Barack accused Senator McCain of voting against a health care plan, however, Barack left out many salient facts. First, SHIFA provides free or greatly reduced health care and insurance to those families earning up to 200% of the poverty level, $42,000. The Democrats proposed increasing the funding by $65 billion dollars to include families earning up to 400% of the poverty level, $84,000. President Bush along with Senator McCain did not agree with providing free health care to families who could afford insurance and did not believe that it was prudent to encourage families to drop their insurance programs for the free program. President Bush authorized a $5 billion increase, to which the Democrats declined. Nancy Pelosi, who controls which bills come to the floor for vote, ahs been sitting on a health care plan from the Republicans for eighteen months, refusing to allow a vote. Under President Bush alone, the number of free health care centers across the nation has more than doubled adding in excess of 1,200 medical clinics. Barack, stating that there are 45 million uninsured Americans, wants you to believe that he or the government can mandate every person to secure their own insurance or be subject to a fine. The Kaiser Foundation, a traditionally liberal group, states that of the 45 million uninsured, 14 million are not citizens of the US, 8 ½ million earn over $75,000, 8 million earn $50,000 to $75,000 annually. Now here is the kicker, in California alone, the Kaiser Foundation states that there are 1,000 children in the poverty level, who have no insurance, which is absolutely bewildering as Healthy Families funded primarily by the Feds, offers free insurance to all children in the poverty level. So it would appear that Barack is playing into the fear mongering game as opposed to addressing the real issues, like tort reform and making education for those wanting to pursue a medical education a little more attainable.

W. Daniel Tate
Phelan
760-964-4976