CA: Pushing poverty into 'moral-values' debate

[sled]

Pushing poverty into 'moral-values' debate

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/12/12/MNGN9AAPGT1.DTL

Some religious leaders trying to broaden discussion beyond abortion
and marriage

Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Kim Bobo has spent the last 30 years trying to get people of faith to
see the connection between their Bibles and the federal budget, to see
"moral value" in tax policies that would bridge the widening gulf
between rich and poor.

Instead, she sees conservative Christian forces monopolizing the
morality- in-politics debate around such issues as abortion rights and
same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, government statistics show, the rich get richer and the
poor stay poor.

"Shame on us,'' said Bobo, executive director of the National
Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, a Chicago-based advocacy
group. "Those of us who work with the religious community have not
adequately made the connection between economic disparity and moral
values."

In the aftermath of an election in which President Bush solidified his
hold on white evangelical voters, Bobo and other left-leaning
religious activists are struggling to broaden the "moral values"
debate in American politics.

(SNIP)

CONTACT INFO: [e-mail]

[wildeyed]

1. I hope we hear more for the religious left

about economic justice and the immorality of the war in Iraq. I also hope that the rank and file religious in this country can wake up and see the the religious right is just a tool that corporate interests are using to take over in this country. That the the mask of piety is just that, a mask, and the real face of their leaders is greed and that they stand for the wealthy few, not for working people.

[underpants]

2. Nothing new this is old justification for doing anything necessary for $$$

The RW holier than thou crowd has long justified doing whatever is necessary to make more money as long as they give some to their church. They extend that to say that people are poor (read:black with children) because of a lack of morals, in other words they are poor because they are bad people.

Kathie Lee Gifford is an example of this type of person.

[meganmonkey]

4. Too bad all the stats point to the poor as often white w/ kids or elderly

as someone who works in hunger relief, i can tell you that the numbers of phone calls i've gotten from the elderly has increased notably since I started in this field. They are often ashamed to have to call for help, so they tell me their story - it's almost always related to prescription drug costs. It's crazy. The families who call (granted, can't definitely tell race by voice) are diverse sounding, and generally the story goes something like this - my husband got laid off, I'm working 2 jobs but I still can't make ends meet this month...I need some food for my kids.
For the record, most of the folks at the agencies we give food to are left-leaning, many are religious but certainly are NOT fundies. There ARE exceptions to this - one of the best programs we work with is out of a RW churchie-church, but that is the exception, not the rule.
Poverty in this country is out of control, and I don't think EITHER the repukes OR dems are addressing it.

[saigon68]

5. She is Cluelessly EVIL

A MONSTER who exploits CHLDREN for her own Fortune.

[DebJ]

3. Why has there not been progress in 30 years? Lakoff's "Don't

Think of an Elephant" has one good explanation:

many red-state type Christians believe that those who are good, who are morally strong, are financially rewarded in this life, and those who are not, suffer. As this suffering is the wrath or punishment of God, then it is 'immoral' for others to intervene in their suffering.

I have actually met people who think this way.

I suppose they never read the book of Job, a good man who goes through terrible heart-rending suffering.

The rain falls on the just and the unjust. I'd just like to give people an umbrella, ya know, and let God determine the justness or unjustness...

[saigon68]

8. Cool View!!!!

[rodeodance]

10. time for Dem. Party to frame the issues in "bread and butter" issues on

how the money going to the war effort is effecting us!! and not allow the Right/Fox media etc/WH frame the issues in hot button items (abortion, gay marrage, etc). I know it is a tough road, but it can be done!!!!

[oscar111]

11. Job Shortage= 14 million. Forces poverty onto people: No "Laziness" involv

No laziness involved, nor divine punishment.

Only 3 million jobs, and 17 mllion jobless. Including the discouraged jobless.

Failure is the failure of the 'titans of industry" to provide enought jobs for our population.

Proof:

http://www.bls.gov./jlt

page shows how many job openings.

Odd how most dems are so lost in the "culture" of only using the flawed stat of "unemployed rate", that they have not seen the superiority of this stat.


http://www.njfac.org

has Clinton sec labor, rbt Reich as an advisor.. and Galbraith too.

we need WPA, and "share the work" and co-ops. Zero joblessness. Sweden had less than one percent for decades, till the RW lied their way into power.

[area51]

14. "...the failure of the `titans of industry' to provide enough jobs...."

Exactly. It is so extremely difficult to get a job in this economy. Trying to get a job feels like a game of musical chairs, but instead of one less chair than people, it's multiple people trying for one chair (job). This recession/depression economy is definitely not producing enough jobs to make living in the states viable.

[DebJ]

19. you realize that I know that, I hope? I was explaining RW

fundie 'thinking'....my God not my own!

[roseBudd]

15. They seem to equate that fact that they see job ads in a newspaper

as meaning there are jobs. What their insufficient reasoning does not take into account is that their are more applicants than jobs available, therefore what they personally see (an ad in a newspaper) has no bearing on the likelihood of any one person being able to secure a job.

They do the same thing with global warning. They turn on the weather channel in the winter and see it is 5 degrees outside and conclude therefore global warming is a farce.

[Nevernose]

16. Or the rest of it, for that matter -- especially Acts

[LynnTheDem]

6. If you're a republican...

LYING is a moral value.

STEALING is a moral value.

SLANDER is a moral value.

LIBEL is a moral value.

WAR PROFITEERING is a moral value.

GREED is a moral value.

TORTURE is a moral value.

KILLING innocent men, women & children is a moral value.

Sending others to kill innocent men, women & children is a moral value.

Letting children starve to death is a moral value.

Ripping off the poor to give to the wealthy is a very moral value.

...actually, as long as you're a republican, ANYTHING YOU DO is a moral value, and if you're not a republican, NOTHING you do is a moral value.

[Deja Q]

9. Well said, thank you.

And it's utterly true. :cry:

:yourock:

[DebJ]

20. actually, according to Lakoff, Greed, couched as 'self-interest'

really is a Republican moral value

[roseBudd]

7. We need the equivalent of the WPA photographers shining a light

on the issue of poverty. Either with photography or video. I did virtually all my GOTV in low income predominantly African American neighborhoods before the election. I saw people, particularly the elderly, that the most selfish fundie would have had to admit, that in a country like this, we have no excuse.

[DBoon]

12. We need another Michael Harrington

to do a new "Other America"

[DebJ]

21. I still have that book, from the 70's I think I got it then. Just

hearing the title brings back the emotions...

[oscar111]

13. 105 Trillion is US wealth

http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/current/accessible/l5.htm

see bottom line.

compare... merely 3OO billion would end poverty.. that is only one third of one Trillion.

Jobs are another way to end poverty. Then you won't need to have three hundred billion in grants.

See my earlier re: for details.

Realistically, you need both jobs and grants.. some of the poor are mentally, physically disabled, so grants for them.

We can supply both enough jobs and grants, easily.

Bush's three taxcuts for the rich totalled over 35O Billion, enough for the pure grants approach, the most expensive road.

[Bridget Burke]

23. Yes, but the WPA was a government program.

Can you imagine our current government supporting Pinko Artists?

[wildflower]

17. Thanks for posting! I hope we see more of this. n/t

[readmoreoften]

18. Bedroom Values not Moral Values!

Get off their playing field! They do not get to own the phrase "moral values".

The debate is not "moral values" vs. "liberal values"... it is "bedroom values" vs "american values"

BEDROOM VALUES. The new meme. Let's all remember it.

[Sara Beverley]

22. Rich robbing the poor, usury, slavery, ENRON etc. Poverty is a moral issu

It always has been. Kucinich and Al and the Rev. Jackson tried to tell the Dems this in the last election. But just wait until more of the middle class is poor and it might get the attention it needs.

[sandnsea]

24. Those whores and their bastard children

That's why. Any time you try to talk about poverty, they just lump everybody who is poor into one category. That's probably why Kerry chose to use middle class instead of poor, even though he was clearly talking about the working poor with help for health care and education. An Equitable Economic Policy might be the better way to go: fair access to livelihood, education, and resources; full participation in the political and cultural life of the community; and self-determination in meeting fundamental needs.

[Mari333]

25. The RW have theirs, they dont care.

Poor women with children, the poor elderly, they are the ones who will suffer under this regime...those who are disabled or working 2 jobs to just eat..Its criminal. I see it everyday where I live. "Whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you do unto me.." The RW God is not the Jesus of the bible. If anything, its the anti-christ.