Poor Kids First Please

Steve Huntley's always worth reading. A collection of observations, one that Obama might run for governor if his presidential bid fails, and this on SCHIP, recently vetoed by the President for good reason:

Today a third or more of the SCHIP enrollees in six states are adults. In Wisconsin, two-thirds of the people in SCHIP are adults, and in Minnesota that figure is 87 percent. Yes, Bush administration bureaucrats granted waivers to these states to do that, which is one reason why Republicans took a drubbing in last year's elections. As many as half a million already eligible low-income children still have not been signed up for SCHIP.

Illinois GOP Rep. Judy Biggert summed up the issue perfectly to the New York Times: "We need to make sure that poor kids are covered before adults. If Democrats really care about kids, they will have to negotiate."

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th) cast a vote for the vetoed bill, he says as an improvement of an earlier version. We trust he will side with the GOP in this next phase to be sure poor kids are covered first.

Related posts: The Lemon, Durbin Slips on SCHIP, Dem Headache in the 10th