I join with those who are concerned that neither presidential candidate nor party is addressing the needs of people living in poverty. Here are some words that speak to me from Jennifer Butler of Faith in Public Life:
?On the day before Biden and Ryan square off, Catholic nuns in Ohio launched a 1,000-mile statewide bus tour that calls attention to economic and moral questions the candidates would do well to address. ?Ohio Nuns on the Bus? . . . will travel to at least a dozen Ohio communities over a five-day span to highlight the care faith-based social-service agencies provide for poor families, and to call out the immorality of budget cuts that harm these efforts. . . .?
The federal budget can?t be balanced by cutting programs designed to put food on the tables of struggling families and children. There?s not enough in those line items. We do need to fulfill our national obligations and pay off our debt. Revenue increases from those who have benefited most from our national infrastructure is one place to begin. Reduction of fraud as called for in the Affordable Care Act is another.
A wise congregational elder once said, ?If you want to tell a person?s priorities, look at their checkbook register.? The principle holds for public budgets as well. Where we designate our public funds shows what we value. As some have said, ?A budget is a moral document.?
As an American and a Christian, I want to live in a country where we join hands to make sure our elders live their last days in dignity and our children have every opportunity to develop their God-given gifts to the ultimate benefit of us all.
As a person who follows Jesus and as a minister of the Gospel, I believe that one thing we do better together is to create a space of equal opportunity for all our neighbors, as well as give a neighborly outstretched hand to those in need.
As a person of faith I must speak out. Public budgets represent our values. They say who we are. These national discussions continue to be difficult, and compromise will be necessary; however, ceasing to care for our neighbors in need should never be an option.
