Sierra:

I know in the people's republic of San Francisco, life is just too perfect.

The house majority leader with her crooked land deals and her inability to get the democrats to do anything and having people sleeping in her garden at her house.

A congressman who thinks President Bush laughs every time a soldier's head blows up, thinks a woman's place is in the bedroom and is also a racist is the perfect idea of a liberal congressman.

A city that needs a subway tunnel and put it next to an earthquake fault line 9reminds me of Boston and the big dig that keeps leaking and killed a woman).

A mayor who could care less about his people, much less the catholic church.

A city that could care less about the military...

yes, San Francisco is a pardise for a liberal

you can keep it.

Pete Stark is a moron. We recall his halycon days,when getting hundreds of thousands in kickbacks from Indian casinos,he attempted to magically ''create''Native American land where even anthropologists found never existed for the purpose of building more casinos.
              Now this garbage. Expertly seeing through the ''for the children''agitprop,the deal goes down to defeat in the House because it was based upon the lies of emotion. Not facts. As it now stands,what was supposed to occur all along before Democrat scorched earth policies[which are beginning to play themselves out along the Turk-Iraqi border as we speak],is going to happen now,even despite Starks asinine commentary. That is,a compromise exactly along the lines of the Senate deal cut with Bush today over FISA. The dishonesty of the Democrats has been revealed under the mask of their rhetoric. They never told us that states would grant SCHIP waivers to those even making a hundred grand a year and more. Nor did they tell us that the vast majority of SCHIP monies goes to adults,up to and including the elderly. Nor were they honest about the cost. Nor did they tell us that illegal aliens would be covered. Nor did they mention the fact that a family of four making less than 45,000$ per year but yet fortunate enough to have private insurance would be forced to foot the bill for wealthier families making twice this. Nor did they mention that of the nine million kids ''without''SCHIP insurance,over six million of these have actually had it all along. Their families have merely never enrolled them. It is to parents,the responsibility of examining ALL avenues of government healthcare funding. Not for government to hold their hands. The information for enrolling is but a mouseclick away and is comprehensive in its scope.[as I recently demonstrated].
        Finally,Starks BS is further revealed in that ALL that Stark and his pals need to do is to  cut off the funding for this war![rather than make a heap o'dough for he and his contractor buddies who pour millions into DNC coffers].

Also see:

The Kaiser Family Foundation www.statehealthfacts.org

The National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov

DER SPIEGAL[Berlin]:''War Drums In Ankara'' Oct 18,2007.

The Center For Responsive Politics,Rep.Stark,Pete.Democrat,California www.opensecrets.org

John G, Yes it is an illegal war and was the first time American has ever invaded a country without provocation. Do your research. I believe in our great nation but when an egomaniacal man with napoleon complex steps up and declares WAR on one country, only to step over one to settle a score with tax money, yes its illegal. He has totally forgotten that Saddam sounds nothing like Osama. He (Osama) is in Pakistan .GWB knows that yet does nothing. Saddam had no weapons left as he was blown the hell back to the Stone Age in GW 1. take that to the bank (I Know).As far as AL Qaeda blowing people and U.S. troopers up, well may be, but they would not be there if things were handled the way the joint chiefs wanted, and how do you know its Al Qaeda they do not wear signs .I believe they are insurgents which does not signify Al Qaeda. If we were invaded we would call them Freedom Fighters. G.W.B had a chance as well to stop 9/11 before it happened, but that’s another story. Study man Study.

Shame on every member of Congress who voted to keep shrub's veto.  It means more money for killing Iraqi children and less money covering our own!  Shame on everyone, shame on the GOP, and shame on Bush! All the billions for war, and we can't afford to take care of OUR OWN KIDS!  It's just shameful.

[[These comments may be considered inflammatory by some, including the Republican staffers who brought them to our attention.]]

The truth hurts. And at least this guy didn't tell a colleague to go "cheney" himself. But of course, Repubs can say whatever they want no matter how obscene because they're on God's side.

[[Pete Stark and the Democrat leadership owe the American people an apology, the troops and their families an apology,...]]

No he doesn't. He didn't say anything against the troops. Duhbya is not a "troop."  He's only the Chickenhawk-in-Chief.

The whole argument comes down to how much is too much?  Under the proposed bill a family of 4 (mom, dad, susie and johnny) that earn $80,000 a year would qualify for government health care. Is that fair??  Does that seem right to you??  $80,000 a year and you need the government to make sure your kids have healthcare??

Now I'm a member of a family of 6, make under $40,000, and still I have healthcare for my kids.  I don't expect the government to do that for me.

Now, John G in Tennessee, that's almost as silly as anything Jerry has ever said.  In the counseling profession, it is said you don't always have control over what happens to you but you do have control of how you react to it.  After 9-11 we had the goodwill of almost every nation on earth.  We had cooperation in tracking doen these people on an unprecedented level.  Our invasion into Iraq squandered almost most of that and has nearly bankrupted our treasury and strained our military capabilities to deal with any future threat.  We could have brought those responsible for 9-11 to justice if we had not been squandering our military and intelligence resources on Iraq.  Our forces in Iraq are not peace keepers, they are part of an invading force from a foreign country.  I am saddened when even one of them is killed because I know they should have never been sent there in the first place; just like my brothers who died in Vietnam thirty + years ago.  I love America John G., but our real enemies aren't the terrorists who are in the Middle East and have attacked us on our soil once.  Our real enemies are our leaders who would have you think that invading a sovereign nation who has not attacked us was the right thing to do; they are those who would try to gut the Constitution they and every other soldier who has fought for America has sworn to uphold; they are those who work their hardest to make all of us feel as if they are trying to protect us when actually they are robbing us of both our pocketbooks, our sense of decency and our identity as a nation.  By the way, where do you think Saddam got most of his technology to make the weapons stockpiles which once were there but weren't found when Iraq was searched to top from bottom?  Well, I'll tell you, John G.; just look at the photos of Rumsfeld and Cheney shaking hands with Saddam back in the 1980s.  That might tell you a thing or two.  These men only care about pushing their agenda and don't give a damn about you or anyone else who loves America.  Their God is the dollar and their country is wherever they think they can make one.

John G, Iraq didn't attack us on 9/11, nor did any Iraqi citizens.  Why did we attack them in retribution?  Illegal arms stockpiles?  They don't exist.  They never existed.  The weapons inspectors that told us so were right.  The neocons were, are, and always will be wrong.  Al Qaeda in Iraq is not the same as Osama's al Qaeda, the name is a publicity move that helps them with their recruiting.  A move that wouldn't work if we hadn't invaded by a group that had no presence in Iraq before we invaded.  Don't tell me I hate America.  I will no longer stand still for people who wrap themselves in the flag and impugn the patriotism of anyone who disagrees with them.  I'm an American.  It's my right to disagree.  Toby, I don't read that John Doe belittled the job that our soldiers do.  But he sure said it loud and clear that he believes you do.  I have to agree with him since you came right out and said that the fate of volunteers is not of concern.

"The only children that Pete Stark cares about are the ones he commits sex-crimes against. "  

You're "thinking,' and I use the term VERY loosely, about a Republican named "Foley."

Of course all you right wing nuts are stupid and misinformed, so glad to help!

Truthteller, you have Pete Stark confused with the guys on your side of the aisle.

Pete Stark a deranged, pathetic, demencrat.
this just in: keith Obermean: defeated!
Chris Mathews: defeated, katie couric : defeated, brian williams: defeated!!. Nancy "i will start a war with turkey" Pelosi: defeated, Harry "the spinless" Reid: defeated.. NOw it is as it always has been, no longer can the demencrat party use poster children as hostages for health care. All goes back as it was, and the hostages taken by the demencrats still has their healthcare.. VETO override is another Demencrat failure.. POST THIS YOU MSNBC soon to be sold, liberals

How come this blog isn't covering the Repubs' vicious smears against the two families with severely injured kids who were advocating S-CHIP?  (Keith Olbermann seems to be the ONLY news source that's covering that scandal). Is it the "conventional wisdom" that Republican lies about average citizens are OK but telling the truth about the Bush regime is beyond the pale?

So very, very typical of the right - attack the messenger, attack the children, attack the families.  But never defend the the misguided policies of this Administration on the war, health care, secrecy, torture, cronyism, Katrina, illegal wire taps, soldiers who disagree (odd, though, how Rush and Co. said not a word about Gen. Sanchez being a "phony soldier" when the general recently gave a scathing speech about the ineptiude and dereliction of duty within this Administration.  Rush and the right missed yet another opportunity do make themselves look and sound ridiculous) - the list is endless.  Rep. Stark is absolutely right.  The Republicans will always find money for their wars, for Bush's corporate buddies like Blackwater and Haliburton but will invoke their supposed mandtra of "fiscal conservatism" as soon as a program like SCHIP comes along that may actually help people and save lives.  Bush could never find his veto pen during during the time when the Republicans held a majority.  Spending on everything and anything was no problemo as long as the Republicans sent it up.  Now Bush finds every excuse he can to dig out that little veto pen in hopes of keeping himself "relevant".  Relevant, he's not.  Incompetent he is.  More power to the Congressman from California.  He nailed it.

I would like to add a comment about issue. The Bush Whitehouse and Republican stalwarts have sent our young men and women to Irag to die, now they've voteod a Bill to protect the lives of our youngest sons and daughters. I would imagine that before they leave office they will start genocide of the aged to cure the Social Security woes.

Pete Stark is such an excellent example of a compassionate, progressive, and tolerant democrat. With such a democrat in Congress, who needs Joe Biden?

He also brings such principled reasoning and logic to the legislative process as clearly shown in the article above. A true liberal democrat for all the party believers to be proud of indeed.

The gay ole Pedophile party is " Free Falling" ( Tom Petty).This ones for You edge!!!

Now Lee remember this was a bipartisan bill. We do not know who wrote what parts!I'll bet it was a politician .

Pete is right on the money because I cannot believe that republicans put the argument of budget discipline. Although, they are expending billions in quagmire in Irak, but they can not find money for the next generation that will pay our debit te rest of their life. Pete, we are behind you because congress need a dose of honesty right now.
GOGOGOGOGOG MAN.

Toby [[Now I'm a member of a family of 6, make under $40,000, and still I have healthcare for my kids.  I don't expect the government to do that for me. ]]

That sounds real macho. But unless you've got group coverage from your employer, you could be in very serious trouble if someone in your family develops a serious or chronic illness. The insurance industry is not in business for YOUR health, and they'll try to find every way possible to deny you coverage.

The two families who were smeared by the wingnuts for advocating S-CHIP couldn't even get insurance because their children had a "pre-existing" condition. The insurance companies wouldn't care less if those kids died if it saved them a few bucks.

 George Bush is without a doubt the most petty,mean-hearted tyrant since Idi Amin.I don't care who is elected to replace him,Republican or Democrat,I just want this Evil Dictator gone.Remember when GOD wanted Moses attention,He burned the bush.Not a bad idea.Pay for war and Blackwater but tell our children to stuff it?EVIL,EVIL,EVIL!!!

John B - I have another idea.  I read an op-ed piece this morning dealing with abstinence-only education.  Apparently the Dems dangled a little carrot to entice the Republicans to vote for SCHIP - vote to veto and we add $28 million to abstinence only education, which incidentally is the only federally funded sex education program.  That would bring the total funding for abstinence-only education to around $200 million, or roughly what it would cost to insure 150,000 kids.  

It won't pay for everything, but eliminating this ridiculous spending on a program that does not work is a good place to start.

Kudos to Robert, John B and R. Merrell for telling it like it is...

Toby I hope everyone in your family stays very healthy and no unfortunate accidents befall you.  You probably don't realize it, but most middle class families are just one  unseen event away from going into bankruptcy, losing everything  they have worked for or even seeing their loved ones receive substandard care if they reach the cap on their benefits. I do hope that doesn't happen to you--I know how hard it is to take care of a family of 6!

Have we really sunk so low that we are applauding a moron that just happens to be from one party or the other?  Imagine for just a second how a troop in Iraq feels reading this trash??  Thank God I am no longer a Democrat. You have to hate your country, your constitution and our very way of life to be a part of that low life party...

Carrie, Republicans are always whining about "do nothing" programs, I think you just identified the most do nothing program of all.

Bush said:

"Sometimes the legislative branch wants to go on without the president, pass pieces of legislation and the president can then use the veto to make sure he's a part of the process,"

The process to completely destroy the Republican Party.......HA HA HA HAR HAE HE HE HAR HA ha Ha He har heha hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahaha

Lisa - Amen to that.  My uncle married a lovely woman.  40 days after they got married, she was in a horrible car accident.  She survived, but spent the next year (give or take a few weeks) in rehab centers learning how to walk and talk again.  While she was in these rehab centers, my uncle's business nearly went under because he (understandably) tried to spend as much time with her as he possibly could.  They almost lost everything because of one event that was not the fault of either one of them.  (The other driver was later found to be 95% at fault).  

It doesn't take much to go from comfortable to having nothing when a catastrophic illness or accident is involved.

I applaud Stark..let the pundits right wing pundits whine...maybe that "fruitcake" comment wasn't so far off.

Finally a Dem with some balls.  Now we need another 100 to step up to the plate.

WHY DO THE REPUBLICANS CONSIDER IT OK TO SPEND $200 Billion TO KILL PEOPLE, BUT "OUTRAGEOUS" TO SPEND $30 BILLION TO ENSURE THE HEALTH OF AMERICAN CHILDREN????????????????????????????????????????

Another Lib anti-Bush, anti-American, anti-military moron has reared his ugly head.  How low can Stark go?  This is the face of the Dem party.  Calif. must be so proud.

As a religous/social conservative, the lies peddled by the pundits about the families of the 12-year-old and the 2-year-old were truly disgusting.  Also, the use of such lies is in no way consistent with the biblical prohibition of bearing false witness against thy neighbor.  If this issue blows up on the proponents of the more-limited version of SCHIP, they deserve what they get for not denouncing not only the use of lies against the families, but also the pundits who spewed the lies without verifying the truth or falsity thereof.

Not withstanding one Congressman's comments, the American people are stark raving mad about a President who will (1) spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a failed policy in Iraq, and (2) not devote $30 billion to the S-CHIP program for child health insurance. This from the same administration that promotes outsourcing by American business, and turns a blind eye to reductions in health care coverage by business, without an appropriate offset in increased wages.

Whatever happen to compassionate conservatism. It was a lie from the start.

The issue is not that some kind of realignment in compensation might not be possible between business, labor, and government, but rather the Bush administration's narrow-minded support for the business side of this equation only.

You're on your own, and not your brothers (or sisters) keeper in Bush's America, at least after child birth!

A note to all of you, your tax dollars is paying for the government provided health care of Congress, the President, and Vice-President. And you will continue to pay until the day they die.
Live long and prosper.

Crackpots think Bush is in Iraq for fun. Obviously, you folks need to get out more.


They didn't mention REp Stark raving mad calling Rep. Nancy Johnson a "whore", or calling a former HHS a disgrace to his race.

Any of you morons who think this bill is about kids should probably learn how to read. In seven states, already, more ScHIP money goes to adults than children. There are still 1/2 million eligible kids who aren't on the program. Lets see abut getting them covereed before moving people off of private insurance onto government handouts.

And anyone who thinks it's a good idea for a crackpot member of congress to claim that the President "blows kids up for his own amusement" ought to spend more time remembering to breathe, because you obviously don't have enough intelligence to breathe on your own. Remember, there's a good chance that you guys might win the WH next year (though you'll blow it with guys like Stark and orgs like move.on0.

P Walter, your perception that being Liberal automatically makes one anti-American shows your Right Wing Authoritarian tendencies.  I am Liberal, I am American, I am patriotic.  I won't stand quietly while being labeled otherwise.

I do believe that people that are really in need should be helped. My problem is with how that is determined. When a program that is sold to the American people as help for the poor children can include adults and people that make up to $80,000.00 a year is just wrong. At least tell it like it is. I know that it is a state option but they would still recieve fed matching funds. What the American people feel that they are entitled to just blows my mind. The left has finaly created the class envy they have worked so hard for. Then they have the balls to stand before us multi-millionaires every one and talk about how they feel our pain. If George Soros, Hillary Clinton,Edwards, Pelosi and the Kennedys really believed in helping they could insure all people that were uninsured. Will they of course not. This is just a guess but I would be willing to bet that the evil Halliburton, exxon and other oil and gas companies give more to charities than do the afor mentioned. Its all about power, If they can eliminate the ability to gain wealth they become the ruling class. You have to go and ask their permission to do anything. They make all the decisions for you, because you are to stupid to do it yourself. Be careful what you ask for you might get it. With their gifts you become beholden to them, I promise nothing is from the goodness of their hearts. The ability to compromise makes our government work. This cannot be achieved when attacks against ideas become personal. Shame on the politicians. The name calling,the attacks are beneath the offices held. They are all comming from the left. Someone that disagrees show me some examples of it comming from the right. We are headed the wrong way, not because of GWB but because of the division created by the Dems. They lust for power so much they have blinded themselves to what really counts. Our country....

Lisa, thank you for the well wishes.  I however have been there, not due to health bills, but due to divorce and company downsizing.  I have lost it all, went bankrupt and am in the process of building it all back.  There are no garantees in life except death and taxes.

This bill was for an expansion of the original SCHIP program.  The Dems wanted to start including the middle class.  But answer me why I should have to pay higher taxes for people who make more money than me for healthcare I can't get because I already have it through my employer?

 Hey Jerry,wanted to let you know that I have notified the Clinton campaign about an obsessed,maybe dangerous sexist stalker that cares as much for freedom of speech as bushie.Please try to be civil instead of venal.

I work in public health and it is hard not to get frustrated with the Medicaid population. We have to re-examine who is best served by these wonderful services that are offered and stop the irresponsible abuse of the system. There is a risk of perpetuating the cycle of Medicaid and getting the services to the people who really need and deserve them. A hand up not a hand out. Increasing the circle of coverage must be done with considerable thought.

Stark is my rep here in the 13th District of CA. I live in the Hayward-Castro Valley area.  

All I have to say is YOU GO PETE!!!!  About time a Democrat actually stood up and had the cajones to tell it like it is.  Like many in this area, I am really disappointed in Pelosi, who has turned into the Wet Noodle of the West.  

All this talk about Stark thinking a woman's place is in the bedroom is crap--he votes 100% for reproductive freedom, equal pay for equal work--you know, treating women like human beings, which does include calling us on hypocrisy as well at times.  Not one of us is perfect.

And get over it reSLUGlicans, privatizing everything except women's uteruses and the army just means you're socialists from conception 'til a 'natural death' by IED in Iraq. Obviously there are some forms of socialism (and communism-that borrowing and spending by Bush on the Communist Chinese tab, oh baby!) that you really adore--and how about Bush's welfare for Jesus, aka, faith-based initiatives??  Now god needs a handout?  What a total crock!

And I applaud Stark's atheism, even if only for one reason: that I won't ever see him announcing his Christianity in public (like all hypocrites do) then getting caught with his pants down at the DC Madame's and then putting words into god's mouth (as if!) that god had forgiven him for his "sin".

good for Stark.  More of such honesty and saying it like it is is necessary from those we have elected and upon whom we depend for the direction of our nation and the degree to which our nation adhears to the rules of law, both ours and international.  Thank you, Stark.

Starks comments about Bush will give Limbaugh, O'Reilly  and Hannity something to bitch about for at least a week. It will take the heat off of Coulter for her anti-semitic comments, O'Reilly for his anti-black comments, Limpbaugh for his phony soldier comments, and Michelle Malkin for smearing the Frost family! Stark hit the nail on the head about the chicken hawk Bush who wanted to "bring it on", and told the Australian PM we were "kicking ass" in Iraq.He sounds like he's a 20 year old frat boy.

I remember a speech where President John F. Kennedy stated "ask not what your country and do for you but what you can do for your country."  We have always taken care of our children but not ever asked the government to pay for their health insurance.  Why do we expect the government to take care of all our needs.  The government never said go and have children and we will take care of them.  How many of these people making $80,000 plus have more than one car, IRAs, equity in their homes.  One should learn to take care of their housing, food and medical insurance for family.  The rest can be paid for with what's left over.  Besides if this program is so important lets tax all the people not just the ones that smoke.

When sick children and people in general need and receive medical care with out health insurance or the ability to pay cash (HaHa - like that would be an option for most anyone, especially those qualifying for this program!) cost all the rest of us money.  You will pay each time you go to the doctor, dentist, hospital, or lab one way or the other.  I'd prefer they at least have health insurance or some health care program for preventive medicine, that would be a good start and for those children critically and terminally ill without health insurance only the folks in that top 2% tax free bracket could afford to pay for their care.
Maybe the congress and President & VP should be stripped of their benefits the day they leave office and retire on Medicare like the rest of us.  Bet things would change then, and fast.

[[ On another occasion he publicly questioned the provenance of J.C. Watts' offspring, comments that so enraged the former Oklahoma quarterback that he angrily marched up to Stark on the House floor and had to be restrained from beating the living daylights out of the 70-something liberal. ]]

As a matter of fact, Watts did in fact have children "out of wedlock" according to this artilce that first appeared in the Los Angelese Times:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0426-06.htm

Stark was out of line bringing that up in Congress, but MSNBC is out of line making the above misleading statement that falsely implies that Stark made up a slanderous falsehood.

Hard to believe that it has taken all these years for one man to gather the fortitude to speak the truth. Bravo, Pete Stark!

If the president thinks that vetoing the schip will save taxpayers money he is sadly mistaken. I work in billing collection dept for various hospitals and doctors. If people do not have insurance they go to emergency rooms for care. Instead of paying $80 or so for a doctor visit. They get charged 10 times more for the hospital bill. Let me tell you most of these hospital bills never get paid. So who ends up paying for it? We do. With higher insurance rates. Eventually most people will not be able to afford health ins. The average price for health ins in ny for a family of four is $1,200.00 a month. It is rising 10% every year. With more and more people losing health ins. you will have more people going to hospital rooms instead of their regular doctors. Without people getting their preventative test like mamogram or colonoscopy people end up going to hospital so sick running hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bills. Who do you think will pay it? One way or another, the tax payers will pay for it.  

I wish my congresswhimp had the cajones to speak the truth to power as Pete Stark does. Pete Stark for President. Go Pete!

Ya do have to give Stark credit for one point; however, Congress has had to borrow money to fund all of its programs since 2001.  And I suppose Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was not inflammatory at all with his little sign which read, "SCHIP: Socialized Clinton-style Hillarycare for Illegals and their Parents."  Had the little Senator from Iowa taken time to read the legislation he would know that citizenship is a requirement for coverage.

Personally, I think we all should be given the opportunity to purchase the socialized medicine plan the Congress and Senate enjoy at the expense of the taxpayer. It's only $35.00 a month and the best plan on the planet. To hell with the politicians we need to 'sack em all'.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):