"Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." - Luke 14:12-14
The Budget and the Common Good
The founding principles of the United States, declared in the
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, include not only protection for our people
from domestic strife and defense of the nation in times of war but also
establishing justice and promoting the general welfare.
While we like to define ourselves by these ideals of fairness and
generosity, we have spent much of our history trying to make the reality
resemble the words. Today—when millions are unemployed, and when many jobs pay
too little to lift families out of poverty while other people have unimaginable
wealth and proposals abound to cut taxes for those most able to pay—our society
is failing to realize the ideals we proclaim.
Our laws and public policy are the
blueprints by which we set up the institutions that allocate people’s chances
in life. They can provide opportunity
for all, and thereby promote justice, or conversely, they can create opportunity
for some and deny it for others.
Reminding us that Jesus calls us to
attend to the needs of the least of these, General Synod 25 challenges the
United Church of Christ to support policies that serve the common good:
“Our Christian faith speaks
directly to public morality and the ways a nation should bring justice and
compassion into its civic life. In the
story of the last judgment, Jesus tells us that nations will be judged by how
they care for their most vulnerable citizens, those Jesus describes as, ‘the
least of these who are members of my family.’ This story in Matthew (Matthew 25:
34-35) is not about personal salvation; rather it is presented as a story of
the judgment of nations.”
Today we are
called to address the disparity between our ideals and the reality of rapidly
widening inequality—our poorest neighbors living invisibly and un-cared-for
among us.
The Economy - Where We're At & Why the Budget Matters
The U.S.
economy entered a recession in late 2007. While Wall Street has recovered and
is once again paying huge bonuses, Main
Street continues to struggle. Millions of people remain
out of work. Incomes fall or stagnate as prices rise. Record numbers of families
continue to lose their homes. State governments, required by law to balance
their budgets, are cutting services, laying off workers, and blaming state
employees for their financial woes. Corporations are sitting on record amounts
of cash but are not hiring nor investing because the economic future is too
uncertain.
Going forward, the country has a choice between two paths. On
one, we continue to muddle through, allowing the “market” (which brought us to
this point) to determine our economic future. This means the unemployed will
wait years before returning to work. Proposed budget cuts will deny health
insurance, child care, heating assistance, money for college tuition, and other
essentials to those most in need.
There is another path. The federal government can intervene
and steer the economy in ways that benefit us all and create jobs to put the
recession behind us. Here’s a four-part plan.
- Stop
the cuts in safety net services. Assistance for those who are suffering
has never been more necessary.
- Create jobs. Millions are unemployed and the
situation is dire. Congress must establish a program of job creation. The deficit,
which is largely caused by the recession, should be reduced only after the
economy is back on a sound footing.
- Curtail
military spending. Veterans must receive the services they need. But major
cuts should be made to weapons systems that are unnecessary or do not
function as intended.
- Raise
additional revenue. The people who have benefited the most from the
economic developments of the past four of decades must pay more in taxes.
The economy has grown enormously since 1970, but ALL the gains have gone
to the top 10% of households, primarily to the top 1%. (Among the bottom
90% of households some incomes have risen and others have fallen but,
adjusted for inflation, the average household has slightly less money
today than 38 years ago.) The small segment of households at the very top
of the income ladder that have seen huge gains can, and should, pay more
in taxes.
