A group of us descended upon Congressman Baron Hill's office yesterday (I have no idea why I was grinning like a total idiot) to raise a ruckus about the bill to re-up the funding on the Children's Health Insurance Program. We got a polite reception by Hill's staff, and a nice, clean-cut young man explained Hill's position on this issue, which is First-and-Foremost to protect small, family-owned tobacco farmers in Southern Indiana who are barely scraping by. Ok, I feel for family farmers, but one would think that they'd grow something else at this point in human evolution. Someone from that area told me that tobacco farming is deeply ingrained, and if that's what they've always done, that's what they'll always do. Hill's chance to override Bush's veto comes up in a couple of weeks, and while I feel for small farmers, I feel for sick kids more. The problem, according to the staff dude (and apparently a lot of people have a problem with this) is funding it through another "sin" tax on cigarettes. Ok, whatever, I agree that this is not the best long term solution if the result is that less people will smoke because that erodes the funding base. In theory. But come on, are people really going to give up smoking because cigarettes cost a little more? I think not. And do I feel bad that the tax burden goes to them? I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for that position. First of all, according to www.health.gov, 62% of smokers are poor or "near poor". These are the very same kids who need healthcare the most. Because their kids are poor or near poor, and because their kids are affected by second hand smoke, meaning more respiratory problems, lower birth weights, more asthma attacks, more ear infections, etc. Bottom line is--smokers have a choice to pay the tax. In all reasonableness, I don't mind if they spend MY tax dollars on children's health care. Have at it. The trouble is that all of my tax dollars are going to kill people in Iraq at the cost of TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS A DAY. Can you tell I'm upset. Yes, I'm starting to reach maximum pissed-offedness at this administration. Not to mention our Democratic congresspersons who are not doing squat to stand up to Bush. Look up "Blue Dog Democrats" and there is our Congressman, running with the pack.
A group of us descended upon Congressman Baron Hill's office yesterday (I have no idea why I was grinning like a total idiot) to raise a ruckus about the bill to re-up the funding on the Children's Health Insurance Program. We got a polite reception by Hill's staff, and a nice, clean-cut young man explained Hill's position on this issue, which is First-and-Foremost to protect small, family-owned tobacco farmers in Southern Indiana who are barely scraping by. Ok, I feel for family farmers, but one would think that they'd grow something else at this point in human evolution. Someone from that area told me that tobacco farming is deeply ingrained, and if that's what they've always done, that's what they'll always do. Hill's chance to override Bush's veto comes up in a couple of weeks, and while I feel for small farmers, I feel for sick kids more. The problem, according to the staff dude (and apparently a lot of people have a problem with this) is funding it through another "sin" tax on cigarettes. Ok, whatever, I agree that this is not the best long term solution if the result is that less people will smoke because that erodes the funding base. In theory. But come on, are people really going to give up smoking because cigarettes cost a little more? I think not. And do I feel bad that the tax burden goes to them? I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for that position. First of all, according to www.health.gov, 62% of smokers are poor or "near poor". These are the very same kids who need healthcare the most. Because their kids are poor or near poor, and because their kids are affected by second hand smoke, meaning more respiratory problems, lower birth weights, more asthma attacks, more ear infections, etc. Bottom line is--smokers have a choice to pay the tax. In all reasonableness, I don't mind if they spend MY tax dollars on children's health care. Have at it. The trouble is that all of my tax dollars are going to kill people in Iraq at the cost of TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS A DAY. Can you tell I'm upset. Yes, I'm starting to reach maximum pissed-offedness at this administration. Not to mention our Democratic congresspersons who are not doing squat to stand up to Bush. Look up "Blue Dog Democrats" and there is our Congressman, running with the pack.
Comments