Letter: Ensign was right to fight more funding

Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.

I'm writing to take issue with the Las Vegas Sun's Aug. 3 editorial, which takes Sen. John Ensign to the proverbial woodshed for his opposition to a reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known in Washington-speak as SCHIP.

The bill in the Senate is an attempt to dramatically expand the program, complete with a massive tax increase on tobacco to fund it, which would be unsustainable without encouraging millions of new Americans to take up smoking.

In addition, as Rep. Joe Barton of Texas pointed out last week, the Democrats' SCHIP renewal bill in the House would have expanded the scope of the program well beyond covering just "poor children." In fact, the House bill would expand taxpayer-funded coverage in the program to adults making up to $100,000 a year. Hardly what most people would consider "poor."

Truth be told, this expansion of SCHIP is nothing but a back-door attempt to impose nationalized health insurance, aka HillaryCare, on unsuspecting Americans - all in the name of "poor children," of course. It was a cynical, partisan and deceptive effort by the new Democratic majority, and Sen. Ensign was right in opposing it.

Chuck Muth, Carson City