March 20, 2007
Texas-Style Compassionate Conservatism*: In a Nutshell
Actually, nothing further apart from this picture is needed.
Danger, Will Robinson! Poor children with health insurance are threatening to wreck our way of life! My hooks are flailing wildly!
A measure intended to make it easier to enroll in the Children's Health Insurance Program stalled in the House on Monday... The bill by Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, would simplify CHIP sign-ups by allowing families to apply once a year instead of every six months and eliminating a 90-day waiting period for uninsured children to be enrolled...
... Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, prevented a vote on the measure by raising a procedural question that kicked the bill back to a House committee... "You know, when I was raised, I didn't have insurance, and my family did just fine," said Talton. "I believe in limited government. I think people ought to pay for (health insurance) themselves."**
I think he did fine, except for that untreated brain parasite that turned him into a modern conservative, i.e. thinking that the concept of limited government was compatible with (1) telling gay or bisexual (!) couples that they couldn't be foster parents, (2) requiring teachers to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance unless they have a written note from themselves (?). Now that's a TEXAS-SIZED brain parasite!
* neither compassionate nor conservative, as you know.
** the second quote is from this article on the same debate.
"Back in my day, we didn't have no fancy health insurance. We just went behind the doctor's office, where he sodomized us. Didn't cure us, but it did make us forget about being sick."
Posted by: Brando at March 20, 2007 02:46 PMPasadena? Christ, and I thought Rohrabacher was bad...
On behalf of all sane, non-brain-parasited Californians, I apologize.
Posted by: teh l4m3 at March 20, 2007 02:46 PMOoh snap. Pasadena, Texas. Never mind.
Still sorry about our wingnuts, FWIW.
Posted by: teh l4m3 at March 20, 2007 02:48 PMHealth insurance is for sick people. Sick people are losers. 'Nuff said.
Off-topic: nice work bringing Patterico around ("But then the left made the valid counterpoint..."). Clearly, The Left's sinister powers of persuasion are stronger than ever.
Posted by: Tom Hilton at March 20, 2007 03:35 PMmaybe Talton will be looking for a job next time around. Pasadena (referred to as "Stinkadena" in Houston) is smack dab in petrochemical row. Recent health studies for it and its rich tax-based neighbor, Deer Park, haven't been too encouraging lately.
Posted by: paperpusher at March 21, 2007 08:01 AMSo, who does the teacher hand in the note to? Themselves?
Posted by: Hysterical Woman at March 21, 2007 04:51 PM