SCHIPping deception to the masses

First comes the setup:

Democrats are getting a good ride this week out of President Bush's looming veto of the children's health insurance bill, and they're not afraid to tug at the heart strings a bit to play out this issue.

Earlier in the week, House Democrats brought children to a press conference on the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Senate Democrats upped the pressure on Wednesday when they brought a priest, a nun and a rabbi as part of a "people of faith" press conference pressuring Bush to sign the $35 billion expansion of the SCHIP program.

And tomorrow, a 12-year-old boy who receives SCHIP benefits will read the weekly Democratic radio address. The boy, Graeme Frost of Baltimore, who suffered severe brain injuries in a car accident a few years ago, says he may not have survived his injuries and the follow up therapy if he hadn't been receiving the federal health benefits.

Republicans have moaned that Democrats have used children as props during this debate, but a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was unapologetic.

"What exactly is the problem with having a young person who knows first hand the importance of chip deliver the radio address?" spokesman Jim Manley said.

Well Jim... this is what's wrong:

... in a typically cynical bit of sappy and brainless emotional indulgence, the Democrats recruited some twelve year-old kid to deliver their Saturday radio address. His name is Graeme Frost and his family is from Maryland.  Predictably, he told a sob story (written for him by Senate staffers) about how his hard working parents need other taxpayers to pay for his health coverage.

Then icwhatudo on Free Republic decided to pull some records.

So, to summarize –what he found out about this poor and needy family.  It:

- Sends their kids to an expensive private school.

- Own a commercial building which was purchased for $190,000 in 1999. Even using modest figures, it would have to be worth at least $300,000 today.

- Owns a 3000 square foot home, in an area where a 2000 square foot home recently sold for $500,000.

Indeed, working from a Baltimore Sun article on the subject – which mentions that their mortgage payment is $1200 – we can guess that their mortgage on the house is roughly $200,000.

In other words – taking into account the value of the home, the value of the father’s business, the value of the commercial property they own, and so forth minus their mortgage and whatever they might owe on the commercial property (and other sundry debts) an educated guess would suggest that this family has a net worth of somewhere in the neighbourhood of $500,000.

And they want the rest of the American people to foot their bill for their health care?

Of course they do... this while the Religious Left attempt to sell Bush's veto of the bill as "Morally Unacceptable".

An incredible bit of chutzpah on the part of the Left in this country... and in the mean-time, Bush is talking about compromise on the bill.  Amazing.  But one can understand wilting under the constant barrage of criticism. 

Bush's political machine needs to get the message out that when the government is spending money on those who really don't need the help, the truly needy are passed over.

And that friends, is what's unequivocally morally unacceptable.

H/T to Five Feet of Fury.

Comments

[Ann Mouse]

Has it occured to anyone that the choice of the Frosts might be deliberate BECAUSE they have the ability to afford health insurance? It is obvious they could have paid for private health insurance but they didn't, therefore people are not smart enough to be trusted with the decision to buy private health insurance, therefore it is best to approve the Democratic version of SCHIP and extend it to more people who can afford private health insurance (because they cannot be trusted to buy insurance). Sure under the Bush plan more poor children would be helped but children don't vote and the Democrat's plan helps the poor* more. (*poor should not be taken to mean those who are the very bottom of economic ladder, it means those who are suceptable to being driven into a frenzy over income disparity, e.g. the middle class.)

[lpeter]

As a small bursiness owner I'm sure his income is considerably higher, but not neccesarily taxable or even reported. And if the Park school is like many boarding schools and private schools with large endowments scholarships are not hard to come by with a good applicant. It really seems to me the Frosts were just gaming the system. In so many ways they seem to be exactly why SCHIP does not need to be expanded to 200-300% of poverty level.

[Scrapiron]

SCHIP, bottom line, Socialized or Communist medical program.

[a. nony mouse]

For heavens' sake, get your facts right.

The "half million dollar house' is in a neighborhood that was terrible three years ago when the accident occurred. They were both working at their family business without affordable coverage at the time of the accident. They don't PAY for Park School -- they get all but about $500 of their expenses from scholarships, and only got their kids in there after they were disabled. In Maryland, once your auto insurance coverage for medical expenses ("PIP") is exhausted, you depend on your medical coverage. PIP is typically $30K per person, so the rest of the $1M cost would ordinarily not be covered.

And, what, you expect them to sell the house and become homeless so that their kid shouldn't get subsidized health care? I'll be more impressed when you start to tell WalMart to pay enough that their employees don't qualify for Medicaid...