Bush vs The Kids, Round One

I'm sure you've already heard about Bush's veto of the S-CHIP bill; if not, here's some coverage on the matter from the last week.

From a Post article from last Wednesday, detailing the House's passage of the S-CHIP compromise: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/25/AR2007092501474.html

Also from the Post, two days later, when the Senate passed the bill 67-29, a veto-proof majority: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/27/AR2007092701038.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

One week after the S-CHIP bill was passed, Bush vetoed it, quietly and without fanfare: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/washington/04bush.html

An excellent Times editorial debunking counterarguments against the bill:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/opinion/05fri1.html

And finally, the point behind this blog post:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/us/politics/08cong.html

This bill is going to be coming back up for a potential veto override. It already enjoys a supermajority in the Senate; it still needs plenty of Republican members of the House to change their votes in order to pass over Bush's veto. The issue isn't complicated; the question is simply whether poor children should get health care, or whether they should fend for themselves.

New Jersey has three Congressmen who voted against S-CHIP, and that's one place to start applying pressure. UHCC and the College Dems are going to start canvassing, tabling, and seeking signatures for a petition to send to the New Jersey representatives--more info forthcoming tomorrow. In the meantime, check out this 30-second video made by FamiliesUSA, and please sign the e-mail petition; it will only take a minute of your time.
http://www.familiesusa.org/bushvskids/

--Jordan Bubin '09