Just reading this from this article:
Obama signs expansion of children’s health insurance
The president calls the Democratic legislation, to be funded largely by higher cigarette taxes, a ‘down payment’ on his plan to cover all Americans.
Less than two years ago, former President George W. Bush blocked similar bills by congressional Democrats, labeling the proposed expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program as a step toward government-run healthcare.
But,
with Democrats now firmly in control of the White House and Congress, the party’s leaders easily pushed through a $33-billion bill that is expected to provide government-subsidized insurance to 4 million mostly low-income children.
And to those that buy cigarettes:
The measure – funded primarily by increasing the federal tax on cigarettes by 61 cents, to $1 a pack – sailed through the House earlier Wednesday on a largely party-line vote of 290 to 135. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill last week.
“The way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children . . . is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American,” Obama said before signing the bill in the East Room of the White House.
They are trampling through the tobacco fields first, in order to get their “down payment”, to put towards trampling the medical field some more.
“This is the beginning of the change that the American people voted for in the last election and that we will achieve with President Obama,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said on the House floor.
Usually I can’t stop reading long enough to really look at what’s going on around me, but tonight that’s what I saw. I really want to try to become an intellectual activist again, but it’s difficult for me right now. I’m still trying, but back to reading.