A group of Catholic bishops have sent letters to Congress over the
proposed budget cuts in Rep. Paul Ryan's GOP budget plan, arguing the cuts fail
to meet the "moral criteria" of the church. Some excerpts of the letters
are as follows:
"At a time of great competition for agricultural resources
and budgetary constraints, the needs of those who are hungry, poor and
vulnerable should come before assistance to those who are relatively well off
and powerful."
"Just solutions ... must require shared sacrifice by all,
including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other
spending, and fairly addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and
retirement programs. The House-passed budget resolution fails to meet these
moral criteria."
The demands within the letters are powerful accusations against
the GOP, but seem to be falling on deaf ears. Speaker of the House John
Boehner, responded by saying the bishops are missing the "bigger
picture" of the GOP budget proposal, that without fiscal restraint, the
country will be buried in debt and no social safety net programs will survive.
Boehner seems to have missed the point where the bishops address "raising
adequate revenue" to cover these basic, "moral" needs of the
people.
It's also noteworthy that Boehner, and the rest of the GOP, didn't
seem to see the 'big picture' last month when Catholic bishops and other
religious institutions objected
to the ACA's mandate that all institutions requiring employees to purchase
health insurance must cover all patient needs, including birth control and
contraception.
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