• commentary
  • TUESDAY AUGUST 28 2007 4:00 PM

Or At Least It Ought to Be

Submitted by Bitch_PhD

Edited by Bitch_PhD

Tags: child health insurance program, chip, health insurance, bush administration, reproductive rights



What's the connection between Bush's assholish attempt to deny health insurance to children and reproductive rights?

Glad you asked.

And finally, apparently [LIST]Hillary Clinton is not only saying that we need to make sure that reproductive health be part of any planned health care reform, but--for those of you who've forgotten or never realized--the very existence of the SCHIP came out of the work she did after her "failed" attempt at health care reform during her husband's first administration. (And yes, that's her taking credit for it--but don't worry, right wing nutjobs as well as lefties who support other Democratic candidates back this up.)

And now the latest news about poverty rates now includes information that further puts the lie to Bush's bullshit about not wanting to expand SCHIP to cover those above the poverty line.

The nation's poverty rate declined for the first time this decade, but the number of Americans without health insurance rose to a record high of 47 million in 2006, according to Census figures released today.

Children fared even worse. Last year 11.7 percent of youngsters under 18 years had no health insurance, up from 10.9 percent in 2005. The percentage of uninsured children has increased two years in a row after declining for at least five years, according to the Census data.


How is that possible?

"Despite SCHIP's earlier success in decreasing the number of uninsured children, their numbers have risen for the second straight year because of a decline in employer-based coverage."


So people are working harder, earning less

(The increase in this year's median household income appeared to be largely due to a jump in the number of people in each household taking on full-time jobs, rather than a rise in wages. In fact, earnings of both men and women declined by just over 1 percent.

The drop in the poverty rate from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006, meanwhile, was almost entirely driven by a decrease in poverty for those over 65),

and fewer jobs are offering health coverage.

HIllarycare--or fuck, any kind of national program, whether a single-payer system or nationalized hospitals--is starting to look pretty goddamn good, don't you think?

Bitch_PhD still isn't sure who she supports in the primary, but is pretty sure that Hillary's the best choice soley from a reproductive rights perspective.

  • PERMALINK
  • PRINT
  • Digg This
  • Email To A Friend
 

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 12

Next

Comments
CannedAir

CannedAir

Tempe, AZ
June 2007

AUG 28, 2007 09:17 PM

Morgan said:

indiecred17 said:i will rely on my own preparation and funds to make up for where the very basic government healthcare falls short... and will be GRATEFUL for what the have provided...



And all the people who simply don't have the funds to cover necessary medical procedures or to prepare for an emergency are just fucked then, right?


not fucked as long as theres lovely giving people like you who are willing to front this person's bill.. i just dont want to pay for it.. id rather worry about me and my fam.

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:17 PM

I am tired of these motherfucking lurkers on this motherfucking message board!

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:20 PM

indiecred17 said:

Morgan said:

indiecred17 said:i will rely on my own preparation and funds to make up for where the very basic government healthcare falls short... and will be GRATEFUL for what the have provided...



And all the people who simply don't have the funds to cover necessary medical procedures or to prepare for an emergency are just fucked then, right?


not fucked as long as theres lovely giving people like you who are willing to front this person's bill.. i just dont want to pay for it.. id rather worry about me and my fam.



*sigh*

By paying a bit extra in taxes every year, I could be helping front that hypothetical person's bill. Do you really think that anyone is thinking that you, as an individual, should have to foot the bill for every accidental pregnancy that occurs? No. What we're really talking about is maybe adding two bucks to your taxes every hear to help people who might need it with their reproductive choices.

I hate the argument people put forward that they don't want to pay for some random person's surgery/abortion/wart removal/whatever. You would never be paying for someone's entire bill. You might just be adding two cents to a fund that helps them. If that's such a big deal, you really need to take a closer look at your priorities.

CannedAir

CannedAir

Tempe, AZ
June 2007

AUG 28, 2007 09:20 PM

SirPsychoSexy said:

indiecred17 said:

Seej said:


Birth control doesn't always work.
Rape happens.
Condoms break.
etc, etc.



Absolutely, but you forgot the most important one; teenagers, at least those under 18, are kids. They're immature, and not adult. That's why they're not afforded the same choices and freedoms (voting, drinking, credit cards, etc.) that adults enjoy - they can and do make shitty decisions because they're still growing up.

So if some 16 year old girl is dumb enough to get drunk (surely not a great stretch of the imagination), then she's got both her immaturity and the booze screwing with her ability to make a good decision about sex. She may behave irresponsibly, but this is to be expected and punishing her by forcing her to go forward with the pregnancy is unlikely to benefit either her, her family, the child, or society.

Oh, and now I've done my best to shoot down that potential "if she didn't want to get pregnant, she shouldn't have had sex!" argument I'd be happy to take that dollar bet you offer Morgan. I accept paypal smile



thats true.. and i dont think anyone here is questioning a woman's right to choose... but its a little irrelevant to the point.. wheres my right to CHOOSE.. not to pay for some abortion i had no part in...



You do have a right to choose whether or not you want to be a member of society. You can choose to either leave the US, or not pay taxes and become forcibly removed from society.
You also have the choice to not make any money and thus pay no taxes. The money you use is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, so if you want to live here you gotta pay your dues.

If you choose to live here and I don't like you, can I refuse to pay one 300,000,000th of my taxes? You could always move to Switzerland so I don't have to pay for all the benefits you get as a citizen.


hey smart one.. once again its not a matter of me not liking the benefits i have in this country. i enjoy them the same as you. i just dont want to pay for universal healthcare... get some reading comprehension... ill gladly pay for your public education.

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:22 PM

indiecred17 said:
hey smart one.. once again its not a matter of me not liking the benefits i have in this country. i enjoy them the same as you. i just dont want to pay for universal healthcare... get some reading comprehension... ill gladly pay for your public education.



Learn to type. I'll gladly pay for some education on how to use proper punctuation.

Also, your icon is ridiculously unfunny.

michael9000000

michael9000000

New York, NY
July 2007

AUG 28, 2007 09:23 PM

Morgan said:

michael9000000 said:
wow... i'm stunned... women ultimately have no control nor choice as to whether or not they get pregnant? that's absolutely stunning... i hadn't heard the news... when did abstinence become illegal?



Are you suggesting that any woman who does not want to get pregnant should never, ever have sex?

I never want to have children, does that mean I should be celibate forever, since birth control and condoms can fail?



no... that's not what i'm suggesting... you seem like an intelligent woman... so you understand the risk of pregnancy that comes with certain sexual activities...

what i was stating was a simple rebuttal to your claim that women ultimately have no control over whether or not they get pregnant... your statement just isn't true... at least not if we're talking about consensual sex... abstinence is valid choice for anyone who absolutely positively wants to make sure that they don't make a baby through consensual sex...

Quirky

Quirky

Birmingham, AL
October 2005

AUG 28, 2007 09:24 PM

Morgan said:
I am tired of these motherfucking lurkers on this motherfucking message board!




zoom image

CannedAir

CannedAir

Tempe, AZ
June 2007

AUG 28, 2007 09:24 PM

Morgan said:

indiecred17 said:

Morgan said:

indiecred17 said:i will rely on my own preparation and funds to make up for where the very basic government healthcare falls short... and will be GRATEFUL for what the have provided...



And all the people who simply don't have the funds to cover necessary medical procedures or to prepare for an emergency are just fucked then, right?


not fucked as long as theres lovely giving people like you who are willing to front this person's bill.. i just dont want to pay for it.. id rather worry about me and my fam.



*sigh*

By paying a bit extra in taxes every year, I could be helping front that hypothetical person's bill. Do you really think that anyone is thinking that you, as an individual, should have to foot the bill for every accidental pregnancy that occurs? No. What we're really talking about is maybe adding two bucks to your taxes every hear to help people who might need it with their reproductive choices.

I hate the argument people put forward that they don't want to pay for some random person's surgery/abortion/wart removal/whatever. You would never be paying for someone's entire bill. You might just be adding two cents to a fund that helps them. If that's such a big deal, you really need to take a closer look at your priorities.



my priorities are the people who are close to me... and i respect the fact that you arent personally attacking me for my views.. i just dont think that universal healthcare is something i want, nor do i want to pay for... i like paying for my insurance, and deciding how much coverage i may or may not have... i have no problem payin for old people, disabled (physically and mentally) people, or kids whos parents cant afford.. beyond that, its everyones personal responsibility to provide for themselves... i do it, and as much as i might not like to work i still do it and reap the benifits of what ive created... that is all... miao!!

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:26 PM

michael9000000 said:
what i was stating was a simple rebuttal to your claim that women ultimately have no control over whether or not they get pregnant



That wasn't my statement. That was another person you were replying to.

michael9000000 said:abstinence is valid choice for anyone who absolutely positively wants to make sure that they don't make a baby through consensual sex...



Okay, but some people never want to be pregnant, or don't want to have children until they are in their 30's. It is perfectly reasonable for them to have sex using birth control, understanding that if there is an unintended pregnancy they have a variety of options, including abortion. Expecting people to withhold from sex for decades or forever because they are not interested in having children is patently ridiculous and naive.

CannedAir

CannedAir

Tempe, AZ
June 2007

AUG 28, 2007 09:26 PM

Morgan said:

indiecred17 said:
hey smart one.. once again its not a matter of me not liking the benefits i have in this country. i enjoy them the same as you. i just dont want to pay for universal healthcare... get some reading comprehension... ill gladly pay for your public education.



Learn to type. I'll gladly pay for some education on how to use proper punctuation.

Also, your icon is ridiculously unfunny.


obviously you werent a fan of married with children... and i punctuate the way i choose to... im not in class right now im on a porn site.. when im at school i write accordingly...

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:27 PM

_Poptard_ said:

Morgan said:
I am tired of these motherfucking lurkers on this motherfucking message board!




zoom image



Are you suggesting suicide (on a beach) as the answer? smile

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:28 PM

indiecred17 said:
obviously you werent a fan of married with children... and i punctuate the way i choose to... im not in class right now im on a porn site.. when im at school i write accordingly...



Failing to use any punctuation whatsoever makes you look just as stupid online as it would make you look on a paper at school.

Quirky

Quirky

Birmingham, AL
October 2005

AUG 28, 2007 09:28 PM

Morgan said:

_Poptard_ said:

Morgan said:
I am tired of these motherfucking lurkers on this motherfucking message board!




zoom image



Are you suggesting suicide (on a beach) as the answer? smile



I was just suggesting that we open some fucking windows.

Morgan

Morgan

SUICIDEGIRL

Illinois, USA

AUG 28, 2007 09:30 PM

_Poptard_ said:
I was just suggesting that we open some fucking windows.



And then all the dumb people will fly off of this virtual "plane" known as the internet through suction?

Oh please, please tell me that's possible!

Bitch_PhD

Bitch_PhD

I'm lost
February 2007

AUG 28, 2007 09:31 PM

michael9000000 said:
abstinence is valid choice for anyone who absolutely positively wants to make sure that they don't make a baby through consensual sex...



Actually, there's no evidence that this is true.

And even if it were, how 'bout you go first and show us all how to do it, 'kay?

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

 ... 12

Next

featured interviews