My name is Paul Simon.
I earn my living by writing and singing songs. It's a very old and low-tech profession that feels increasingly age-appropriate. I am honored to have the opportunity to express my opinions concerning SCHIP.
I am the father of four healthy children, knock on wood, but if they get sick or need medical attention I don't knock on wood; I take them to a doctor whose care and attention I am, fortunately, able to afford. Millions of American children do not receive the same medical care. They are uninsured.
Twenty years ago, I co-founded The Children's Health Fund with Dr. Irwin Redlener. Our organization provides mobile medical units with doctors and staff to serve the pediatric needs of poor communities across the United States. In the twenty years since we began, we have grown incrementally, but as of last year we had recorded over 1.2 million doctor/patient visits.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew devastated a large portion of Southern Florida. Our medical units were there to help. When Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast with an almost Biblical force, The Children's Health Fund had units working in those communities within a week. There was very little outside help -- no FEMA, no Red Cross.
But there were scores of mini-vans and trailers loaded with food and supplies from hundreds of churches around the country. I watched with wonder and admiration as the church people opened their hearts and got to work helping people on the Gulf Coast whose lives has been destroyed. They did not debate whether they could find a compromise or alternative way of helping. They opened their hearts and started to repair a dire emergency.
The president's veto of the re-authorization of SCHIP was a heartless act.
Thanks to groups like Families USA and the Children's Health Fund, Congress is getting closer and closer to overriding the President's veto -- and children of hard working American families are getting closer to receiving affordable health care through SCHIP.
I am asking those of you who supported the veto to reexamine your conscience, to find compassion in your heart for our most vulnerable and sweetest citizens -- our children. I am asking you to change your vote. If you do, I believe it will be one of the proudest days of your life.
Thank you,
Paul Simon
To learn more about this issue and to take action, please visit www.familiesusa.org
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"And the leaves that are green,
turn to brown...."
If our tax laws were revamped in a way that eliminated corporate tax loopholes, at the very least, there would be more than enough money to pay for SCHIP and universal health care without raising any individual's taxes.
Walmart, over a six year period, skipped out on paying billions of dollars in state taxes alone.
http://www.ctj.org/pdf/walmart041607.pdf
They are not the only ones.
Oil companies enjoy subsidies in spite of the fact that they make very healthy profits
http://www.ctj.org/pdf/energytaxloopholes.pdf
Why is funneling billions and billions of dollars into the coffers of big business a priority for our politicians and paying medical bills for a child who is suffering a catastrophic illness is not? Why do so many average citizens agree with the status quo?
Making this a Democrat vs. Republican issue distracts us from the real issue which is providing health care at a time of serious illness. It is hard to believe that someone would let a child be denied care and possibly die when we are such a rich country.
I hope your plea is heard and responded to with kind hearts by the people who can do something about this.
BTW - I love you Paul Simon. Many thanks for the beautiful music you have given us for so many years. The world is a better place because of you.
Dear Paul: Your eloquent request seems simple enough...HELP our Children. The paradox however, asks those who voted against SCHIP to exercise two things that they do not posess--
Consciense and Compassion.
Paul thanks for the decades of music.
Ladies and Gents of the USA,
The obvious is clear.For years now the goverment has been eliminating the need for a middle class by out sourcing every job and every service.By allowing illegals into OUR country they are cutting the wages we use to enjoy.Therefore we no longer have the money to pay for any medical expenses let alone insurance for our children.
It would not make sense for the goverment (a.k.a. BIG BUSINESS)to aide its citizens with SCHIP
Definitely time to be registering as an Independant.For I do not have "Diamonds on the Soles of my Shoes"
If you want universal health care for all American children, you better be prepared to pay for every last child who happens to be in this country--this includes any Mexican who can sneak across the border and all those from Latin American countries and plenty from South American countries. What's wrong with you people? Do you have a death wish???
The only thing the chicken hawks hate more that a GI is children.
Unless I'm incorrect, this program will cost 9 billion dollars. It's easy. Just take that out of the Iraq war chest It'll never be missed.
Ok, set your watches. . . within 12 hours the right-wing noise machine will unleash the Coulter/Limbaugh/O'Reilly/Malkin hyrda-headed spin-monster to spew its venom against Paul Simon.
Coulter will screech what does Simon know, he's just a Jew still waiting to be perfected. Limbaugh will belch that Simon is a phony liberal songwriter schilling for Hillary. O'Reilly will whine that Simon's blog was a veiled threat against him. Malkin will cackle that Simon never wrote any of his songs and will stalk him.
The wretched beast will then slither away temporarily into darkness, colied and ready to strike out to slime again.
With regards to the controversy about the 12-year-old Graeme Frost, the Democrats are missing a great opportunity.
They should put together a series of ads made of bright middle school kids who do their own research on S-Chip, on Iraq, on the environment, etc., and feature them in ads.
Imagine the effect of a fourteen year old saying this in a national TV ad.
"This is for Mr. Limbaugh, who seems to think the kids of my age cannot think for themselves.
I have researched the matter of health care in the US, and have reached my own conclusions. We need universal health care, and we do not need to be told by someone as uninformed as Rush Limbaugh how we should think. Perhaps Mr. Limbaugh should go back to school and do some objective research so he can speak more intelligently about health care, and about kids of my age. Mr. Limbaugh might learn to stop preaching hate on his program."
Concerning Limbaugh in my area during ad breaks the local churches run commercials. Is this good or bad? From listing to the cazllers they can use a little more Christianity. Or is a call from preachers to gather like minded types.
Maybe now both parties will come together and write a law that is meaningful. The political postering is over, the real test starts now.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46083
Good info on the progress of the SCHIP legislation.
To Mr. Simon's comments I would add this:
Next time SCHIP comes up, don't let the Republicans try to fund it by taxing only 20 per cent of the population, the smokers. It's an important program and everyone, based on income, should pay for it, not just a demonized minority.
The plan to tax smokers was the brainchild of Senator Gordon Smith, R-Oregon. Gee what a surprise...regressive sin tax proposed by a Republican. See Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, July 11th, for further info....
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46144
Sorry Paul.
The "compassionate republicans" worship the powerful and despise the vulnerable.
They have the lies of the right wing radio/tv thugs as their talking points.
There is no real world outside of this bubble.
I say take away Bush's crayons if he can't play fair.
Paul Paul Paul,
I like your music but you are not helping the children by creating an ever larger wealth transfer that will somehow have to be paid by the very "children" you are trying to protect. How on earth will this all get paid for. What the pols and citizens are saying is...."who cares, I got mine, I will be dead and gone by the time the bill comes due"
How is this doing the right thing?
Im surprised that can realise that it will be taken out of the war monies. Its flush with funds and victory is at hand. missin' accomplished.
How it will be paid for is clear, and it's not going to burden future generations. You don't seem to understand the program you speak against.
Learn the truth about it before you blast it.
And what do you mean by 'wealth transfer' for god's sake? Are you using your brain at all?
If you're so concerned about the debt to be paid by our children, what is your position on the Iraq War?
Make some sense, please!
Oh please spare me....
That's how they sell ever larger government. "Well, we will do a cigarette tax for this one" How much tax can we absorb from all sources before we collapse? The cig tax is a declining tax as less people take up smoking. So how is this paid for 10 or 20 years from now? Do we just end the program when there is not enough money? I have never seen that happen in our government. We couldn't even get rid of the WWII honey bee subsidy let alone anything major.
You liberals never ever talk about that. We have created a wealth transfer house of cards that is going to implode someday and all you guys want to do is add more. stop it already...we don't need to insure middle class families though the government.
For shame man. This is one you can't argue against, it's like the GI bill that will pay off itself 20 times over with healthy adults. FOR SHAME!!!!! Like you Repuliqueens are so fond of saying what does ot cost if we don't do it. I guess if it's not a mushroom cloud you aon't buying huh?
Paul; I think it's time to tell these corrupt perverted Republican war monger ruinous wasteful swine sycophants to, "Get on the bus Gus..!"
Can you dig it..?
I knew that you could..
Appealing to the Republican's "Conscience" is like throwing a pig into a pool of sharks and appealing to them not to tear it apart....it just ain't real...
These Rethugs HAVE NO CONSCIENCE...if they did they wouldn't still be supporting this horrifying war!
My God, if only all of you could see beyond Republicans vs Democrats, if only you could understand that you NEED more than two "identical" Party(s) in your lives, if only you could see beyond Black or White then you'd be able to see that between black and white there are MILLIONS of colors and that between Republicans and Democrats there's LIFE.
Contrary to what you hear on different media outlets SOCIAL programs are actually good when run by competent people, in humane societies. But hey, they need to scare you so their bank account can get fatter by the minute. The sad thing is that most people need to be told what to think. Just SAD.
Todaline
Someone needs to clue in the Decider, he has decided that SCHIP is for poor children. Hey Bu$h, this is for middle class children. Children of those folks who cannot afford health insurance. Poor children have access to medicad. But then again I think Bu$h would rather stick to his dumb reasons and ignore the wishes of the general publlic on this issure. This is just business as usual for this WH.
Well, since it is for the children, I feel I must sacrifice and start smoking. Because if a bunch of us don't start smoking, where will the money come from to pay for this? I don't want the kids to have to smoke. And yet if higher cigarette prices cause smokers to quit, children health will be in danger. I hope you can see my logic. I'll do my patriotic duty but how do I get others to go along--"For the children".
This bill is not going to encourage smoking. Nowhere has this been decided on. The smoking tax was a republican idea. People who smoke are addicted, and very unlikely to quit because of a 61 cent increas. I am a smoker, and would gladly pay a little more, to help insure our nation's FUTURE!!!
Dandjus The REASON the funding was tied to a tax on Cigarettes is that the damn Republicans will NEVER vote for a Tax Increase on Incomes or Unearned Income (Capital Gains) or even on Inhertiance Taxes ( which decimated the Walton Family Fortune )
They prefer to continue to borrow to pay our bills most especially the WAR .
Our Grand Wiser, the Shrub is right with his idea to end the death tax. Cant you see the harm it does to Paris Hilton and her friends. THese people cant contiue to support the ill and infirm. Especially snot-nose sick kids. They have life styles to maintgin.
What heart, Paul? The same one that would remove young soldiers from being target practice in Iraq in an endless war? Or the one that would spare a whole generation of Iraqis from slaughter? Is that the particular stone you're referring to that you hope would care about the health of children? The one that does not beat in the chest of GWB and a bunch of cruel, inhuman Rethuglicans??
Doubt it, my man...
Paul,I am also an alum of Parsosns JHS,(I havn't thought about that place for a long,long time until I read a comment here)and I was also in a third grade class in Queens that was taught by your mom back in '58 or '59. I remember one day that she had a surprise for the class. A very young Tom and Jerry played live for us. Although I can't remember the songs, I will never forget that day. Thanks for all you have given the world, and thanks for reminding us that our country deserves better. Peace
Why is it that it's okay for the President, Congress, and thousands of federal employees with pretty high incomes to have have health insurance benefits paid for at public expense and not the children of working families? Are the Congressional representatives voting against SCHIP to save money also offering to give up their own benefits to save money? I think Americans are going to figure out the duplicity of the Republican argument on SCHIP and health care in general and hopefully throw all those in high office who don't get it yet out.
kmkm, excellent post. here is a link for all those, "compassionate conservatives."
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/compassion
Bush wants to expand the program to include more poor children that need the help. The Democrats think that people who have children are also children if they are 25 or younger. If that were the case, my neice would have been covered along with her first two children.
What Democrats conveniently leave out is that they want to have the children pay even more once they become adults because by then, the program will cover millions more and be at least three or four times more expensive. Those who support government health care will never remind people that the VA hospitals are also government health care and we know how bad they are.
I am a vet, and I have been using the VA Healthcare system for years. It may not be fancy, or have satin sheets on their beds, but they provide the needed care, consistently. Are you a vet? Ever had treatment at a VA hospital? If not, then you are not qualified to make that judgement.
Another lying neo-con. Why am I not surprized?
You know how bad they are? Are you a vet? Doubtful. I happen to be a disabled vet who uses the VA system quite frequently and am constantly befuddled by non-vets who assume far too often.
You should try actually asking a vet (if you know any) what they think of the VA health system. I think you'll be shocked by your convenient lack of knowledge. Then you can ask a senior who badly they hate their Medicare.
Good luck.
I don't know where you get your information. pResident Bush's latest budget actually reduces SCHIP coverage.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/site/free/gvl10226.htm
crossja,
You are doing a wonderful job pushing the Libertarian stance on health care. I am sure Ron Paul will be proud of you. Don't be disappointed if he won't be the next president.
As your fellow alum of Parsons JHS and of Mr. Blumenkranz's music class, I thank you for your efforts in this endeavor and, of course, for your music!
Thank you, Paul. You're not only one of the best singer-songwriters of our time, but one of America's finest citizens.
Some of our Republican friends who are concerned about where their tax money is going ought to think about this: Only a few weeks' worth of the funding for Bush's fiasco in Iraq could have insured 10 million children who have no health care coverage. Only few months' worth of it could have built a new house for every family displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A year's worth of it could have made Social Security and Medicare solvent until long after the last of us Baby Boomers is laid to rest.
Where are our priorities, folks? Please think about it.
Posted October 16, 2007 | 10:25 PM (EST)