Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Corporate welfare OK, but not helping kids

Corporate welfare OK, but not helping kids

Nov 04, 2007 - 09:20:36 CST

By PAUL EVERSON
Mandan

Why is it the president is opposed to increasing the number of children insured by the federal insurance law, when the money will come from cigarette taxes? Yes, what a great way to pay for it. Yet he maintains it will be too big a government program.

He is fine with spending $228 billion on the farm bill, which is "giving" taxpayer money away, often without strings - in other words, the farmers and ranchers don't have to live up to stringent environmental preservation conditions to get the handouts and often produce less than healthy commodities, promoting heart disease and obesity.

Oh, and let's not forget the $2.4 trillion cost of invading Iraq and our war in Afghanistan.

So corporate welfare, and unnecessary war are OK; helping working poor families with children, not.

It is the classic conservative lie. The government is not in the business of doing anything good for people who need it. I never will understand how so many conservatives, especially those of the "Christian" variety, don't want to help the poor, which was what Jesus would do.

Obesity is rampant in the country, so the conservatives' pulling physical ed from the schools to save a few nickels has really paid big dividends in health care savings, right?

The examples are endless, but when you have a mechanism in place to pay - that is, cigarette tax - for children's health insurance, and he vetoes it?

I always hoped this president would be a compassionate conservative, but he has proved not to be.

News > Opinion

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Comments

Aaron wrote on Nov 4, 2007 2:49 PM:

" Honestly, how can we not afford children's health care, as our "fiscally conservative" president says, but are still able to appropriate another $200 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Could somebody please give me an answer? "

Socks wrote on Nov 4, 2007 2:40 PM:

" Many of us suck up the price of insurance to cover our family. Some people opt out of insurance and want gov't help, say it's too expensive. The reality is they can't have as nice of car, house or clothes. There are also those, who truly need assistance, for those there are income guidelines established. At work, several times I hear how expensive insurance is, can't take there kid to the doctor, etc. I watch each day they buy a take out lunch, drive new cars and wear the latest fashions. Actions speak louder than words and some people need to learn how to put kids first. "

Whatabouttherestofus wrote on Nov 4, 2007 11:53 AM:

" I have a huge problem paying for my own insurance. Taxing someone else to pay for this is wrong. What about the rest of us that do have insurance and struggle every day to pay for it? That is the problem with this country, spend it and tax some one else. "

PO3 wrote on Nov 4, 2007 10:27 AM:

" Only thing I got to say about this any family making over $80,000 per year can pay their own children's insurance. "

WHATEVER wrote on Nov 4, 2007 10:23 AM:

" The term 'Compassionate Conservative' is a contradiction of terms. Conservative ideology mandates an agenda of cold hearted cruelty to all but the super rich. "

barney wrote on Nov 4, 2007 8:44 AM:

" Mr. Everson be honest, the President increased the amount by 5 billion, but the Democrats wanted over 30 billion. I'll ask this again why since the Dems took over has it been that the President has to work with the Dems, why isn't is the Dems have to also work with the President. The Dems are doing it to score points with the looney left and Moveon.org and the President is holding firm to court far right wing idealogues, all the while the people in the US are getting shafted. In my opinion, more can get done if the Dems would just tone down their rhetoric and not ask for a fight on every bill they want. They aren't going to get everything they want and neither is the President, so they need to compromise, but the name calling has been far worse on the Dem side than on the right "

dante wrote on Nov 4, 2007 8:37 AM:

" get over it. this man is above us all. GOD told him so. await the reaping of GEORGE's Holy bounty. "

just a minute wrote on Nov 4, 2007 6:14 AM:

" Maybe before your rants go too far you should know. Of the 228 billion much of the money never goes to farmers. The hot lunch program at schools, food stamps, and the admistration of farm programs is funded in this budget also. So any of you partaking in these programs are getting you piece of the pie. I really can't think of any un healthy crop in N.D. that is subsidized. Unless of course you have a problem with malting barley. As for obese people wandering the state it is hardly the fault of those that raise the crops. Perhaps you should put the blame on those that eat too much. But I quess it is always easier to blame someone else for our own short comings. "

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