I would like to send a hearty THANK YOU to Governor Schwarzenegger.
The left-wing legislature passed along to the Governor, in the form of SB 840, a socialized healthcare system bill that would have been incredibly bad for the people of this state — especially those in need of professional medical assistance. In vetoing this bill, the Governor had this to say:
Such a program would cost the state billions and lead to significant new taxes on individuals and businesses, without solving the critical issue of affordability. I won’t jeopardize the economy of our state for such a purpose.
SB 840 relies on the failed old paradigm of using one source – this time the government – to solve the complex problem of providing medical care for our people. It uses the same one-sided approach tried in SB 2, the employer-mandated coverage measure signed into law before I became governor. I opposed SB 2 because it placed nearly the entire burden on employers, and voters repealed it in 2004.
I want to see a new paradigm that addresses affordability, shared responsibility and the promotion of healthy living.
Single payer, government-run health care does none of this. Yet it would reduce a person’s ability to choose his or her own physician, make people wait longer for treatment and raise the cost of that treatment.
Here is the link to the full column by the Governor. A warning to conservatives that you should probably just enjoy the meaty paragraphs above, and remind yourself that Phil Angelides would have probably signed Kuehl’s bill. Reading the whole piece would require to read some words of praise for the ultra-liberal Kuehl in the opening paragraph of the Governor’s piece, and a lengthy bit of ‘parade the example’ as Arnold details how his forcing sodas out of schools and mandating drug companies to lower their prices for the economically challenged are proof of his commitment to healthcare.
Missing from the piece are the Governor’s most powerful statements of support for true ‘universal’ healthcare — his firm stance against raising taxes and opposition to raising fees — both of which stimulate the economy and provide jobs (with healthcare) for more people. Democrat policies would drive jobs out of California AND then provide the unemployed with poor, government run healthcare. Republicans would like to invigorate the economy, and find employment for more people (thus enabling them to obtain health care insurance).
But let’s not quibble over the details!
Good veto, Gov! Hopefully it is the first of many vetoes of bad bills this month!