Elgin protesters decry Bush health care veto

Members of the Fox Valley council of MoveOn.org rallied Thursday in Elgin against President Bush's veto of a children's insurance bill.

The members staged their rally in front of Gail Borden Public Library, holding signs reading "Bush blocks kids' health" and "Out of Iraq, health care now!"

They were protesting the president's veto of a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or S-CHIP.

Congress passed the expansion legislation earlier this month but lacked the necessary votes in the House to override the veto.

"Why are we paying tax dollars?" asked Laurie Faith Gibson, who helped organize the event. "By him vetoing it, that's disgraceful."

The rally in Elgin was one of an expected 225 similar events across the country.

Those in Elgin hope local residents will call their congressmen -- Rep. Dennis Hastert in particular -- to urge them to override the veto.

"He won't change his mind, but maybe someone else in Illinois will," Gibson said.

Gibson said this is an issue that strikes particularly close to her heart.

She had trouble getting her kids in an affordable health care plan last year.

"We were finally able to scrape enough pennies together," said Gibson, who now pays $389 a month for health insurance for her two kids. "I don't want other people to go through what we went through."

That's why, Gibson said, she was thrilled to learn Congress had voted to expand S-CHIP.

"I was so happy when it got passed," Gibson said. "It was a miracle Congress did something."