A few months ago a friend told me about this red meat web site called Licking County Pro-Active Citizens (www.licopac.com).  After reading the site for a while, I believe that they are pro-active only about slamming Republicans and promoting Democrats. 

They recently trashed Congressman Pat Tiberi for his vote against "children" in the form of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which would subsidize health insurance for families that can't qualify for Medicaid (the bill would offer subsidies for families earning up to 400% of poverty level income - $82,600 for a family of four).

Licopac does link to Tiberi's press statement on the bill, but pretty much ignores the points made by Tiberi excepting a quote from the Worthington Area Democratic Club:

   "This is absolutely outrageous.  Facts mean absolutely nothing.  There is no limit to how low they will swoop.

   The "Medicare cuts" will have absolutely no impact on a single senior in Tiberi's district or anywhere in America.  What will be cut will be the lavish subsidies to insurance and drug companies in the original Medicare drug bill that the Republicans rammed through the House in the dead of night in violation of House rules while keeping the vote open in violation of House rules so that Tom DeLay could twist more arms.

   Both the GAO and Bush's OMB have found that these subsidies far exceed the costs of the drug and insurance companies.  OMB urged Bush to propose cutting this corporate welfare.  He refused.  Tiberi is upset that the Democrats want to reduce, by a little, the corporate welfare to prosperous drug and insurance companies so that more poor children can have health insurance."

Licopac then steps out from behind the issue shielding themselves from reasonable arguments by demanding that we ask Tiberi why he opposes health insurance for the middle class, working poor and the children, ignoring the history of costly government programs that have one intention and another result.  Why are we always expected to suspend disbelief and believe that THIS costly government program will actually achieve what it set out to accomplish.

The Heritage Foundation has a good summaryof the problems with SCHIP beyond the slogans.  FactCheck.org also posted a nice write-up on SCHIP when then-Presidential Candidate John Kerry tried to pull an attack similar to licopac.com's back in 2005.

I have an idea.  As a healthy reminder of the Law of Unintended Consequences, I ask you to contribute the name and unintended consequence of government programs.  I'll start with just a few:

Aid to Families With Dependent Children - Designed to provide subsidies to the poor, it's income threshold calculation actually had the effect of encouraging people not to work.

CETA (I can't even remember what the hell CETA stood for) - Remember the CETA jobs program that accomplished providing jobs to the bureaucrats it employed to come up with ways to justify receiving more government money.

Farm Subsidies - Yes, we will pay you not to grow food.

There, you have a start.  Please help.