Republicans 1, Socialized Medicine 0

by: R.J. Moeller

This week, the President’s veto of the SCHIP program (which gives families making $40,000 a year or less eligibility for free health insurance for their children) was described by everyone from Chris Matthews on MSNBC to folk-rocker Paul Simon on the steps of the Capitol Building as a heartless refusal to help the children. Refusing themselves to bother with facts, context, or honest reporting, the media and her cohorts in Congress failed to explain to the public that what the Democrats were proposing was a massive expansion of the Federal government’s control over healthcare. Families making up to $80,000 in some states would be eligible for free healthcare from Uncle Sam; even those who already have coverage and are doing fine.

It was a blatant and transparent attempt by the Democrats to bring nationalized healthcare to the United States for every citizen (something most coherent people know is failing in Canada and Europe as we speak). Instead of engaging in an open and honest debate concerning what role our Federal government should play in the daily lives of Americans, and to what extent that government “owes” its people with free stuff, Democrats launched ad campaigns and flew in outspoken entertainers in an attempt to browbeat Republicans and Moderates into effectively handing the reigns of healthcare over to a governing body and its endless bureaucracies that currently have an 11% approval rating (more than 20 points lower than even President Bush).

The Republicans, led by President Bush, were seeking to expand SCHIP, but so that it included all of the recipients it was created in the first place to help: poor children. That was never brought up, nor was why it is exactly Democrats are so intent on increasing the centralized power Washington already possess. I’m thinking their original commercial idea of having Nancy Pelosi sitting on top of a pile of tax payers’ money while explaining the perks of Socialism didn’t test too well with the 18-75 crowd.