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 The
news media has been filled with confusion in its description of the
State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and current efforts to
extend the program. The voices trying to politicize this have
overwhelmed the actual facts.
SCHIP was created to fund state programs that cover children from
low-income families. The program was first authorized in 1997, and since
then we have seen 4.7 million children enroll in state health insurance
programs. This is a tremendous success, but like many good things, we
still have more work to do. Under the current program, there are still
over 500,000 children that are eligible for these state health insurance
programs that have not even been enrolled. If you add children who
qualify for Medicaid, which covers children from the lowest income
group, there are over 6 million children qualifying under current
programs who have not enrolled yet in either Medicaid or SCHIP.
I strongly believe, as do most other Members of Congress, that SCHIP is
a highly beneficial program that should continue. I have supported
legislation to extend the program. Unfortunately, the current majority
refuses to continue the program unless they can double its size at a
total cost of over $70 billion in new spending over ten years. Funding
for the current SCHIP program was scheduled to expire on September 30,
2007. While a stopgap spending measure was passed to fund the program
through November 16, 2007, a long-term reauthorization is needed.
The current reauthorization proposal would expand income levels to cover
families making $62,000 a year in most states. In a country with a
median income of $46,326, this means taking money for health insurance
intended for children from low-income families and covering children
from middle-class families. Additionally, the 140 percent cost expansion
in the reauthorization legislation relies heavily on deficit spending to
cover the inflated price tag.
The Congressional Budget Office also estimates that one-in-three new
enrollees – a total of two million children - under this SCHIP expansion
would move off private insurance and onto government-funded health care
programs. Luring families away from private insurance into a
government-run health-system is only going to serve to increase
government-dependence and reduce the quality of health care children
receive, particularly when only 12% of this expanded group are currently
uninsured. This is the first step towards universal Washington-run
health care for all and I am a firm believer that universal
Washington-run health care is not the solution we want in the United
States. Long wait times, poor quality of care, and the government making
health decisions for patients plague other counties with such systems.
Additionally, this is not going to help the 500,000 children across the
United States that are eligible for SCHIP and not yet enrolled. Instead
of adding new categories of beneficiaries with higher income levels, we
should ensure we help the children that need it most first – the
children that are already eligible under current income requirements but
haven’t signed up yet. Opening the floodgates with more enrollees is not
going to prioritize our nation’s neediest children.
This reauthorization bill also does not require states to review
legitimate identity documents like drivers’ licenses, passports, or
birth certificates to ensure that the applicant is a U.S. citizen.
Self-declarations of citizenship do not work, and I will not support
passing legislation that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office
estimates will result in $3.7 billion in federal spending and $2.8
billion in state spending on illegal immigrants.
This legislation is a direct affront to every hard-working family in the
Fourth District that is struggling to make ends meet, yet is having
their taxpayer dollars go towards families with incomes 300 or 400
percent above the poverty level and to illegal aliens that pay no taxes
at all.
I would suggest that the best way to support our nation’s children is
for this Congress to work to find a bipartisan solution with Democrats
and Republicans actually talking to each other in intelligent debate
instead of name-calling and hurling false accusations. I co-sponsored a
bill that would extend the current SCHIP program for eighteen months
while we work out this type of solution. We should all want what is
best, what is responsible, and what is the intent of SCHIP. I believe it
can be done - as soon as scoring political points becomes less important
than the health of our nation’s most valuable asset.
There are numerous well-funded interest groups with significant
financial incentives for their support of this massive expansion. It is
not fair to hold our children hostage for a political agenda. Our
citizens do not want us to fix health care mistakes with more mistakes.
That is exactly what would happen if I were to vote for a bad bill just
because it has a good title. Hopefully, the majority will reverse their
current refusal to allow any amendments or compromise on SCHIP and will
decide to work in a bipartisan manner to develop the solution that is
best for our children’s health.
Observing Flag Etiquette
 In
June of 1777, the Continental Congress established an official flag for
our newly founded nation. Today our flag
continues to stand as a symbol of freedom, valor, and hope. Constituents
often ask me about the proper treatment of such an important symbol to
our nation. The following questions and answers regarding the United
States Flag Code will help you in following proper flag etiquette.
What is the proper of time of day to fly the flag?
It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to
sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However,
when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a
day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
Should I take the flag down during a rain storm?
The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement,
except when an all-weather flag is displayed.
When should the flag be displayed?
The flag should be displayed daily and on all holidays, weather
permitting, on or near the main administration buildings of all public
institutions. It should also be displayed in or near every polling place
on election days and in or near every schoolhouse during school days.
What is the proper way to display the flag?
The flag should never be displayed with union down, except as a signal
of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
When displayed against a wall or a window, the blue field should be
uppermost and to the left of the observer.
Where should my flag be mounted in relation to the front of my house?
The flag should be displayed in a position of prominence. This usually
means to left or right of the front door, or at the center of the house.
If you are flying two flags, however, the American flag should always be
positioned to the left of the other flag as the viewer approaches the
house.
Should I destroy the flag if it touches the ground?
No. The flag should never be dipped toward any person or object, nor
should the flag ever touch anything beneath it. However, if your flag
does touch the ground, you should immediately correct the situation and
clean the flag with a mild soap solution if it has been dirtied.
My flag is really old and is ready to be retired. How should I
dispose of it properly?
The Flag Code states that when the condition of a flag is no longer
fitting for display that it should be disposed of in the most dignified
way possible. Your local VFW chapter, the American Legion, and some Boy
Scout and Girl Scout troops offer services to help you properly dispose
of your flag.
For more flag etiquette tips or if you would like to purchase a flag
flown over the United States Capitol, please visit my website at
http://randyforbes.house.gov.
Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense, by SRA
Bradley A. Lail |
