Today, some Senators voted to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, (S-CHIP) which already provides essential health care to millions of children and now will be able to enroll millions more children who otherwise would have no health care coverage.  You can read more about S-CHIP here, and Paul Krugman's "An Immoral Philosophy."

The House already overwhelmingly passed this legislation on September 25.

Every Democratic senator voted yea, joined by 18 Republicans. The full roll call here.

The following 30 Republican senators voted against children who have no health care because their parents can't afford it.  They voted against these children ----just let them die, and some have already.

NAYs ---30
Allard (R-CO) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Cornyn (R-TX)	Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Dole (R-NC) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Gregg (R-NH) Hagel (R-NE) Inhofe (R-OK)	Isakson (R-GA) Kyl (R-AZ) Lott (R-MS) Martinez (R-FL) McConnell (R-KY) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH)

Not Voting - 1

McCain (R-AZ)

However, President Bush threatens to veto this bill because he believes in subsidizing private insurance companies rather than providing health care to children. Using his customary tactics, he even lies about S-CHIP claiming it is health insurance for the wealthy. This from a president who claims to be a compassionate conservative, but said that access to care is no problem, "After all, you just go to an emergency room."  What else can you expect from a man with no integrity or human empathy?

Also today, the Senate passed an expanded hate crimes bill that includes  "crimes motivated by gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victims."
See the full roll call here.

Every Democratic senator voted yea, joined again by a few Republicans.  However, the following Republican senators voted to keep exploiting hate and fear in this country.

NAYs ---39
Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX)	Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hagel (R-NE) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK)	Isakson (R-GA) Kyl (R-AZ) Lott (R-MS) Martinez (R-FL) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Stevens (R-AK) Sununu (R-NH) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA)

Not Voting - 1
McCain (R-AZ)