House OKs revised children’s health insurance: A
The House approved a revised version of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program on Thursday. And while it’s admirable that the House stood up for the health of 6.6 million children across the nation, the victory could be short lived.
Earlier in the month, President Bush vetoed the the bipartisan bill.
The 10-year-old plan was designed to help familes who didn’t qualify for Medicaid, but aren’t wealthy enough to afford medical insurance.
Bush annouced that he would veto the bill again if approved. The reasons: too expensive and does little help the poor families.
At the very least, the House stood up for the citizens who need the most help.
Senate fails the DREAM: F
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act failed to pass by eight votes in the Senate on Wednesday.
The act, intended to help undocumented minors join the military or atttend a higher education institution, would have helped many work legally after graduating if passed.
Rather than allowing students to gain both an education and employment, the Senate squandered an opportunity to gain meaningful members to society. It was in no way an attempt to extend amnesty to undocumented people, as critics have charged because students are not asking for special treatment, but to have the same opportunities to suceed as any U.S. citizen.
Undocumented or not, all students work toward preparing themselves for a future, something the Senate clearly did not understand when they did not pass the act.
With the failing of the DREAM act, undocumented students’ lives are in limbo as college graduates cannot gain employment because of their legal status, despite having the requirements, such as grade point average, needed to do something as simple as getting a job. Current college students are also affected as they are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates and are not eligible for federal financial aid.
In a period where immigration has become a devisive issue played out in the nightly newscast, the failure to pass the act serves to further alienate a sector of society that lives in daily uncertainty.
