As pastors,
we believe the ongoing fiscal showdown in Washington over taxes, the safety net
and the deficit is not simply a matter of dollars and sense -- it is a question
of right and wrong. The outcome of this debate has profound moral consequences
for our nation, and potentially harsh human consequences for American families.
The way some
politicians talk about these negotiations, you would never know that the health
and economic security of real flesh-and-blood people hang in the balance.
Instead of making apocalyptic claims that we are about to become another
Greece, perhaps they should take a look around America. Across the country,
many poor families work fulltime but still strain to make ends meet. Food
stamps, unemployment insurance and the Earned Income Tax Credits kept 14
million of these Americans out of poverty. Millions of children, including
hundreds of thousands in Missouri, would go to bed hungry without these
programs and would have no access to healthcare without Medicaid. Seniors on fixed
incomes depend on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for their very
survival. We see this reality face to face in our neighborhoods and
congregations. These are the people our leaders must represent and defend, not
the special interests whose well-heeled lobbyists are roaming the halls of
Congress.
Scripture is
clear that nations – not just individuals -- will be judged by how we treat the
least among us. In order to pass this test, we must raise enough revenues to
fund a safety net that reduces poverty, prevents hunger and cares for the sick.
At a time of staggering economic inequality, robust corporate profits, large
deficits and historically low taxes on rich people, our leaders need to summon
the courage to make powerful special interests pay their fair share. That
starts with ending the Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans and closing
loopholes for big, profitable corporations. Our current revenue levels are
inadequate and will lead either to cuts that make people suffer or
unsustainable deficits. Politicians who oppose tax increases on the richest
among us but consider taking food assistance and healthcare away from poor
families and seniors a necessary sacrifice have lost their moral compass.
The way the
fiscal cliff debate is playing out in Washington clarifies the values at stake.
Clergy leaders of the PICO National Network, of which we are members, have met
with Senators, organized call-in days from our congregations to Capitol Hill
offices, and sent letters calling on lawmakers to protect low-income families,
end the Bush tax cuts on the top two percent, and not cut benefits to Medicare,
Medicaid and Social Security. Meanwhile corporate CEOs have intensely lobbied
both parties to enact a "pro-growth" plan that cuts taxes for powerful
corporations while undermining needed benefits for seniors and
working families. And all the while, many politicians stick to the inaccurate
refrain that we only have a spending problem.
Any fiscal
cliff deal that undermines the health or economic security of American families
and fails to require rich and powerful special interests to pay their fair
share is immoral. Our elected representatives have a grave responsibility to
uphold our values of fairness, justice and shared sacrifice.
