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Today's top news on faith and politics
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
![]() Being fiscally responsible and fair
By Rev. Bryan N. Massingale - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Opinion
It's both immoral and fiscally irresponsible to ask those who teach our children, protect our communities and care for our sick loved ones to bear the greatest burden and give up basic rights that have provided economic opportunity for generations.
(Read More)
The American Debate: IS LABOR ON THE ROPES?
By Dick Polman - Philadelphia Inquirer, Opinion
It should not be difficult.... to make the argument that an assault on public unions is an assault on the middle class, or to argue that the Wisconsin governor's move to strip bargaining rights is an assault on fundamental American fairness.
(Read More) Majority in Poll Back Employees in Public Sector Unions
By Michael Cooper and Megan Thee-Brenan - New York Times
A majority of Americans say they oppose efforts to weaken the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions and are also against cutting the pay or benefits of public workers to reduce state budget deficits.
(Read More) An Open Letter to Speaker Boehner
By Jim Wallis - God's Politics
As religious leaders, we don't believe that our most vulnerable people should bear more additional burdens. Do you agree? Why are there deep cuts in budget proposals to some of our most important programs that prevent deadly diseases among children...?
(Read More) Report: House budget plan could kill 700K jobs
By Jennifer Epstein - Politico
"While long-term government spending restraint is vital, and laying out a credible path toward that restraint very desirable, too much cutting too soon would be counterproductive," Zandi wrote.
(Read More) Why don't conservatives like AmeriCorps?
By Steve Thorngate - Christian Century
Church groups, individual families and others from across the political spectrum trekked down to the Gulf Coast to help out, and AmeriCorps headed up much of the...crucial work of coordinating volunteers...Does this sound like something we should cut?
(Read More) Hearings on Muslim Americans are un-American
By Rep. Mike Honda - The Hill, Congress Blog
By framing his hearings as an investigation of the American Muslim community, the implication is that we should be suspicious of our Muslim neighbors...solely on the basis of their religion. This should be deeply troubling to Americans of all races and religions.
(Read More) Meet the White Supremacist Leading the GOP's Anti-Sharia Crusade
By Tim Murphy - Mother Jones
While fears of an impending caliphate are myriad on the far-right, the surge of legislation across the country is largely due to the work of one man: David Yerushalmi, an Arizona-based white supremacist who has previously called for a "war against Islam."
(Read More) Faith often fuels civil disobedience
By Kristen Moulton - Salt Lake Tribune
From East to West, many faiths hold that followers have the right -- even the duty -- to peacefully go against government when its laws or policies violate a higher law. "What civil disobedience does is bring conscience to bear on political action."
(Read More) What's Next In The Battle Over DOMA
By Ryan J. Reilly - Talking Points Memo
Boehner has criticized the Obama administration's decision, but he's focused more on the legal decision not to defend laws than he has on the actual social issue at hand. He's indicated that the House might step in to defend the law...
(Read More) Christianity, Locke and gay marriage
By David Gushee - Associated Baptist Press, Opinion
...the news last week was that President Obama and his administration have decided not to defend [DOMA] any longer. This act made it federal law that marriage is between a man and a woman. Cue the predictable howls of outrage at Obama's decision.
(Read More) Cardinal Mahony and the city he shaped
By Tim Rutten - Los Angeles Times, Opinion
...during Mahony's tenure...the [Los Angeles] archdiocese engaged issues from immigration to labor organizing and the living wage to the morality of nuclear deterrence, as well as capital punishment, abortion and political ethics.
(Read More) Does God Hate Net Neutrality?
By Paul Waldman - American Prospect, TAPPED
Ask yourself this: why would a bunch of Christian radio owners not only care about net neutrality, but fervently believe that it's something they should hate and fear? I have no idea either, but they do.
(Read More) ![]() = Faith In Public Life in the news
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Budget bluster, ctd.
Monday, Feb 28, 2011 Addressing the National Religious Broadcasters Convention this weekend, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) echoed the religious right's recent decision to declare the budget deficit a pressing moral issue. Politics Daily reports: "We have a moral responsibility to address the problems we face. That means working together to cut spending and rein in government," Boehner said in a speech to the National Religious Broadcasters' annual convention in Nashville. The $14.1 trillion debt that burdens the nation is "a mortal threat to our country. It is also immoral. It is immoral to bind our children to as leeching and destructive a force as debt. It is immoral to rob our children's future and make them beholden to China. No society is worthy that treats its children so shabbily." This brought to mind my post earlier this month about conservative Christian groups' newfound morally framed deficit hawkishness: While it's easy to point to verses such as Proverbs 13:22 ('a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children') as evidence of the Biblical imperative to balance the government's books, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with verses that call for pursuing this goal by, say, taking away people's access to healthcare - as the House GOP's continuing resolution does. ... Also, it'd be easier to believe religious right leaders' professed moral concern that the debt will ruin our children's future if they didn't advocate making drastic cuts to programs that ensure children have adequate nutrition, health care, education and housing in the present. It might help their standing within the conservative coalition, but as a moral argument it rings hollow. The same certainly goes for Boehner. Furthermore, Boehner's recent actions speak much louder than his deficit rhetoric and suggest that he cares more about delivering for his favored interests than he does about protecting our children from deficits and debt. Recall that despite his purported commitment to fiscal responsibility he recently fought to protect a $450 million earmark for a military jet engine the Pentagon doesn't want, and during the lame duck session he held unemployment insurance for hard-hit families hostage in exchange for massive tax cuts for the richest Americans that add over $100 billion to the deficit. Running up the debt and then invoking grave concern about its effect on our children's future in an effort to destroy programs that meet our children's needs is contemptible. Boehner is using compassionate rhetoric in service of a cruel agenda. continue reading » |
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