Is it a two-thirds vote to overturn The President's veto? This is awfully close.
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Where Do Your Senators Stand
- Thread starter tsmckenney
- Start date
Is it a two-thirds vote to overturn The President's veto? This is awfully close.
preembargo
Sleeping not so peacefully
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,686
Point taken Bill, You're absolutely right.
Senator Vitter finaly e-mailed me back, but he has been busy latley. :whistling:
Dear Mr. Corbin,
Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to increasing the tobacco tax to pay for an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue and want you to know that I agree with you.
You may be pleased to know that I voted against the bill that would increase the federal excise tax on tobacco by 61 cents per pack of cigarettes to expand SCHIP. That increase would raise the average retail price on each pack of cigarettes in Louisiana by more than 16 percent. Also, a new tax would be placed on cigars of up to $10 per cigar. It has been estimated that this tax increase could potentially result in a revenue loss of hundreds of millions of dollars, as many people choose to stop smoking in light of the dramatically increased tax.
Since 1997, many states' SCHIP programs have evolved and expanded beyond the original scope of the program. Some state programs include coverage for adults and children of families who have incomes 400 percent above the Federal Poverty Level, which has caused large shortfalls in SCHIP funding each year for a program intended for children. For instance, a family of four making over $82,000 per year would be eligible for SCHIP. These SCHIP expansions stray from the original intention of the program and are creating a more bureaucratic, government-controlled health care delivery system. I believe that we should help families access health care by promoting the use of health savings accounts, association health plans, and tax credits for the purchase of health insurance. These alternatives would allow individuals and families the freedom to choose the plan that best suits their needs rather than forcing families into government-run health care.
Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue working in the U.S. Senate to bring common sense to our tax system. Once again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Senator David Vitter
United States Senator
P.S. Please visit my webiste to sign up for E-Updates and receive regular email updates from me on the issues important to Louisiana families.
Dear Mr. Corbin,
Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to increasing the tobacco tax to pay for an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue and want you to know that I agree with you.
You may be pleased to know that I voted against the bill that would increase the federal excise tax on tobacco by 61 cents per pack of cigarettes to expand SCHIP. That increase would raise the average retail price on each pack of cigarettes in Louisiana by more than 16 percent. Also, a new tax would be placed on cigars of up to $10 per cigar. It has been estimated that this tax increase could potentially result in a revenue loss of hundreds of millions of dollars, as many people choose to stop smoking in light of the dramatically increased tax.
Since 1997, many states' SCHIP programs have evolved and expanded beyond the original scope of the program. Some state programs include coverage for adults and children of families who have incomes 400 percent above the Federal Poverty Level, which has caused large shortfalls in SCHIP funding each year for a program intended for children. For instance, a family of four making over $82,000 per year would be eligible for SCHIP. These SCHIP expansions stray from the original intention of the program and are creating a more bureaucratic, government-controlled health care delivery system. I believe that we should help families access health care by promoting the use of health savings accounts, association health plans, and tax credits for the purchase of health insurance. These alternatives would allow individuals and families the freedom to choose the plan that best suits their needs rather than forcing families into government-run health care.
Rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue working in the U.S. Senate to bring common sense to our tax system. Once again, thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Senator David Vitter
United States Senator
P.S. Please visit my webiste to sign up for E-Updates and receive regular email updates from me on the issues important to Louisiana families.