To the editor:

Wednesday, President Bush did what he vowed to do; he vetoed H.R. 976. This bill, which is better known as the States Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), could have brightened the future for the children of our state and country, but instead it will do nothing of the sort.

The SCHIP program was based around adding a tax to tobacco sales and using the profits to increase funding for underprivileged children’s health care. Across the country, this would have added 4.4 million to the 6.6 million children receiving this form of aid, which was created by a bipartisan committee in 1997. With the passage of SCHIP, 10 million American children could have had health care provided for them, but will not because of this veto.

The president is not the only person who failed us on this issue. In Kansas, this vote hits a little closer to home, because one of our senators did not feel the need to vote. Sen. Sam Brownback again missed a vote and again failed Kansas by not representing the state in Congress.

It is estimated that there are 55,000 uninsured children in the state of Kansas, and the passage of the SCHIP bill could have given the children of this state a better opportunity. I don’t understand how this can be justified? Taxing tobacco, something that kills millions of people, to extend health care to millions sounds like a pretty good deal.

J. Collin Chlebak,

Lawrence