I am responding to Eric Lombardi's Oct. 9 column "Bush veto cuts health care plan for impoverished kids" regarding President Bush's veto of the State Child Health Insurance Program, better known as SCHIP, and his radical statements about the reasons Bush vetoed this legislation.

First of all, I am NOT in support of the radical expansion of SCHIP supported by the liberal Democrats in Congress for many reasons. Like the President, I believe there are many children in need of health care in this country, but an expansion of this nature is wrong. SCHIP was designed to cover children in poverty, whereas the plan the President vetoed covers kids whose families make 400 percent above the level of poverty, or $83,000 per year. If that level of income is the new poverty, then we all grew up poor.

The funding of this $30 billion plan-which of course is estimated to actually cost taxpayers over $40 billion-is funded by a regressive tax on lower to middle income citizens who work hard for their money. The logic that you support is to tax these same citizens to pay for their own children's health care. I would argue we need to move forward and fix the problems of our current system.

Right now, the health care industry is the most regulated and highly litigated industry in the U.S., which is exactly the reason why costs are sky high and families can't afford health care of their own. How about we fix the problems of cost, get consumers to start making choices in health care before we just give it to everyone for "free," as most students would call it. Just remember, nothing is "free"-someone's paying for it.

Mr. Lombardi, you should know best as a student who plans on having a career in medicine, that the direction this bill would take our country, toward socialized health care, is the wrong direction. I know most Marquette students would agree that they would rather have the quality care they enjoy now than be placed in Cuban-style hospitals and receive incredibly poor treatment.

If you support socialized health care, Mr. Lombardi, you are ultimately putting yourself out of a future job. I hope all Marquette students will call their members of Congress and tell them to hold strong and oppose the expansion of socialized health care.