Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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August 21, 2007 8:29 AM
Bush Threatens "Corrective Action" Against Families Who Receive CHIP
By now, everyone has probably read the New York Times story about the Bush administration's move to "make it much more difficult for New York, California and others to extend coverage to children in middle-income families." But as someone who has done extensive work in state politics and who serves on the board of the Progressive States Network (which is aggressively fighting to expand health care in America's states), I have to say that two nuggets really stick out to me.
The first is this passage:
"If a state wants to set its income limit above 250 percent of the poverty level ($51,625 for a family of four), Mr. Smith said, 'the state must establish a minimum of a one-year period of uninsurance for individuals' before they can receive public coverage."
So basically, the pro-devolution and pro-"states rights" Republican Party is now on record saying that if a state legislature wants to extend coverage to a family of four making over $51,625, the legislature must insist that the family go without health insurance for a year. Wonderful.
The other nugget is this:
"In his letter, Mr. Smith said the new standards would apply to states that previously received federal approval to cover children with family incomes exceeding 250 percent of the poverty level. Such states should amend their state plans to meet federal expectations within 12 months, or the Bush administration 'may pursue corrective action,' Mr. Smith said.
This is threatening, deliberately intimidating Big Brother-style language. The federal government "may pursue corrective action?" Against who? In states that expand their CHIP programs, are federal agents going to swarm in and revoke publicly subsidized health insurance from working-class families and force those families to retroactively pay back the aid they received? Is that "corrective action?" If not, what is? I'm not even joking around here - these are very legitimate questions that we have to ask.
Lyndon Johnson engaged in a "War On Poverty" - a war to try to end poverty. George W. Bush is embarking on a "War For Poverty" - and this move represents the final attempt to solidify his legacy as the most ardent reverse-Robin-Hood class warrior ever to hold the White House.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
Jesus said: "Suffer not unto the little children, fore what you do unto them you do unto Me..!"
Why do Republicans love to harm and deny Americas children, why are so many Republicans pedophiles..?
Is there something appealing to pedophiles that is common with the wrapped vile so called Conservative ideology..?
Apparently so..!
Someone can now write a book on the ultimate way to abuse the representative democracy system of America by studying the Bush legacy. A book about the opposite is already written. It's called Parity Democracy, available online worldwide and is about what an ideal representative democracy should be. Bush has turned this one into representative dictatorship.
Why expand the coverage to people making $50k a year? I don't get it, people in that income bracket aren't poor by any measure.
And the jobs I've seen where people make $50k a year generally have good health insurance plans. They don't need to go to state run or private clinics to have their kids looked at.
Waltc - The 250% of the poverty level (or $51,625) is for a family of 4, not an individual. And with many small business dropping health insurance as a benefit, more and more people may be hitting this level.
The biggest distinction is that this is expanded coverage for children, not individual adults. Are health insurers really going to face competition from an expanded SCHIP? That's the question.
Additionally, a "family of four" making 50K a year could consist of two adults, each making 25K a year. I'm not aware of companies offering great benefits for that pay bracket.
"Why expand the coverage to people making $50k a year? I don't get it, people in that income bracket aren't poor by any measure." - waltc
Is 50k per year especially for a married couple good in CA? I think not.
"And the jobs I've seen where people make $50k a year generally have good health insurance plans." - waltc
There are temporary/contract/part-time positions where people can possibly make 50k+ per annum but the nature of those kinds of positions are unlike fulltime, they are paid hourly. Moreover, in those positions, there are RARELY any benefits unless you're ready to let it EAT into your paycheck which isn't any better. And of course, it gets even worse if 50k is a combined amount in a married couple. When I finished my bachelor's degree, it was hard to find fulltime positions in my field of IT but I had to fight hard to get better hourly wages working part time and temporary positions every few months to a year. Luckily, I chose to live in a cheap fucked up apartment and used the money I fought tooth and nail to get with a higher wage position after position towards a master's degree. Not only did the master's degree help me answer the tougher abstract questions in most job interviews but what was supposed to require active secret clearance, was made clearable. By the way, it only took me a few months to get the clearance. Mind you, not all people are lucky unless you want to call them RAYGUN's favorite phrase "welfare queens". Have you ever worked in those types of positions or have you done full time employment only?
Done it all Max(contract, full-time, part time and self-employed) and held the highest level clearances around as well. But mostly I worked as in blue-collar jobs(did IT but hated it, the politics sucked and went back to the factory floor), see I'm one of those people that likes to work with his hands.
But theres a bigger problem and SCHIPS is just a silly band-aid and diversion for it.
For the last decade and a half the number of well paying jobs in CA have been disappearing like water in Death Valley. Factories that used to pay $15 a hour in 1990 now pay $7.50 with OSHA and labor violations very common. I could show you factories that employ almost nothing but illeagals and ex-cons that work under horrid and toxic conditions(working with solvents and enamel paints with no safety gear and no ventilation) in this state. Hell I worked at plants like this. 20 years ago OSHA would have shut them down, instead they get awarded commendations by local city officials.
Other companies are so sadistic they shit can their employees before they complete the 6 month or 1 year employment to qualify for health care.(been there and had it done to me).
As for IT and high tech in CA its went to China save for DoD work(and that doesn't employ many people anymore). Silicon Valley may be different but I know they are suffering from H1-B influxes.
Put it this way SCHIPS is a symptom not the disease. It doesn't address the declining wages and disappearing jobs. These are the things that are making SCHIPS needed.
20-30 years ago it wasn't needed but back then wages were better and so were the bennies. But back then both parties hadn't started their jihad against the bluecollars and middle-class.
But try telling it to the Dumbocrats who think a band aid like SCHIPS is a corrective for the loss of millions of well paid jobs(and the taxes that go with them).
Clueless fucks.
waltc,
I did some more looking up on SCHIPS. Interestingly, the federal government is supposed to give each state a pool of money to be used to provide uninsured children with health insurance though I doubt DC would care to do it correctly given its known hostility towards CA.
On the contracts and layoffs, yes, I've seen that happen. Years ago, I was in one 9 month contract where after my 5th month when I was a dope for being studios and completing my job ahead of time instead of acting like a soap opera producer by stretching it, it was over. Of course, they would renew it but I'd have to relocate out of state in an area I was totally unfamiliar with. I passed and let it expire and went back to job hunting. These days, I always make sure I take full time all the way, no temp-to-perm, contract-to-perm, temp-to-hire, etc ...
As for CA and job losses, that's why I used to shiver at even being suggested that I move to that state as if visiting it itself was not expensive enough. Even Northern VA would never get that high in expenses and job losses compared to CA.
As for IT, I used to do nothing but programming-only tasks until I got through my master's program and then I took what I learned and turned the tables around. Yes, I had to make sacrifices such as not going out and getting a date in my mid to late 20s. And even when my wife and I were engaged when I turned 30, she and I agreed to sacrifice a few more years trying to have an affordable life as a married couple as both of us were struggling with job instability and insecurity and that was 10 years ago. I'm sure it's probably worse today.
P.S.: As for the Dumbocrats, get this, Ms. Barbara Boxer is all of a sudden worried about the CA GOP powergrab scheme somehow having an implication of swinging the 2008 presidential election to the GOP. I haven't heard her say anything about the healthcare fiasco or for that matter another UNFORGIVABLE vote by Feinstein on the wiretapping bill.
Bush is the American Nero..
Not wait Caligula..
No Nero..!
Caligula was too smart..evil but smart..
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