March Cover.indd - Saint Viator High School

WORLD 5
Republican Christie backs Obamacare
New Jersey governor accepts health law’s Medicaid funds
Maddie McAteer
Staff Writer
Governor Chris Christie of New
Jersey announced that he supports
Medicaid expansion under
the Affordable Care Act (a federal system
of health insurance for those requiring
financial assistance).
This stance makes Christie the eighth
governor to ally with President Barack
Obama’s health care plans.
“Accepting these federal resources
will provide health insurance to tens of
thousands of low-income New Jersey
residents, help keep our hospitals financially
healthy and actually save money
for New Jersey taxpayers,” Christie said,
estimating it would save state residents
$227 million in the next fiscal year.
Christie’s support comes as a shock
to the majority of his Republican party,
who are against Obama’s Medicaid expansion.
This expansion, starting next
year, would extend coverage to an estimated
300,000 uninsured New Jersey
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residents. The federal government fully
funds the expansion for three years, after
which the state contribution
gradually
rises to ten percent.
Christie’s backing
of Obama has provided
the governor
with both support
and criticism.
“I think Chris
[Christie] did what
he had to do as a governor,
he put his state
first. There are some
people who are annoyed
about it, I think
they’re being somewhat narrow and not
realizing a governor has a first obligation
to the people of his state,” said former
New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Christie’s status as a potential 2016
presidential contender adds political intrigue
to his health care plans for New
Jersey.
While some believe that his recent
decisions will aid in the governor’s campaign,
others believe
that his support of
Medicaid expansion
will be his downfall.
Christie’s approval
rating remains high,
with about 73 percent
of voters approve of
the job he is doing, according
to a Fairleigh
Dickinson University
poll.
Still, many observe
that because of Hurricane
Sandy, Governor
Chris Christie was pressured to back
Obama’s health care law, given the medical
and financial state of New Jersey after
the storm.
In any event, Governor Christie’s popularity
on the national stage, fueled in
part by his bluntness, reflects a new and
positive policy for New Jersey residents.
Child labor problem in India persists
Brandon Stewart
Staff Writer
In our country, many children take for
granted national schools and protective
labor laws that keep children
from working at a young age.
As reported by childlineindia.org,
young children in India are forced to
work due to poverty and lack of social
security.
Dol.gov reported that various organizations
estimate that 44 to 100 million
children are working in India; the
government even acknowledges that at
least 17.5 million children are forced into
child labor.
It was also reported that the government
does not intervene with the child
labor problem because of the higher
profits that businesses receive due to the
lower salaries that the children are given.
Bonded child labor has become a problem
in India due to debts that parents
are passing to their children.
“It is unfair for children
to be working for such low
wages. Children shouldn’t
be working, but should in be
school learning,” said sophomore
Brian Peters.
Child labor problems are
caused by underemployment
for adults and children
receiving most of the
jobs, according to Ngosindia.com.
Dol.gov suggests that the
child labor problem could
be fixed by educating children and providing
social services to families in need.
Although India requires children to receive
free education up to the age of 14,
this law is not strictly enforced, which
results in an extremely high drop out
rate.
Reports also stated that India has one of
the highest illiteracy rates in the world.
In addition, the children who are forced
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to work often experience malnutrition
due to the low pay they receive while
working long hours in poor conditions
which causes their inability to purchase
nutritious food.
Many say that finding the solution to
India’s labor problem will take the persistence
of governments and other organizations
not only in India, but also
around the world.
MARCH 2013