The Republican budget is an immoral document–Rewards The Rich By Punishing The Poor
Original Post HERE.
I will be accused of partisanship for this blog post title and this post in general. Unfortunately the statement is absolutely true. The two articles below give the statement context and proof.
I am waiting for the day when we can have fact based discourse where we give Americans the true choices of ideologies and their combinations by which they want to be governed. We do not have a crop of politicians on the Right willing to do that.
This week Ted Cruz was elected the Republican Party Senate candidate from Texas. He was the Tea Party candidate and many times stated that compromise is the other side seeing things his way. His side ran ads accusing his Republican opponent as being a moderate. When did a moderate become a bad thing?
My hope is that as real fact based information is released of the real intent of the Right Wing, Americans will vote appropriately. We need a purge of the current crop of Republicans so there is a real Republican party that shares the values of humanity, “real” fiscal responsibility, and morality of the Democratic and other small progressive parties.
LIKE My Facebook Page
Follow EgbertoWillies
by Sandi Villarreal 08-01-2012 | 2:30pm
Faith leaders on Wednesday gathered on Capitol Hill to release a letter calling on Congress to extend the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) — programs aimed at keeping the poor and most vulnerable in our country out of poverty. The call comes in advance of a U.S. House of Representatives vote to extend the Bush-era tax cuts.
In 2010, the EITC and CTC lifted about 9 million people out of poverty, including 4.9 million children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
"The Bible confronts every Evangelical lawmaker with more than 2,000 verses, which call us to defend the poor and vulnerable. If we say we believe the Bible, we simply can’t support policies that directly reward the rich and punish the poor: Christian lawmakers can’t keep going into their prayer breakfasts and leaving their Bibles at the door," said Jim Wallis, president and CEO of Sojourners.
CONTINUED
By: Sojourners Date: August 1, 2012
A budget is a moral document. That phrase was coined by the faith community and has become a refrain in the ongoing debates over deficits and budgets. But in this week’s House vote on extending the Bush era tax cuts, we see one more example of the priorities and principles of the broader GOP budget and how they apply to the rich and to the poor. Because of this, we must conclude that the Republican budget is an immoral document—in the way it treats the poor. I certainly don’t believe that all our Republican lawmakers came to Washington to hurt poor people, but it’s time for some of them to challenge the dominant forces in their party and face the consequences of such indefensible choices.
We have a genuine hope for a long term bi-partisan solution and, in particular, a moral non-partisan commitment to protect the poor and vulnerable from being expendable in these fiscal debates. We should also say that Democratic budgets have not been models of fiscal responsibility and social justice, either. But what the House budget is calling for is morally objectionable on religious and biblical grounds—and people of faith from all political stripes should say so. In particular, to roll back tax credits for the poor to help fund tax breaks for the rich is morally reprehensible, and the faith community has to speak out.
Here is what the debate reveals from the highest moral lens: the House GOP budget wants to extend tax cuts and credits for the wealthiest people of our societywhile cutting tax benefits for the poorest—including millions of low-income working families with children at risk. Proven and effective tax credits, which can lift families out of poverty, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) which have historically had bi-partisan support, are now being dramatically reduced. All the while, tax cuts for the wealthy are further expanded and the amount of money the richest can keep from their estate taxes continues to grow. This is an egregious contrast and a starkly immoral budget choice.
CONTINUED
