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We wouldn't want that to happen! Health Care for Poor Kids? Maybe Not.By Rick Horowitz Bunk and Debunk -- lifelong friends, political opposites -- sitting at the pizza place. They argue for sport, for exercise, to make the time pass. They argue because... Well, because. Bunk's not sure where this particular argument is heading. That's because Debunk only got as far as "What if -- " before Bunk went to full alert. Something about the way Debunk said it made him twitchy. "You gonna let me finish?" Debunk looks at him across the hot-pepper flakes. "Fine," Bunk says, knowing he'll regret it. "But none of those hypotheticals." "What if there's a war in Iraq?" "There is a war in Iraq." "See? Then it's not a hypothetical! OK, what if there's a war in Iraq, and it's very expensive -- hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars -- and it turns out some of the companies are making out like bandits?
"You know -- cost overruns, kickbacks, fraud. The whole nine yards." "OK." "OK. Now let's say the president finds out about it. Does he shut the war down?" "Of course not! That's the silliest thing I -- " "Of course not! And that's because...?" "Because these things happen in a war. And because the war is too important to -- and besides, it's not like most of the money isn't going where it's supposed to go. So why would you -- " "I get it: The war is too important. Fine." "Fine." Bunk sits back, triumphant. That was easier than he thought it would be. Debunk likes to come at things sideways, he knows, but not this time. Debunk asked a question, he had the answer. That was th -- "Same with Guantanamo, right?" Bunk has the pizza slice halfway to his mouth. He puts it back down, watches the oil form a tiny orange puddle on the paper plate. "Guantanamo?" "Sure. It's the same with Guantanamo, right? There may be some people we locked up down there that we shouldn't be holding -- they're innocent, they got caught up in the middle of something, whatever. But by and large, Guantanamo's doing what the president wants it to do, right?" "I guess." "And the same with collateral damage. You know, like in Afghanistan. Sometimes the bombs don't land where they're supposed to, or we had bad information, or -- " "War isn't an exact science," says Bunk. He heard somebody say that last weekend on one of the talk shows. "Exactly!" says Debunk. (Is he being sarcastic? Bunk can't tell.) "But the president isn't going to stop bombing, or shut down Guantanamo, just because the effect is a little -- I don't know -- bigger than he wanted it to be." "Absolutely." "Because the goals are what matters." "Right." "Right." Bunk's got the pizza halfway to his mouth again. "And the same with domestic stuff, right?" "Domestic stuff?" "Tax cuts, say. The president gives tax cuts to high-income people so they'll go out and create new jobs." "Incentives." "Exactly! But it's not like he's checking to see who's actually creating the jobs and who isn't, or who would've created them even without the tax cuts. He's just sending the money out there, and if more people get it than really should get it, no big deal, right? The president isn't gonna stop giving out tax cuts, right?" "Not this president!" "Fair enough." It's pepperoni and mushroom, and Bunk can almost feel it on his tongue. If Debunk would only stop. Debunk doesn't stop. "But he vetoed S-CHIP." "What's that got to do with -- " "He vetoed giving health insurance to more poor kids because some of the money might have gone to kids who weren't totally poor." "But that's not -- " "Because that's not where the money is supposed to go. And he certainly wouldn't want to help anyone who isn't supposed to get help." "He's -- " "Just like the Iraq money isn't supposed to go to crooked contractors. Just like there's no need to give tax cuts to rich folks who are creating jobs anyway! But that doesn't seem to bother him." "That's different!" "You can't have kids getting away with something." "That's totally different!" Bunk's cheeks are flushed. Debunk's mouth is set in a tight little smile. He flicks a hand toward the table. "Eat," he says. "It's getting cold." Posted 10/9/07. Rick
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Rick Horowitz
