Monday, October 15, 2007

Democrats profile another SCHIP family

Politico.com reported For the record, the Bo and Dara Wilkerson say they make $34,000 in combined income from restaurant jobs in St. Petersburg, Fla. They rent their house and the couple owns one car, which Bo calls "a junker." Malkin and other bloggers have revealed over the past week that the Frost family owned two properties, as well as a couple cars, and had a $45,000 income. The accusation against Democrats, and by extension the Frost family, is that they are too middle class to be granted any subsidized health insurance for their children.
I don't think anyone would say they are too well off to deserve insurance for their children. That was the purpose of SCHIP when the Republicans passed it the first time after Welfare Reform.. Most of us are not even saying the Frosts don't deserve it; we are just saying it should not be expanded up to incomes of 60,000 to 80,000 and to "children" up to 25 years old. But it is up for reauthorization, and the Dems tried to expand it too much, and once the veto of that expansion fails, if they do not compromise and let the small increase Bush wants go into effect, then the Democrats will be taking SCHIP away fro the Frosts and the Wilkersons and everyone else.
The Wilkersons said they are fully aware of the possibility that their finances and personal lives may be investigated by opponents of the SCHIP bill. "We rent a house, we have one car that is a junker. Let them dig away," Bo Wilkerson said. "I have $67 in my checking account. Does that answer your question?"

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