Budgets are moral documents

Amidst everything else that is going on right now, this issue doesn't seem to be getting very much attention, although it certainly should be. It is downright appalling that, even after all of the heartbreaking stories that emerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, cuts to programs for low income Americans are still "on the table". Visit this link for tools from Sojourners that will allow you to share the following plea with your frends, family, and anyone else who shares your concerns about this issue. The week of Oct. 17 to 21, Congress will make decisions about the federal budget that could hurt millions of poor people. Unless their hearts and minds are changed, Congress will vote in coming weeks to do two things: cut $35 billion from Medicaid and Food Stamps, low-income health care and nutrition programs; and pass new tax cuts of $70 billion, which primarily benefit the wealthy. Some political leaders want to make even more cuts to low-income programs, and the President recently called for increasing cuts to those programs by $50 billion - to a total of $85 billion. That political leaders still plan to make these cuts - even after the depth of poverty that Katrina has exposed - is morally unconscionable. We need better leadership and better moral logic. Budgets are moral documents. A nation's budget reflects its priorities. Now is the time to put those priorities in order - to draw a line in the sand against unjust policies and stand up for the common good. Join us in urging Congress not to cut taxes for the wealthiest at the expense of "the least of these."