The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would raise tobacco taxes to pay for expanding a children's health program, shrugging off a veto threat from President George W. Bush who wants a more limited plan.Senator Elizabeth Dole denounced the bill, saying “Of the 20 percent of the adult population that smokes, around half are in families earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. In other words, many of the families SCHIP is meant to help will be disproportionately hit by the Senate’s proposed tax hike.”
Aww, she's standing up for the poor people. What a wonderful person.
But wait — Dole's home state of North Carolina is also a major producer of tobacco. Uh, could her compassion really be more about money in North Carolina and getting re-elected?
Senator Dole's concern notwithstanding, the Senate overwhelmingly approved the legislation by 68-31. The House also approved a similar bill. The two bills will now need to be reconciled.
President Bush has vowed to veto this bill, but the votes in both the House and the Senate are more than enough to override a presidential veto.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. President!
1 comment:
smoking and drinking are great for stress relief, but I think spending $4 a day on cigarettes is irresponsible if you're THAT poor anyway
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