Last week President Bush controversially vetoed a bill that would have expanded the already huge State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP).

This bill, originally designed to provide healthcare coverage for children in poverty-stricken homes, was modified by Senate Democrats so that it would cover a larger base of children. The problem here lies in the fact that the new bill presented to Bush dramatically increased the minimum eligibility limit for household income to qualify for the plan.

In Wisconsin, the SCHIP plan is better known as Badger Care. It is designed to provide quality healthcare for children in families who do not have medical insurance.

So who is eligible to receive the benefits of Badger Care? Anyone in the state who meets the income requirements, that does not have health insurance and has children under 19.

So here we have a federally funded state program to help ensure that children in uninsured homes can get the medical care they need. Great, I am all for that. Healthy kids are happy kids!

The snag in this otherwise “perfect plan” is that the new modifications to the bill would have reduced the minimum amount of annual income so much that the new bill would have needed to be expanded by $35 BILLION in the next five years!

It went so far that the new “limits” on yearly earnings would have allowed many working class families, who do not fall into the poverty rating, to remove their children from their private health insurance and let the state pick up the tab.

Let’s make it a little clearer: Originally, to be eligible for Badger Care a family of five could have earned $24,130 each year to receive full benefits.

Under the new bill, the new eligibility level would be increased dramatically to just over $41,000. That would make me nearly eligible to apply; I would just need to work a little less and drop my kids from my insurance plan.

In New Jersey the statistics are a bit more staggering. Previously a family of four could earn no more than about $25,000. But with the new increases the limit for that same family jumps to just over $74,000. Now, tell me something: Should the children in a family that brings in over $70,000 each year be dependent on the state to provide them with adequate medical coverage? I think not.

President Bush is being labeled as a “child hater” because of his veto pen, which I must state has not been used much at all during his term. He is finally using some common sense here. Why should the government pick up the tab on children whose family can already adequately support them? Why should my tax dollars be used to take care of kids who are in families who are financially sound and medically insured?

For once in what seems to be a very long time, I have to extend my thanks to our president. Had this legislation been passed, we would only be one step closed to the great evil that would be socialized health care.