The News-Press Prints My Letter But Cuts Out the Best Part

Well, I am thankful that the St. Joseph News-Press printed my letter to the editor today. I was beginning to wonder if they would print it at all. Given the political slant of the editors, I guess I should be grateful they printed it at all. They did, however, edit out quite a bit of it--in my opinion some of the best parts.

To be fair, I did submit a letter that was way longer than they request letters be, so I did leave myself open to being edited. I feel, however, that most of what they cut out reveals the bias of the editors and obscures a major point I was trying to make. To their credit, they did include my criticism of their own stance on the issue. You can be the judge. Below, you will find what I submitted to the News-Press. The text in RED is what was not printed in the paper.

In my opinion, the edited version ends up being a counterargument to Graves, Bush and other opponents of the bill--which in and of itself is okay, that was one of my intentions with the letter. Lost, however, is the point I was making about the hypocrisy of Graves and others who claim to be "pro-life" and supporters of "family values" but have no problem with children having no access to affordable healthcare. I really do believe that it is immoral to work for anything other than or less than every child (and adult) in our country to have access to affordable health care. As one of my parishioners said recently, "We are not a civilized country if we have children whose families cannot afford health care."

Grace and Peace,

Chase

Dear Editor,

Rep. Sam Graves has declared himself to be a supporter of “family values” and the “pro-life” movement, but his recent vote against the expansion of the State Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and support for President Bush’s veto of the bill supporting the program reveals otherwise. The congressman must not really care for families who cannot afford health insurance and he must not be concerned about the lives of children once they make it outside the womb.

Congressman Graves along with President Bush and other opponents of the bill have put their own political interests and the interests of wealthy insurance and pharmaceutical corporations above the interests of America’s children. Health insurance rates and prescription drug prices continue to rise at rates many times the rate of inflation, while the growth rate of most American incomes remains modest at best. All this is assuming, of course, that people without employer-provided insurance can get medical insurance. Have you tried to get health insurance lately? Unless your medical record is free of any and all prior conditions, expect coverage to be denied.

Graves and other opponents of the recent SCHIP bill justify their actions with several misleading charges. The first is a concern that children of illegal immigrants may get health coverage. Yet, instead of working to create a solution to America’s immigration problems that benefits businesses, American workers and foreign workers who seek a better life, Graves and others in Congress would rather put doctors and medical workers in the unenviable position of having to deny help to children who might or might not be here illegally. There is also the question, of course, of whether it is ever humane to deny health treatment to anyone, especially children, based on their national citizenship.

Graves and other opponents of the SCHIP bill love to throw around the charge that the bill would include families making $82,000 a year. Multiple reputable sources show that 92% of those covered would make under $62,000/year for a family of four. The remaining 8% would be in areas of the country where the cost of living is at a higher rate. A family of four that makes between $31,000 and $62.000 per year includes many families that make too much to receive Medicaid and makes too little to afford private insurance (assuming they could get it). $62,000 may seem like a lot in St. Joseph, but add the cost of health insurance to that of out of pocket costs for a major operation and you will find that money gone in a flash.

The final objection of Graves and others (including the News Press editorial board) is that families who could afford private insurance would then move to the government-funded program. To that, I say give me a congressman (and a newspaper) that cares more about the health of children and the pocketbooks of ordinary people than it does about insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

While Representative Sam Graves, President Bush and other opponents pull out the empty rhetoric of “Hillary-care” and “socialized medicine,” the health of millions of American children is at stake—children that were not covered in the past and will not be covered in the future if the opponents of the current bill have their way. Ensuring that every child has access to affordable health care should not be up for debate in a civilized country. To work for anything else is immoral. I urge all Missourians who truly value families and believe that a “pro-life agenda” should include a healthy life for all children to speak out against the actions of Rep. Graves and President Bush.

Sincerely,

Rev. Chase Peeples