Gene Taylor (D-MS) Fails Mississippi's Children

I remain outraged over Bush's veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the failure of House Republicans to join with most Democrats and many Republicans to override the veto. But to discover that my own representative here in Mississippi, Gene Taylor, a Democrat, voted against SCHIP was simply too much. He was one of only two Democrats in the House to join Bush in opposing health care for children from working families. What was he thinking?

I am going to follow this one until I get a clear sense of Taylor's rationale. Here is what I've gathered so far from the Clarion-Ledger:

• SCHIP currently covers 83,000 children in Mississippi.
• Among Mississippi Republicans, the stated rationale for opposing the SCHIP expansion was that it would expand coverage to middle-income families in other states instead of low-income children in Mississippi. This appears to be a ridiculous assertion since other federal programs cover low-income children.
• The additional funds needed to cover the SCHIP expansion would have come from raising the federal cigarette tax approximately $.61.
• Rep. Taylor refused to return telephone calls seeking comment but seems to base his opposition on raising the cigarette tax.
  

Truly unbelievable. He's putting smokers above health care for the children of working Mississippians. I hope Rep. Taylor hears from more of his constituents than just me on this one.

Tags: SCHIP, Gene Taylor, Mississippi, Congress, health, politics, cigarette tax, heath care, veto