Pete shows his stuff again

In the next year as many as 1,300 women without health insurance will discover by mammogram that they have breast cancer.

Although they may detect the problem early, which can increase their chance of survival and recovery, these low-income women are still likely to forego treatment, thereby increasing the possibility of their death.

The tragic irony is, health departments which rally these women to go to clinics and to get free exams, do not provide further free treatment.

These women make too little to afford health insurance or too much to qualify for medical benefits assistance.

Women and children facing this predicament total 24 percent of the population.

So what does Gov. Pete Wilson do when he has the chance to heal at least one facet of this unfortunate dilemma by extending payments for breast cancer treatments to poor women?

He vetoes! Of course, just like ol' Petey, he kills it. This, a slap in the face to millions of women, is his gift to the inauguration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"This bill [AB 2592] would create General Fund pressure to keep pace with expanding treatment demands," Wilson announced.

Wilson had the opportunity to save lives, and he chose not to.

He had the chance to build one bridge to the sector of society that he has disheartened and disenfranchised so many times before, and he chose to destroy it before its inception.

Every time a legislation that can benefit those who really need the state's help comes about, why does Wilson oppose it?

In fact, he seems to support every bill that would pose a detriment to those that need help.

Since this man has been in office, I have questioned constantly the motives of politicians. Who do they serve?

Do they have any notion of the true meaning of welfare for the people?

And why has welfare become a bad word in the political arena?

Wilson has dimmed almost to darkness the good light, however small it was, that I saw shed in Sacramento.

What a term of office! This most recent veto, along with every other misogynist, anti-immigrant, anti-Latino legislation Wilson has stood behind, is a disgrace to one of the most diverse and culturally rich states in the country.

Thank God for term limits!

Linda Prendez is a journalism major at CSULB.