SCHIP Petition

Submitted by Jerimee on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 3:27pm.

I made this petition to call upon Bush to sign SCHIP. I can't imagine him not doing this, but them again both Dole and Burr were comfortable voting against NC children, and the White House probably told them to.

He's certainly threatening to veto:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/

Please sign the petition.

http://ncdp.org/petition_schip

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It is our moral obligation to ensure that all of America's children have health care. President Bush is threatening to deny health care to 116,000 North Carolina children by vetoing the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

While both Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr voted with Bush, Congress acted last week to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program. If President Bush signs this bill, more than 10 million children and families would be able to afford health insurance. Yet, despite those stakes, that remains a very big "IF."

Sign here to demand Bush enact SCHIP:

http://ncdp.org/petition_schip

5

Front Paged

Submitted by Linda on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 7:07pm.

In all the sturm und drang over Bilgewater and the War, let us not forget our youngest citizens. S-CHIP is absolutely vital for NC and all other states - please sign the petition.

Gov. Mike Easley sent a letter Friday to the North Carolina Congressional Delegation explaining his support for the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The bill passed both houses of Congress, but President Bush has vowed to veto the measure.

Bush thinks the bill is too expensive; taken in perspective with what Bilgewater Rats get paid, the $35 billion over 5 years is a drop in the bucket. We need to take care of our children -- ALL of our children.

Governor Easley says if the Congress can override the the veto, and the SCHIP plan remains in its current form North Carolina could serve 91,000 children for a year.

“Let me be clear about the bill.This bill does not replace private insurance in North Carolina; rather, it will ensure that more children will leave the rolls of the uninsured. We only cover those children under 200 percent of poverty (under $40,000 for a family of four) as the law was intended," said Governor Easley.

This is important, folks. Your vote on the petition will let the Dems who voted against the bill when it first went through know that we want them to override the Blunderer in Chief's ill-conceived veto. Do it. Please.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

Jerimee's picture

thanks for front paging

Submitted by Jerimee on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 4:13pm.

The threatened veto is supposed to come tomorrow, but I'll take a stab in the dark and guess Bush won't veto SCHIP.

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Yes he will. He has no conscience.

Submitted by Linda on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 4:34pm.

He doesn't care about the children or families it affect. It's up to Democrats - and Republicans with any shred of decency left to take that bill back from him.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

persondem's picture

Signed. I guess since Bush won't be a candidate anytime soon

Submitted by persondem on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 7:54pm.

he's completely bagging that old compassionate conservative crap.

War+Ignoring Katrina victims+vetoing SCHIP+War+corporate welfare+War+NCLB = @$$hole

Person County Democrats

Playing Devil's Advocate

Submitted by Gideon S. Band on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 9:25pm.

Several NC Democrats -- including Reps. Bob Etheridge and Mike McIntyre -- have problems with the bill because it uses a tobacco tax to pay for SCHIP's expansion.

The argument is that it will cause damage to already struggling farmers.

By that measure, a vote against the current incarnation isn't necessarily a vote against the state's children so much as a vote against attacking the state's tobacco farmers. It isn't really that simple of a choice.

No one with their head attached correctly is against insuring kids, but they probably also don't want to put another nail in the coffin of someone's livelihood.

As for Bush's veto threat -- it's based on an essentially groundless claim. I'll leave it at that.

With all due respect to family farmers

Submitted by Linda on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 9:35pm.
  1. It's about time they switched crops to something that doesn't put a greater strain on the health care system.
  2. The proposed tax is only 3 cents per cigarette. No one is going to quit smoking over that.
  3. North Carolina has got to stop holding Tobacco as some sort of sacred substance that no one can say anything bad about. It kills people. It's dangerous. Farmers who grow it should think about growing something else. (I say this with full knowledge that it's not a popular things to say and that I have tobacco farmers in my extended family.
  4. It's a lame excuse for Etheridge and McIntyre. They need to vote to override the promised veto, or thousands of child advocates will work against their re-election.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

Tobacco ...

Submitted by Gideon S. Band on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 10:18pm.

is held up in North Carolina because of its place in the state's history.

I understand where you're coming from by saying it's a crop that kills people -- you're right. But it's really not anyone's place to tell a family that's been farming a legal crop for generations that they should change.

The argument holds more weight if tobacco products are illegalized. However, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

And if you want a clear indication that history and tradition play a clear role in political choices, look to the Vance-Aycock Dinner. There are plenty of people calling for a change of the annual dinner's name because Aycock was a racist. But Jerry Meek has defended it as tradition.

If the historical tobacco defense can't be used against the current SCHIP bill, then the tradition argument shouldn't be used for that dinner either.

persondem's picture

I never have like the fact that JJ includes Andrew

Submitted by persondem on Mon, 10/01/2007 - 11:30pm.

"Trail of Tears" Jackson's name in the title. He also told the Supreme Court to go stuff itself. Not my favorite American and I really wish we could find another "J" in our democratic history to replace Jackson.

look to the Vance-Aycock Dinner.

... and we get a racist to boot.

"Ah, yes, bartender, racism, I'll have a double."

"Yes, very good sir. That would be our AJ special."

(it's gettng late.)

Person County Democrats

Hadn't read your response when I wrote mine.

Submitted by Linda on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 12:12am.

I'd say it's time we started really looking at how we want our Party to be viewed. When it was time for the Jefferson - Jackson dinner, my teenager asked me who it was named for. When I told him Andrew Jackson, I got a lecture that lasted for 20 minutes. From a teenager.

If Jerry's reading this - I hope he is - let's think about the message we're sending when we continue to honor racists. Maybe "tradition" is not as important as we think it is. We can still get all dressed up and raise money and have fun, but name the dinners after things of which we can still be proud.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

Works for me.

Submitted by Linda on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 12:04am.

I think that McIntyre and Etheridge hiding behind the 3 cent a smoke cigarette tax is bullshit because every single smoker I know will pay the 3 damn cents without even thinking about. So yeah, the crop is legal. It also costs billions of dollars in health care costs each year. Pay the damn 3 cents. Just frickin' pay it.

But it's really not anyone's place to tell a family that's been farming a legal crop for generations that they should change.

I'm taking it as my place to say it. Someone has to, might as well be me. They're aren't going to like me anyhow - so why not say it? Why not ask them to grow food? Why not ask them to stop being part of a cycle of disease and death? Why is that such a bad thing? Don't give me the "Heritage". It's good to remember where you came from --- but it's even more important to watch where you're going.

As for Aycock - I'm all for dumping a tradition that honors a racist. But you're gonna have to do something about old Andy Jackson then, too. That whole Trail of Tears deal was on his watch, wasn't it - and even at his behest? Not something I'd want to advertise.

As a party, we denounced the Wilmington Race Riots. It's time to denounce the racists of our past. It's time to knowingly set it aside. I got email from the Richard Moore Campaign today talking about that, and I think it's a good idea.


Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

That is a stance ...

Submitted by Gideon S. Band on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 12:34am.

... that I can agree with.

Can't find the link

Submitted by James on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 8:04am.

But I read that Richard Moore has called for the name to be changed. Good for him.

Found it

Submitted by James on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 8:13am.

Here.

From an email I received from the campaign:

Submitted by Linda on Tue, 10/02/2007 - 8:15am.

In a letter to state Democratic Party leaders and Council of State members, Moore said he will use this weekend’s Vance-Aycock dinner to raise awareness about Aycock’s record. Aycock used the 1898 Wilmington race riots to win the governorship on a message of white supremacy, racial segregation and oppression. Aycock openly focused his 1900 campaign on an amendment to the North Carolina Constitution that was designed to disenfranchise tens of thousands of African-American voters. Aycock’s victory fostered Jim Crow laws throughout the South that silenced the voice of millions of African-American voters for decades.

There's more to it. It's a strong stance, and it's about time someone took it, The history of racism in our state and in the NCDP is stll the Elephant in the Middle of the Room. Can't fix it if we don't look at it square in the face and and say, "Day,um - an elephant!"


Be the change you wish to see in the world. --Gandhi

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And Helms begat Reagan...


Arguably, Ronald Reagan's Helms enabled win in the 1976 NC primary was all the encouragement he needed to try again in 1980, setting the stage for the Reagan Revolution and synergistic escapades like this one...

TrueMeckDem on Myers Park Pat

"My opinion of Pat has changed over the years. I used to think he was truly a man of the people but the longer he has been mayor, the less I think of him.

As with most cities, Charlotte has three political parties: Dem, Rep, and Chamber of Commerce. Pat is definitely the puppet of the COC here. What is good for business is good for Charlotte and Pat ... very personable guy, he has gotten a bunch of Dems in these parts to vote for him but I don't trust him."

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