Tom DeLay.com - Home - Democrats Assail Medicare

Tom DeLay.com - Home - Democrats Assail Medicare:

"“Republicans support renewing SCHIP to provide health care to children in
low-income families, but we oppose the Democrats’ poorly-crafted, partisan
proposal that works against the interests of seniors, working families, and
taxpayers. This bill cuts some $193 billion in Medicare benefits for American
seniors. In my congressional district alone, 14,267 seniors currently benefit
from Medicare Advantage and 73 percent of them will lose their benefits if the
Medicare cuts in the House bill become law. Moreover, this bill raises taxes on
low-income families, opens the door to using taxpayer funds to benefit illegal
immigrants, and imposes government-dictated ‘Hillary-care’ when we should be
focusing on free market solutions that provide every American with access to
better health care."

The left has been screaming for days about how the republicans are against giving health care to children. The insistence of puting in terms of the big bad repulicans versus the poor children, when it isn't that simple of an issue makes me feel like they are attempting to manipulate public opinion. I think this is an issue that should be debated and understood fully, not just packaged into a sound bite.

One of the ways that they are planing on raising the funds to pay for more healthcare for children is to raise taxes on cigarettes. Which I am for, I support anything that it going to make it so people smokeless, and encourages steps to improve their health. Does the increase of taxes mean that people will quit smoking, I think that you get a mixed result on this, yes and no. There are a number of people who will quit smoking because of the cost, then there are others that will continue regardless. Either they have enough money that they can afford to pay the higher tax, or they just decide that smoking is important enough to them that they will spend less on other things to be able to afford it. (This doesn't raise the issue of the increase in illegal cigarette trafficing).

What I do question is the logic in taking funds from cigarette taxes and spending it on childrens health. Why not take that money and use it to research cancer health, which is the result of smoking. Make them pay for their own future health care in taxes. How would I pay for childrens health, lets look at what are the things that challenge childrens health the most. Fast food and junk foods are things that challenge all of our healths, but it seems to effect children the most. Why not place a tax on food items that are unhealthy like candy bars and soda, and use that money to provide children with health care. Since it will discourage the consumption of these products, it should improve the health of children. Also since it is a broader tax, a smaller tax could raise more money (unless it is just popular to target smokers for taxes). The last thing that I would add to this idea, if you are going to tax soda, give companies that produce healthy drinks and snacks a tax break, which would make their products cheaper in relation to the unhealthy products.