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I received this as an email from a friend of mine from DC,
One religious perspective on Bush's 2006 budget proposal.
-----Original Message-----
Subject: FYI: Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church's statement on
President Bush's 2006 federal budget
EXCERPTS FOLLLOW, FULL STATEMENT ATTACHED:
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Statement on the President's FY'06 budget
by the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop And Primate of
the Episcopal Church, USA
In the life of our nation, one of the most concrete expressions of
our shared moral values and priorities is the federal budget. In examining
whether a budget properly reflects America's values, the Church is
called to ask the following questions:
Is the budget compassionate? Jesus tells his followers to "be
compassionate, as your Heavenly Father is compassionate." But
compassion is just an abstraction unless we make it real in our
lives. A compassionate nation must use its common resources not just
for matters like security and national defense, but also to respond
to the Gospel command to care for the least among us.
Does the budget strive to serve the human family, both at home and
around the world? Our nation is part of a community that stretches
beyond our borders. This gives us an imperative to use our common
resources to combat poverty, disease, injustice, and instability
wherever they occur, but most of all in places where the need is
greatest.
Does the budget serve the common good? (Bible) tells us that "from
everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required." While
we hear a great deal in the secular world about creating an
"ownership society," ... stewardship teaches us that the resources
we possess are God's alone, merely held in trust by human hands. In
a nation of such immense prosperity, our budget must seek to use our
resources not just for our own good, but broadly for the good of the
entire human family.
...I am concerned that this budget neglects and exacerbates our
nation's healthcare crisis, especially for children and seniors, and
fails to honor the commitments our nation has made to combating
poverty and disease overseas. Such a budget is not a reflection of
the compassionate values of our nation, nor of the Gospel's command
to care for the least among us.
HEALTHCARE
Forty-five million Americans today lack access to quality and
affordable health care, an increase of five million over the past
three years. This budget exacerbates the problem by recommending deep
cuts in Medicaid, of which the most bruising impact of these cuts
will fall upon the neediest in our midst: the poor, children, senior
citizens, and the disabled and states will be hard-pressed to make
up the difference. If our federal budget is to reflect the values of
the American people, it must better care for the neediest among us.
POVERTY AND DISEASE ABROAD
Two years ago, I warmly applauded the President's call for $15
billion to combat HIV/AIDS overseas and his creation of the
Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) to combat poverty and instability
around the world. These are areas of deep concern for me, especially
as I consider the plight of our 27 million Anglican brothers and sisters
who live in sub-Saharan Africa. While I am gratified to see that both
program areas received small increases over last year's funding
levels, I am concerned that they continue to fall short of the
commitments the President has made. In particular, I am troubled that
the budget, for the second time in two years, significantly cuts the
U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria and funds the MCA at just 60 percent of its promised level.
These figures are particularly problematic when viewed alongside the
budget's other cuts in foreign-aid programs. As the President has
observed in the past, our nation's efforts to combat poverty and
disease abroad are not just a matter of humanitarian obligation, but
a necessity in building a more secure and stable world.
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