Kevin Sack in the NY Times reports that thirteen states, including Kansas and Washington State are expanding their state children's health insurance programs.

Meanwhile California is freezing enrollments on its children's health program and there is some talk of eliminating the program altogether.

We have our own priorities, like continuing $2.5 billion annually in new tax breaks for multinational and out of state corporations which were written into the compromise budget legislation earlier this year. This from Steve Harmon Media News Sacramento Bureau:

. . .three corporate tax breaks before they take full effect at more than $2.5 billion a year. Lawmakers agreed to the loopholes as part of budget agreements last fall and in secret negotiations in February.

"These loopholes showed how special interests with a handful of (Republican) votes were able to hold up the budget and walk away from secret negotiations with a pretty good deal," said Lenny Goldberg, executive director of the California Tax Reform Association, who teamed up with two labor groups, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the California Federation of Teachers, to file the initiative with the Attorney General's office.

. . .

The tax breaks allow multistate corporations to choose to be taxed on any one of three factors — property, payroll or sales — rather than on all three; allow corporations that have maxed out on their tax credits to share them with a family of related corporations; and allow corporations to claim refunds on taxes already paid.

Because the state is like a family and even when daddy can't afford to pay for the kids health care he still needs to take potential clients out drinking to drum up business.