Cox Reacts To President's Veto On Excess Spending
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Grock/Martin Janis & Co.
(312) 943-1106
October 5, 2007
Cox Reacts To President's Veto On Excess Spending
(CHICAGO) - This is Republican presidential candidate John Cox's reaction to President Bush's veto of excessive spending:
"The President has finally vetoed excessive spending! Hallelujlah! Of course, the Democrat spin machine is on full tilt, saying he is putting poor children out in the streets sick without health care; that a few days of Iraq would pay for this; that this is a way of helping people get the insurance they need."
"Unfortunately, the arguments President Bush and the Republican leadership have advanced to defend the veto have not been overly effective thus far. What we have heard is that he is standing up for the taxpayers; that this legislation took money that was supposed to be for poor kids and gave it to families who make $80,000 per year - this is all true."
"What I think would be an even better argument is that SCHIP, like so many other government programs, doesn't address the real problem; it just shifts the cost to the government. The problem with the availability of children's health insurance is that it costs so much. There aren't enough suppliers to meet the demand; there isn't enough competition to work on reducing the price. Tort lawyers assault the medical, nursing and insurance businesses, elevating costs and forcing defensive practices that inflate the cost. Doctors prevent nurses from competing and insurance companies cannot compete in a truly free market, as many states prevent interstate competition."
"Shifting the cost to the government is so counterproductive; it is a band aid that makes the wound worse. The more government gets involved in funding this benefit, the less likely we are to address the real problems. The extra government money also artificially pushes up demand, thus exacerbating the supply/demand imbalance. Also, this further removes consumers from decision making, thus insulating them from price discrimination and discretion as to use of medical service, both of which contribute to medical price inflation. This makes the cost more unaffordable and that has the escalating problem of greater governmental cost, thus putting us more in debt as a nation."
"I support a federal law that limits the amounts that may be awarded in malpractice lawsuits. That would cause malpractice insurance premiums to decrease, encouraging more people to become doctors and remain doctors. When the country has more doctors, the prices will decrease, without the federal government increasing spending. This is the kind of leadership the American people deserve and they aren't getting."
If you are interested in interviewing John Cox or having him on as a guest commentator on this issue, please call Laura Grock at (312) 943-1106.
