A victory to build on
by Jim Wallis
"When I tell people around the country what congressional leaders in Washington are planning to do with tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts for the poor, they are stunned and outraged. "Have they no shame?" is a frequent response. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and all that has been revealed about poverty in America, how can we balance the budget on the backs of our poorest and most vulnerable citizens?
It is time to draw a line in the sand against further tax cuts for the wealthiest and more program cuts for the poorest. Budgets are indeed moral documents. From a biblical point of view, the current congressional priorities are simply wrong and should be changed. It's time for the churches and faith-based organizations working with the poor to tell their elected officials to get their priorities right." [Excerpted from the article below.]
Finally, a victory. This week, Congress reconvened after its Columbus Day recess, with the budget reconciliation bill the first item of business - the complicated process of deciding on tax and budget cuts. On Tuesday, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) introduced his "chairman's mark" of proposed budget cuts. To the surprise of many, the expected $574 million cut in the Food Stamp Program was not included - no cuts in food stamps! News reports indicate that objections from several committee Republicans, including Rick Santorum (Pa.), Jim Talent (Mo.), and Norm Coleman (Minn.), along with Democrats, prompted the change. All of these senators are from states where faith-based organizations and leaders were actively pressing their elected representatives not to cut crucial service programs for the poor, including many Sojourners and Call to Renewal partners and allies who contacted their senators during the recess. As always, there were other factors, too, such as county commissioners and clergy in Georgia who told Sen. Chambliss their people couldn't survive without food stamps. Our religious voices were heard.
Your e-mails to your senators and representatives, calls to congressional offices, and letters to local newspapers have raised a moral and faith-based voice to protect the most vulnerable in society. And we have had an impact. It's a small victory but a real one - a first step toward working to ensure that the elderly, the disabled, working families, and others in need do not bear the cost of disaster relief and tax cuts. But it is a victory we must now protect and build on.
The House of Representatives is still planning to act, beginning Thursday, on increasing budget cuts from $35 to $50 billion - and programs such as Medicaid, which provide health care to working families, are still on the chopping block. And the proposed $70 billion tax cut package for wealthy investors is still pending. So, we must keep the pressure on.
Though the Food Stamp Program will likely be sustained in the Senate, Medicaid and other needed services for low-income people are still at risk. And in the House, Republicans are still talking about cutting as much as $1 billion from the Food Stamp Program. As the congressional debate continues this week, please ask your members of Congress to uphold full funding for food stamps and other vital programs for the common good.
As I travel the country, diverse audiences of people across the religious and political spectrum agree with the following statement: A time of war, record deficits, rising poverty, and natural disaster is no time to cut taxes mostly for the rich and cut vital services to the poor. The poorest among us must not be asked to bear the cost of fiscal responsibility, deficit reduction, and disaster relief. We must clearly tell our senators and representatives that cuts to social services for poor families are not the way to pay for hurricane relief. We must not help some suffering people by making others suffer more.
When I tell people around the country what congressional leaders in Washington are planning to do with tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts for the poor, they are stunned and outraged. "Have they no shame?" is a frequent response. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and all that has been revealed about poverty in America, how can we balance the budget on the backs of our poorest and most vulnerable citizens?
It is time to draw a line in the sand against further tax cuts for the wealthiest and more program cuts for the poorest. Budgets are indeed moral documents. From a biblical point of view, the current congressional priorities are simply wrong and should be changed. It's time for the churches and faith-based organizations working with the poor to tell their elected officials to get their priorities right.
Will other political leaders offer the moral leadership shown by Sen. Chambliss and others? Will those who call themselves Christians or people of faith in Congress pay attention to what their faith tells them about our obligations to the most vulnerable? Perhaps it's time for the members of Congress who like to talk about their Christian faith to dust off their Bibles and take a fresh look at what Jesus said about the poor. Some good Bible studies in the House of Representatives about God's commands for social justice might be just what the political process needs right now.
A moral battle for the budget is now unfolding in Congress and our national integrity is at stake. Politicians regularly pat faith communities on the back for serving the poor. It's now time for those people of faith to turn around and tell their political leaders to change their priorities and their policies that hurt the poor. Our voice is just what an administration that prides itself on faith needs to hear.
The victory on food stamps this week could be a turning point in national priorities, but it is only a first step. Let us pray and work to make it so. We will need continued vigilance as the budget process continues, and we will continue reporting developments in SojoMail, alerting you when to contact your members of Congress at critical points.
"When I tell people around the country what congressional leaders in Washington are planning to do with tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts for the poor, they are stunned and outraged. "Have they no shame?" is a frequent response. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and all that has been revealed about poverty in America, how can we balance the budget on the backs of our poorest and most vulnerable citizens?
It is time to draw a line in the sand against further tax cuts for the wealthiest and more program cuts for the poorest. Budgets are indeed moral documents. From a biblical point of view, the current congressional priorities are simply wrong and should be changed. It's time for the churches and faith-based organizations working with the poor to tell their elected officials to get their priorities right." [Excerpted from the article below.]
Finally, a victory. This week, Congress reconvened after its Columbus Day recess, with the budget reconciliation bill the first item of business - the complicated process of deciding on tax and budget cuts. On Tuesday, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) introduced his "chairman's mark" of proposed budget cuts. To the surprise of many, the expected $574 million cut in the Food Stamp Program was not included - no cuts in food stamps! News reports indicate that objections from several committee Republicans, including Rick Santorum (Pa.), Jim Talent (Mo.), and Norm Coleman (Minn.), along with Democrats, prompted the change. All of these senators are from states where faith-based organizations and leaders were actively pressing their elected representatives not to cut crucial service programs for the poor, including many Sojourners and Call to Renewal partners and allies who contacted their senators during the recess. As always, there were other factors, too, such as county commissioners and clergy in Georgia who told Sen. Chambliss their people couldn't survive without food stamps. Our religious voices were heard.
Your e-mails to your senators and representatives, calls to congressional offices, and letters to local newspapers have raised a moral and faith-based voice to protect the most vulnerable in society. And we have had an impact. It's a small victory but a real one - a first step toward working to ensure that the elderly, the disabled, working families, and others in need do not bear the cost of disaster relief and tax cuts. But it is a victory we must now protect and build on.
The House of Representatives is still planning to act, beginning Thursday, on increasing budget cuts from $35 to $50 billion - and programs such as Medicaid, which provide health care to working families, are still on the chopping block. And the proposed $70 billion tax cut package for wealthy investors is still pending. So, we must keep the pressure on.
Though the Food Stamp Program will likely be sustained in the Senate, Medicaid and other needed services for low-income people are still at risk. And in the House, Republicans are still talking about cutting as much as $1 billion from the Food Stamp Program. As the congressional debate continues this week, please ask your members of Congress to uphold full funding for food stamps and other vital programs for the common good.
As I travel the country, diverse audiences of people across the religious and political spectrum agree with the following statement: A time of war, record deficits, rising poverty, and natural disaster is no time to cut taxes mostly for the rich and cut vital services to the poor. The poorest among us must not be asked to bear the cost of fiscal responsibility, deficit reduction, and disaster relief. We must clearly tell our senators and representatives that cuts to social services for poor families are not the way to pay for hurricane relief. We must not help some suffering people by making others suffer more.
When I tell people around the country what congressional leaders in Washington are planning to do with tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts for the poor, they are stunned and outraged. "Have they no shame?" is a frequent response. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and all that has been revealed about poverty in America, how can we balance the budget on the backs of our poorest and most vulnerable citizens?
It is time to draw a line in the sand against further tax cuts for the wealthiest and more program cuts for the poorest. Budgets are indeed moral documents. From a biblical point of view, the current congressional priorities are simply wrong and should be changed. It's time for the churches and faith-based organizations working with the poor to tell their elected officials to get their priorities right.
Will other political leaders offer the moral leadership shown by Sen. Chambliss and others? Will those who call themselves Christians or people of faith in Congress pay attention to what their faith tells them about our obligations to the most vulnerable? Perhaps it's time for the members of Congress who like to talk about their Christian faith to dust off their Bibles and take a fresh look at what Jesus said about the poor. Some good Bible studies in the House of Representatives about God's commands for social justice might be just what the political process needs right now.
A moral battle for the budget is now unfolding in Congress and our national integrity is at stake. Politicians regularly pat faith communities on the back for serving the poor. It's now time for those people of faith to turn around and tell their political leaders to change their priorities and their policies that hurt the poor. Our voice is just what an administration that prides itself on faith needs to hear.
The victory on food stamps this week could be a turning point in national priorities, but it is only a first step. Let us pray and work to make it so. We will need continued vigilance as the budget process continues, and we will continue reporting developments in SojoMail, alerting you when to contact your members of Congress at critical points.
posted by Rev. Rick Mitchell, PhD at 8:10 PM
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