrats’ massive S-CHIP expansion is a Trojan Horse for Hillarycare. Now, we get it straight from the horse’s mouth. A Hill source sends an audio clip of former Iowa Dem. Governor Tom Vilsack at Drake University on Nov. 16 describing how S-CHIP will help achieve those universal entitlement ends: Click here for audio. Transcript: “I think there is going to be a commitment to universal coverage. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be a sector by sector process. I think you either need to go in whole hog or not. We tried to...

WASHINGTON — While Congress and President Bush squabble over health insurance for low-income children, school officials nationwide are scrambling each day to find affordable medical care so that sick and needy students can continue to learn. Growing numbers of uninsured children have made it harder for educators to focus on classroom achievement without first addressing the medical needs of their students who lack health insurance or dental coverage. Instead of notifying parents when their children are ill, school officials increasingly must help find health care, arrange transportation for sick children and often advise beleaguered parents about the health consequences of...

Mike Huckabee refuses to support the President'..

A defiant Democrat-controlled Congress voted yesterday to provide health insurance to an additional 4 million lower-income children, and President Bush vowed swiftly to cast his second straight veto on the issue. The legislation cleared the Senate on a vote of 64-30. It passed the House last week, but supporters were shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's threatened veto. "We're convinced that the president has undermined an effort to protect children," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said shortly before the vote. "Congress has known for weeks that the President would veto this bill," White House...

US President George W Bush faces a showdown with Congress after it passed a new version of a bill on child health insurance he has already vetoed. The Democrat-controlled upper-house Senate passed the bill by 64-30 votes after it was approved by the House of Representatives last week. But the bill failed to muster enough votes in the lower house to override a new presidential veto. Mr Bush rejects the plan because it seeks to raise tobacco taxes. He has argued the legislation takes the programme beyond its original purpose of insuring children from low-income families. The White House has...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement regarding Senate passage of the do-over SCHIP bill and the urgent need to responsibly reauthorize the program in a way the President will sign: “For the last several weeks, Republicans have requested true bipartisan negotiations so that we can create a serious plan to extend health coverage for those SCHIP was meant to cover: low-income children. But Democrats were unwilling to sit down at the table, insisting instead on sending a bill to the President they know he will not sign. “Senate Republicans are committed to finding...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A defiant Democratic-controlled Congress voted Thursday to provide health insurance to an additional 4 million lower-income children, and President Bush vowed swiftly to cast his second straight veto on the issue. The legislation cleared the Senate on a vote of 64-30. It passed the House last week, but supporters were shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush's threatened veto. "We're convinced that the president has undermined an effort to protect children," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said shortly before the vote. "Congress has known for weeks that the President would veto this bill," White...

More than 20 states will run out of money for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, sometime this year unless Congress and the White House can resolve a dispute over its funding, a new study shows. Following a presidential veto, the Senate is working on its third version of the bill, which the White House has promised to veto once again. The bill has been a major source of tension between the White House and Congress, with President Bush recently chastising Democrats for making what he called cosmetic changes to the to expand the SCHIP program. "I made...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_LutWBunb4

What America needs in the area of health care is less government regulation. What we're going to get is S-CHIP. S-CHIP stands for the "State Children's Health Insurance Program." It's not really a state program. It's a federal program, one that Congress recently voted to expand. The expansion would be paid for by an increase in the federal cigarette tax. President Bush has promised to veto the expansion. There are some good arguments for doing so. But I suspect he is going to lose this battle. The arguments of the Republicans are not merely unconvincing. They're un-Republican. Consider the argument...

Laura Bush accuses Dems of demagoguery on SCHIP By Aaron Blake October 28, 2007 First Lady Laura Bush said Sunday that she is much more involved in policy than many people think and then went to bat for her husband on children’s health care and foreign policy. Calling the state children’s health insurance program (SCHIP) “a perfect issue” for Democrats to demagogue on, Bush waded into largely uncharted public territory for her by taking exception to the party that opposes the president. The first lady appeared genuinely upset about the Democrats’ tactics on the issue. “It’s really easy to blame...

(AP) WASHINGTON Having failed to add a single Republican vote in their latest bid for a veto-proof margin on a children's health bill, chastened House Democrats are trying a humbler tack: talking directly with the lawmakers whose support they need. Democratic leaders are scheduled to meet Monday with a handful of Republicans seen as crucial to deciding whether more changes to the bill will give backers the all-important two-thirds majority that eludes them.

OK, we freeped this last week, and it didn't go well. They've put up a new poll because there was ANOTHER schip vote. Once again, we are losing. Let's win this one.... The poll can be found at: http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=OPINION

Like many people, I've been watching with interest the story regarding S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) in the news and have been fascinated with the push for what amounts to socialized medicine by the Democratic Party. Nancy Pelsoi, the Speaker of the House seems to have taken this issue on personally with much time and attention. There are many who view this as purely a politcal game by the Democrats to make the current Bush administration look bad, particularly before the '08 election. Be that as it may, the Dems really are showing themselves to be somewhat sloppy in...

Press Releases Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami 202-226-7616 For Immediate Release 10/25/2007 Pelosi Statement on Vote to Approve New Children’s Health Insurance Legislation Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic leaders held a news conference in the Capitol this evening following the vote on the revised bipartisan SCHIP bill, which passed by a vote of 265 to 142. Below are the Speaker’s opening remarks: “Today we took another step forward in providing health insurance for 10 million children. It’s an interesting vote. Although we had a number of absences on both sides, we had a situation where on the...

WASHINGTON — The House passed a revised children's health proposal Thursday, but not by the two-thirds margin that supporters will need if President Bush vetoes the measure as promised. The 265-142 vote was a victory for Bush and his allies, who urged House Republicans to reject Democrats' claims that changes to the legislation had met their chief concerns. If the same vote occurs on a veto override attempt, Bush will prevail, as he did earlier this month when he vetoed a similar bill. Liberal groups continue to run attack ads against Republicans siding with Bush on the issue, which many...

House OKs new kids' health proposal; vote not veto-proof. Details soon.

Thursday, October 25, 2007 OK, liberals and Democrats care about "the children." I get it. It's not that I believe conservatives and Republicans don't care about children and gobble them up with their three-martini lunches, but I get that liberals and Democrats care. We'll see just how much now that Congress has failed to override President Bush's wise veto of their $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Plan. From the White House to Capitol Hill, the veto battle established that there is broad, bipartisan support for the original SCHIP idea. Almost everyone favors funding for state programs...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The House will vote Thursday on a revised bill for the State Children's Health Insurance Program that budges on several contentious issues, but not on the price tag.

Democrats have thrown down the gauntlet again on children's health care, unveiling a new bill they believe will win enough votes to override a White House veto. Last week, Democrats were 13 votes short of overriding President Bush's veto of the $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program bill, which would extend health benefits to 10 million uninsured children. Here are the key changes Democrats have proposed for the new bill, which will be considered Thursday in the House: First, there would be no funding for families making above 300 percent of the federal poverty line, which...

Blunt: Democrats Schedule Contentious SCHIP Vote While Members are Home, Responding to Wildfires 10/24 7:52 am (PR) Story 3865 WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today after House Democrats announced they plan to push through controversial SCHIP legislation tomorrow while a number of members from southern California are back in their districts responding to the wildfires: "The scope, scale and severity of the fires raging in southern California are of a magnitude few of us have ever seen. What's important right now is that members from the area be given the...

The Bush administration, looking for compromise on an issue causing heartburn for many Republicans, shifted its position on a major area of disagreement with Congress over a children's health-insurance bill. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said the administration would be willing to support letting states cover health care for children in families earning as much as 300% of the federal poverty level, or about $60,000 a year for a family of four, in the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or Schip. The administration previously opposed permitting states to cover children above the 200% level. "In order to find...

The House's failure to override a veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill last week has such echoing repercussions, it will shake Massachusetts, the land of universal health insurance, to the core. The bill would have extended the 10-year-old program for an additional five years (it expired September 30th) and expanded its scope by $35 billion, drawing funds from a cigarette tax hike. "The tobacco tax increase would result in $9.4 billion in revenues AND nearly $400 million in health care savings over five years from smoking-related medical problems... Nearly two million children will NOT become smokers...

With Audio..... The craziest story we discussed was related to a turtle fence. The state of Michigan wants $318,000 in federal money to build a fence to keep turtles off of a highway and being killed during their migration. WHY ARE WE NOT WILLING TO BUILD THE FENCE ON THE BORDER, BUT WE WANT TO BUILD ONE TO SAVE A TURTLE? PRIORITIES PEOPLE, PRIORITIES! From "In The Booth," - my weekly political talk show in Colorado....streamed live via the internet.

Spending Addicts by: Bethany Stotts, October 23, 2007 Contrary to popular public opinion, however, the current debt crisis has little to do with the Iraq War so much as profligate congressional spending, according to Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller, David M. Walker. He told a Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) audience this October that the current fiscal crisis can be largely attributed to “known demographic trends and rising healthcare costs,” and that “the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable.” Currently, the GAO estimates that each American citizen carries approximately $170,000 in federal debt, or $440,000 in federal debt per household....

A Maryland family caught in the partisan crossfire over a children's health-care bill in Congress is now stepping back into the divisive debate, advocating this time for state legislation that would expand coverage for adults. Three weeks ago, after 12-year-old Graeme Frost offered a radio appeal for expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), his family became fodder for conservative bloggers. The Frosts were derided as freeloaders who relied on government insurance for their children while they sent two to private school. Bloggers staked out their Baltimore rowhouse, declaring it too fancy for a family that can't afford...

President Bush and Congress both agree that the State Children's Health Insurance Program is a very important one. It was created 10 years ago to provide health care for low-income children, below 200 percent of poverty, who do not qualify for Medicaid. Since February, President Bush has been calling on Congress to reauthorize SCHIP, and even proposed a 20 percent increase in funding to ensure all eligible children can be enrolled and that no child already on SCHIP loses coverage. But Congress passed a massive expansion of SCHIP that moves the program far beyond its original intent of covering America's...

Hutchison votes for children's health insurance bill Move could help with gubernatorial run, analysts say. Click-2-Listen By Suzanne Gamboa ASSOCIATED PRESS Monday, October 22, 2007 WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas consistently voted for a children's health insurance bill President Bush opposed. But only after voting for a bill GOP leaders favored. No flip-flopping. Hutchison was covering her bases. Texas leads the nation in uninsured children. But the state remains strongly Republican. The party's conservatives who see the program as a step toward government-run health care still turn out heavily in Texas GOP primaries. "I think...

Stark Raving Madmen Democrat Tourette’s syndrome gone wild. By Mark Steyn On Thursday, Congress attempted to override President Bush’s veto of the S-CHIP debate. S-CHIP? Isn’t that something to do with health care for children? Absolutely. And here is Representative Pete Stark (Democrat, California) addressing the issue with his customary forensic incisiveness “The Republicans are worried that they can’t pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don’t care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? Are you going to tell us lies like you’re telling...

They can't stop the war or override the president's veto on S-CHIP. Harry Reid is less popular in his home state of Nevada than the president is in the country, and, if you listen to the pollsters and the pundits, the Democrats are about to choose one of the most divisive political figures in the Republic’s history to be their 2008 presidential nominee. Which begs the question: When should Democrats begin to panic? The answer is "not yet." But the truth is that unless they can re-establish some of their 2006 momentum, Democrats may find themselves going into the next...

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, has again voted against extending the State Children's Health Insurance Program. If a challenge is mounted against Goodlatte in 2008, who will you vote for? Goodlatte or the challenger?

On Thursday, Congress attempted to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP expansion. SCHIP? Isn't that something to do with health care for children? Absolutely. And here is Bay Area Democratic Rep. Pete Stark addressing the issue with his customary forensic incisiveness: "The Republicans are worried that they can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. I'm not sure I follow the argument here: President Bush wants to breed a generation of sickly uninsured children in order to send them to Iraq to stagger...