Bush pleases Camp and DeVos, declares "I forbid" medical progress, economic growth

According to Wikipedia, the word veto is a Latin word that means, literally, “I forbid.”

Dick DeVos’s buddy, George W. Bush, has just issued his first veto, and - surprise - he uses his first veto to forbid common sense (and to neglect those less fortunate than him).

Of course, this comes in spite of Governor Granholm’s letters to Bill Frist-Flop, Give-‘Em-Hell Harry Reid, and Mr. 37% himself. To Bush she declared:

"If our nation is serious about improving both the cost and quality of health care, we must tap the full power of modern science to combat life-threatening illnesses in an ethically responsible manner," Granholm wrote. "The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act enables our nations researchers to do just that."

Improving health are? Combating illnesses? Ethical responsibility? No wonder Dubya gave it the “I Forbid” treatment.

Meanwhile, Mark Brewer reminds me of why I am proud to be a Michigan Democrat.

“As many Americans today are stricken with terrible illnesses like cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries, it is imperative that medical researchers are able to do whatever they can to help cure Americans of these dreaded diseases,” said Brewer. “Republicans like Dick DeVos and President Bush are taking reactionary political positions that are anti-science and are threatening the well-being of hundreds of thousands of Americans.”

On June 26th, 2006, the Detroit News reported that DeVos “opposes embryonic stem cell research.” http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060623/POLITICS/606230320/1022
DeVos has also given $100,000 dollars to Right to Life, an organization that works to prevent embryonic stem cell research. [Source: Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation: IRS 990 Forms, 1999-2004]

“Governor Granholm has been a leader on restoring the necessary federal funding for embryonic stem cell research while Dick DeVos’ continues to engage in political gamesmanship on the issue. Whether it is outsourcing jobs or now preventing scientific research that could cure cancer, Dick DeVos is more interested in supporting Bush’s failed policies than providing real help for the people of Michigan,” continued Brewer. “We need more leaders to be like Governor Granholm and take action to keep scientific progress alive.

Given all the good this would do, you’d think someone like Dave Camp would join with fifty of his fellow Republicans in supporting this bill, right? Well, See for yourself. (Or I can just save you the time by saying that you won’t be surprised.)