David Gibson: "A week after House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan claimed his Catholic faith inspired the Republicans' cost-cutting budget plan, the nation's Catholic bishops reiterated their demand that the federal budget protect the poor, and said the GOP measure "fails to meet these moral criteria." That and other strongly-worded judgments on the GOP budget … Continue reading Catholic bishops say GOP budget proposal fails moral test
GOP Budget
Elections 2012: Who is Really 'Pro-Life?'
Joni Eareckson Tada: "Like all good citizens, the elderly and people with disabilities want to eradicate waste and fraud from government, but helping people with special needs meet their basic needs doesn't fit this description. The hallmark of a healthy society has always been measured by how it cares for the disadvantaged. As people investigate … Continue reading Elections 2012: Who is Really 'Pro-Life?'
How the Working Poor Became the New Welfare Queens
Ed Kilgore: "The transformation is widely observable across the conservative landscape, with Republican fiscal proposals in the states and in Washington going after a host of other key support systems for the working poor with a vengeance: state-level EITCs, job training programs, unemployment benefits, food stamps, Medicaid, you name it. It’s also no coincidence that, … Continue reading How the Working Poor Became the New Welfare Queens
Catholic Bishops Blast Debt Deal, Tea Party Extremism
John Gehring: "Written by John Carr, executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the USSCB, the report is a frank assessment of a deal that asks nothing from the rich even as it puts the squeeze on those already having trouble making ends meet. "While the crisis of default was … Continue reading Catholic Bishops Blast Debt Deal, Tea Party Extremism
Catholic Bishops Fear the Human and Social Costs of GOP Budget Cuts
USCCB: "We fear the human and social costs of substantial cuts to programs that serve families working to escape poverty, especially food and nutrition, child development and education, and affordable housing. We also fear the costs of undermining international assistance which is an essential tool to promote human life and dignity, advance solidarity with poorer … Continue reading Catholic Bishops Fear the Human and Social Costs of GOP Budget Cuts
DFLA Board Member Steve Schneck takes on Paul Ryan
Steve Schneck: "At the beginning of life, Medicaid also pays for about one-third of all births in America. Maybe you know a scared young mom who needed such help. If you are pro-life, like me you realize what support for these births can mean. Or maybe, like I do, you have a friend who lost … Continue reading DFLA Board Member Steve Schneck takes on Paul Ryan
The moral dimension of the federal budget does not end with protecting the unborn
Kathy Dahlkemper: "The moral responsibility of protecting an unborn child is no different than the responsibility to ensure that a child with cancer gets proper medical treatment without bankrupting their family. These responsibilities have the same source—the fundamental worth of the human person."
Shameless Self-promotion: Catholic social teaching vs the cult of individualism
My article from NCR: "The common link between these libertarian social and economic policies is the individualism that animates them. The source behind the rejection of distributive justice and the sanctity of human life is fundamentally the same. It is the great irony of American political life that the two bitterest opponents in American politics … Continue reading Shameless Self-promotion: Catholic social teaching vs the cult of individualism
Starving the poor to balance the budget is wrong
DFLA Board Member Stephen Schneck: "We need fiscal prudence to tackle budget deficits. But it's immoral to increase hunger in America when other options are available. At the very least, it's reasonable to avoid any cuts to food assistance until charities, states and local governments are in a stronger position to respond. Surely, this is … Continue reading Starving the poor to balance the budget is wrong
The Moral and Human Dimensions of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: "We express our deep concerns that the current proposal calls for significant cuts to both domestic and international food aid, conservation and rural development programs. These proposed cuts will greatly affect programs that serve hungry, poor and vulnerable people in our nation and around the world."
The Whole Life Democrat 