Kennedy chalks up another victory
By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff
WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy has spent years -- in some cases, decades -- trying to pass a slew of legislation on healthcare, labor, human rights, and other issues. In many cases, the liberal Massachusetts lawmaker has been thwarted by politics, with partisan differences or a GOP president holding up legislation Kennedy pushed.
But in just the third week of the Obama administration, the ailing Kennedy has won major victories on several issues. President Obama -- whose campaign Kennedy greatly boosted with an early endorsement of the former first-term senator -- gave Kennedy his most recent victory this afternoon when he signed legislation expanding SCHIP, a children's health program Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, authored in 1997.
Kennedy has been pushing for years to broaden the program, which helps low-income families obtain health insurance for children. But former President Bush twice vetoed that effort, arguing that the expansion would benefit families that were not truly low-income.
The law Obama signed yesterday will cost $32.8 billion, to be raised by taxes on tobacco products, and will cover an estimated 4 million more children.
Kennedy, battling a malignant brain tumor and recuperating in Florida, was not able to attend the signing ceremony in the ornate East Room of the White House. He has been on and off Capitol Hill since returning to the Senate last month. He was ordered by his doctors to get some rest after suffering a seizure -- a common side effect of Kennedy's condition -- at a luncheon on inauguration day.
But determined to take advantage of the fact that his party now controls both chambers of Congress and the White House, Kennedy can count two other accomplishments as well. In his first week, the new president signed a ban on torture -- a year and a half after Kennedy sought, unsuccessfully, to get his Torture Prevention and Effective Interrogation Act made into law.
And last week, Obama made the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act the first bill he signed into law. The measure, which gives plaintiffs more time to prove pay disparity cases, mirrors the 2007 Fair Pay Restoration Act Kennedy introduced in the summer of 2007.
"Americans demanded change at the voting booth last November and in the first ten days of the Obama administration we've seen what change can do,'' Kennedy' said in a statement. "We've passed legislation that will dramatically improve the lives of children, institute pay equity where there was none, and worked toward ending torture abroad. I'm hopeful that the days to come will be just as productive."
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So I'll assume Teddy boy doesn't smoke. It is easy to appear magnanimous with other peoples (we the great unwashed) money.
LOL... This program will be funded by the very demographic it portends to help - the working poor (smokers).
It's the first BIG TAX of 2009... With many more to come.
But Susan Spinigan does her whitewashing best.
Does the Globe really take this Kennedy worship seriously?
As someone who has COPD who never smoked but lived with from my parents secondhand 6 packs a day for 19 years, I am thrilled to see children getting health insurance from taxes onsmoking. My parents were wonderful & finally realized how bad smoking was for them and quit 10-15years before they died-mom's death certificate said cigarette smoke. I've worked in schools with many children who don't get the medical help they need because of no insurance. Even now that Massachusetts mandates it, they find it cheaper to have none & pay the penalty so this is a great day for children's rights.
I believe it's a wonderful thing,not only does it help children it may also help
people that smoke to quit or to slow down on there own smoking, that we all know
causes cancer.
George Bush administration might have cut taxes....lala, but went crazy with spending. Is this good fiscal policy? Now we are in the largest debt in US history and a complete mess. Lets give the kids healthcare.
You finally got it, Senator Kennedy! Congratulations! All you needed was a compassionate president. All your years trying to do some good for the children of America has paid off... you rightly deserve a round of applause and the thanks from so many of us who need your representation. I wish for you a total recovery of your ills and hope to see you, once again, taking the lead in healthcare legislation. Ted... you're amazing!
Another victory for Ted Kennedy. Is this another defeat for a prosperous America? Based on his track record with immigration "reform" and his act creating HMOs, we are in for another nail on the coffin of the country formerly known as the United States of America.
Quite frankly giving healthcare benefits to citizens of foreign countries is anti-American.
Best senator ever!
Big mistake!
From what I can tell this bill will extend healthcare to children of illegal immigrants. As far as I know the American taxpayer is not obligated to do that. This is another step towards socialized medicine and in the long term that will lead to poor quality medicine. Pretty soon the government will OWN your childs healthcare and you will have no control over it. Figures a liberal democrat came up with this one. The Fair Pay Restoration Act is a real winner too. That should knock a few more companies out of business. Just what we need now. Bunch of people lose their jobs for a former disgruntled employee. Stupid.
According to this praise, the Messiah has anointed St. Edward with smoke oil!!
If after, say, four years or so, SCHIP hasn't shown any improvements, will the administration reverse this tax? Of course not -- and you can bet that most of this new tax won't go to these programs. The taxes will just be rolled into a general spending fund, and when SCHIP goes away, the taxes will stay. Like they always do.
Why doesn't this tireless liberal (Of course I'm for renewable energy just not the one that will spoil my view) push for legalization and taxation of marijuana? Heck, he pent most of his life in a drunken stupor so MJ can't be that bad. Free up law enforcement from chasing this no worse that alcohol 'drug' let them chase meth, heroine, crack cocaine and cocaine. Put the marijuana dealers out of business raise millions from MJ taxes. Huh? Why not????
Change is coming to America...AKA the new Soviet Union.
I would like to see them tax booze, just once, tax booze instead of smokes to pay for someone else kids. I do not have, nor want to have children, yet I still pay for your brats
Finally, we are making into law these basic human rights that only the privaledged enjoyed. A society is judged not on how many wealth citizens it has, or how strong or dominating it is, or even how much firepower it has, but on how well it cares of those who need assistence the most. Children, woman and the individuals that have been tortured, will finally be treated like human beings. The people have spoken. Let the change begin. And let those who have somehow advanced or profited from these dispicable deeds beware. Your day of reconing is comming.