Tennessee Senate could care less about babies

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/29/panel-rejects-funds-to-aid-infants-odds/


Tennessee Senate panel rejects funds to aid infant mortality rate


Despite pleas by children's advocates and testimony that babies will die, Republicans on the state Senate Finance Committee stripped funding for an infant-death reduction initiative that officials say is reducing Memphis and Tennessee's high rates of infant mortality.

The committee voted 7-4, on straight party lines Thursday night to reject an effort by Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis and others to restore the state budget funding for the governor's Office of Children's Care Coordination and the grants it administers across Tennessee.

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But Bob Duncan, director of both the Office of Children's Care Coordination and the Cover Kids health insurance program, said that effectively eliminates the program and its grants for local services in Shelby County and across Tennessee on Dec. 31. Asked what would happen if that occurs, he said, "You will see an increase in babies dying."

-snip-

The infant mortality program is part of a stalemate over the budget between the House and Senate that has kept lawmakers in session for weeks beyond the mid-April adjournment leaders targeted -- costing taxpayers $24,400 a day in expense pay to lawmakers and $19,500 in weekly travel reimbursements.

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Children's health advocates were stunned as word spread Friday.

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"It's bizarre that fish hatcheries in East Tennessee stand a better chance of being funded than programs that directly impact our infant mortality rate, saving African-American babies, through funding by the Governor's Office of Children's Care Coordination," Clubb said.

" African-American babies are dying at three times the rate of Caucasian babies."
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time for women to move out of Tenn. which is probably what the neo cons want.

let the religiously insane/neo cons have the state and we can put up warning signs at the borders.

whichever way the Tenn. Senate stinks

possible? :P

my pathetic state

They're so similar, one could barely put a toothpick between them.

Even if McWherter (the Dem) won, his positions are only slightly better than Haslam's. Of course, Wamp or Ramsey could beat Haslam - and they make Haslam out to be an out-right liberal, given their positions.

I have a good job here. I have family here. I don't like the frigid winters up north. I like my four seasons down here. I'm from here.

How about the neo-cons move out and I'll stay put?

nt

than our Republican-leaning Senate.

We have exceedingly fewer and fewer people running as Democrats each year and I can't see that the state party is grooming anyone who can compete.

I suspect that's the intent.

nt

Of course they couldn't care less about babies, or anyone else but themselves. That's why I laugh at anti-abortion fruitcakes; if they were really about pro-life, they'd be fighting for single-payer health care so that everyone would have a chance at life.

Each day, 273 people die due to lack of health care in the U.S.

What could be more "pro-life" than universal health care (among other things)?

All they really care about is making abortion illegal and relegating women to alley ways.

Is this really a shock to anyone?

We've had to grow accustomed to this kind of behavior and I find it saddening and heartbreaking that someone who claims to be human is doing it.

God damn them all.:mad: :mad: :mad:

If the infant mortality rate was high for middle and upper class white babies, trust me, there would be plenty of funding to try to stem the tide.