Ohio Republicans are lying about why they didn't vote for health care for poor children.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
The House voted Wednesday to triple spending on a program that provides health coverage to about 147,000 low-income children in Ohio and millions nationwide whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid....
....All of Ohio's Democrats supported the House bill and all the state's Republicans opposed it....
.... Republicans said they were particularly bothered by the bill's proposal to couple a 45-cent-a-pack tax increase on cigarettes with a reduction in payments to private insurance companies that offer seniors coverage under Medicare.....
The Republicans said that the bill will harm seniors, but that is a lie. Why would Republicans vote against a bill to help poor children? Could it be because poor children don't vote? Could it be because the tobacco and insurance companies would make less profits? Could it be because Republicans get big, big money from tobacco and insurance PACs? You bet.
President Bush said he will veto the final children's health care bill when it gets to his desk. That is sad.