How Much Does Bush Hate Kids? This much!

CNN reports that George Bush has vetoed a second bill expanding the funding of the SCHIP program for poor/uninsured kids. Why is it the so-called “godless liberals” seem to be the only ones interested in, oh, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, taking care of widows and orphans. You know, all that stuff Jesus was so keen on. How on earth did the Republican party become the evangelical Christian party? Does anyone even read the Bible anymore?! Oh I forgot…they only read the smiting bits.

And I hate the excuse that I hear for vetoing these sorts of bills and for trying to block a national healthcare system: “It’s a step towards communism.” Oh, come on! We all know communism doesn’t work. We’ve seen the fall out and aside from a few overly-idealistic college students I think most of us are over it. But a healthy pinch of socialism in certain areas doesn’t seem to have done those European nations with longer life spans, better education and job security, and shorter work weeks any harm. And who benefits by having millions of people uninsured? No one. They either get treatment and can’t pay for it, go into debt, and drag the economy down with them, get the government or charity to pay for it once the situation becomes acute, which is more expensive than insuring them beforehand, or get no treatment and are unable to work (going on welfare) or die (and allowing that to happen only further weakens the moral fiber of our nation and shreds our credibility).

It’s not like we’re free from the taint of socialism anyway. What do you think the public school system is? Badly run socialism. Technically, anything that people are compelled to contribute money to for the benefit of all (irregardless of how much they themselves contributed to) is socialism. But we have deemed these form nots only acceptable but necessary to have a healthy, cohesive society. Why not healthcare? I would think that would be the first thing we would want to take care of. When people go to a underdeveloped country or into a crisis situation, they don’t start by building roads and raising an army…they start by providing food and medicine to everyone, followed quickly by education. That’s is where our priorities should be.

The words of one evangelical Christian republican voter on NPR the other day chilled me- “I’m tired of paying for someone else’s child to have breakfast at school everyday.” It shows not only a very un-Christianlike lack of compassion, but a lack of forsight. When other people’s children starve, it brings us down as a group. And the more children who grow up with out food and medical treatment and a good education, the more sick, uneducated, and probably bitter adults we will have a few years down the road. That’s bad for the economy, bad for the crime rate, bad for our intellectual standing in the world, and bad for our national conscience.

~ by lycaon on December 13, 2007.