Clearing The Air

President Bush vows to veto a bill pushed by smoking ban lobbyists and socialized healthcare advocates

President Bush in one fell swoop proposes common sense action that will not only please those who believe in limited government intervention (free markets) but also those who believe in fiscal responsibility. Liberal lawmakers proposed a $35,000,000,000.00 tax hike to foot the S-CHIPS expansion bill.

The proposed expansion of S-CHIPS (to be vetoed by Bush) helps people with of incomes up to $85,000 get onto the government healthcare dole. In some cases current S-CHIPS enrollees don’t even have children.

Bush's veto promise appeals to those who believe free market structure is the better method to insure families who can afford health insurance. Private free market insurance is better able to keep healthcare costs down as competition keeps costs in check. Universal or socialized health insurance on the other hand answers to nobody; clinics, hospitals, and care providers will continually escalate costs in a socialized healthcare program because there is no competition to keep a lid on unlimited price hikes.

Additionally we all know the stories from Canadian and other socialist countries which routinely encounter months of waiting lists for simple procedures due to the fact that since government covers everybody under a "free healthcare" system, people use the system for every minor incident; hang nails, in-grown toenails, the common cold, etc. which overloads the health provider system due to unreasonably high demand.

The additional appeal to us at Clearing the Air is that the S-CHIPS expansion has been pushed hard by the same tobacco control activists who convince liberal lawmakers and presidential hopeful Mike Hukabee to raise state tobacco taxes and ban smoking in private bars and restaurants which have suffered financially from these intrusive government ordinances. These activists are heavily funded by Johnson & Johnson Company affiliate the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). RWJF funding ($200,000.000.00+) for such laws has less to do with concern for health and welfare than it does to bolster its share value in the Johnson & Johnson Company. Johnson & Johnson's subsidiary ALZA manufactures alternative cigarette products Nicoderm & Nicoderm CQ. And RWJF remains one of the largest shareholders of Johnson & Johnson stock, valued at nearly $5 billion worth. RWJF was also founded by the Johnson & Johnson Company, sharing some of the same executives and board members.

So President Bush and Republicans have the chance to bring some fiscal responsibility back to Washington, while at the same time denying pharmaceutical special interests the rent seeking laws they desire....it's a win win as far as we are concerned.

Update: The Heartland Institute points out how Bush's veto of S-CHIPS helps Minnesota's poor.

posted by marcus aurelius @ 3:13 PM