72+5

I received this message from Faithful America

72 + 5 = A Better Budget for America

“It’s your money – you ought to be able to keep more of it.” George W. Bush, Candidate for President, 2000

"You will be happy to know that President Bush has made good on his word. Good, that is, if you are among the very wealthiest people in the United States! If NOT, well, then perhaps we were just been eavesdropping on a private conversation…



"You need to know that the 2006 federal budget that President Bush has proposed calls for deep, massive, crippling cuts in programs that support education, children, and the poor while seeking to make permanent the most dramatic tax breaks for wealthy Americans in recent memory. If this budget is advanced, present deficits will look like pocket change by comparison, the consequences of which extend beyond our lifetimes. The real winners will be millionaires and billionaires, polluters, and crony capitalists. Our most needed programs – those benefiting the least among us – would be slashed to pay for the flood of red ink caused by the President’s enormous tax cuts for the wealthy. According to the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities:



"72% of the tax cuts benefit the wealthiest one-fifth Americans

"5% of the tax cuts benefit the poorest two-fifths of Americans



"If you think these numbers are disproportionate, unfair and immoral, you are not alone. Whatever your faith perspective, if you care about justice you know this important fact: the federal budget is a moral document. Its priorities reflect values. Its implementation affects lives.



"President Bush is right: It IS our money. And we’re going to fight to see that YOUR values, YOUR priorities, YOUR needs are heard. That's why we’re asking you to join:



"The FaithfulAmerica 72 + 5 Petition Campaign



"We need 72 seconds of your time and 5 of your friends to help us reach our goal of a total of 72,000 signatures on a Petition calling for a higher vision for our nation's budget..



"Next Monday in Washington DC, FaithfulAmerica will join hundreds of persons of faith on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to stand in solidarity in demanding that the federal budget reflect our nation’s moral values. In concert with the National Council of Churches, we will read to the world “A Vision of Hope and Justice – A Statement on the 2006 Federal Budget" (printed below). It is already signed by key faith leaders around the nation. We want to add 72,000 FaithfulAmerican signatures to the petition.

"You do NOT have to be part of a specific faith group to do this. If you ARE, you may wish to share it with your fellow congregants. The only thing we ask is that you share our passion for a budget that is moral, compassionate, and fair.



"72,000 signatures! We have a very short time to do this, but together we can remind the President – Congress – and the world – that it IS our money, and we want it used morally, compassionately, and wisely.



"Blessings to you,



"Vince Isner and the FaithfulAmerica.org Team



"PS: For an eye-opening detailed look at the President’s Budget, check out The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities Report: http://www.cbpp.org"

This messages was followed by:



"A Vision of Hope & Justice for the FY 2006 Federal Budget



"(A statement by “Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty” sponsored by the National Council of Churches USA and the Center for Community Change, as well as a host of national, state and local religious, faith-based, and community organizations, including FaithfulAmerica.)



"The federal budget of the United States is a document that establishes the priorities for our country. It is a document that reflects our values as a nation and what we believe is important for the public and future generations. It is a moral document. Our federal budget should reflect the values of equality, opportunity, and justice that honors the poor, supports families, and builds strong, viable communities.



"The Bush Administration’s FY2006 budget is morally misguided and misrepresents the true values of the American people. It suggests that we value military might and war spending more than the poor, families, and strong, viable communities. It favors permanent tax relief for the wealthy and corporations at the expense of further burdening the poor, families, and communities with economic despair. It is a budget that eats away at the heart of the American dream by eliminating funding for programs that are certain to provide us with future opportunities, progress, and security on the home front. Our nation’s future is in serious danger if cuts or caps to programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, job training, veterans’ health services, education, housing and community development grants, among many others, are used as solutions to reduce a projected $427 billion dollar deficit. Congress must act boldly and creatively to oppose budget cuts in human services.



"Speaking as God’s messenger, the prophet Amos offered these words to the people because of their misplaced focus, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24).” To be true to our values as a nation, we strongly urge Congress to reverse the destructive course our nation is on and reject the Bush Administration’s budget. The FY2006 budget should be funded by scaling back tax relief for the wealthy, closing corporate tax loopholes, and holding military and war spending in check. We call on Congress to draft and approve a budget and policies that will provide the poor, families, and communities with the tools to meet basic needs such as access to nutritious food and quality child-care, accessible and affordable housing, comprehensive and affordable health care, high quality education at every stage of life, a fair and just tax system, job creation and a livable income to sustain their future.



"This positive vision for our nation is only limited by the lack of political will to make it happen. We call on Congress to Let Justice Roll!"

Of course, as someone observed awhile back, it's a lot easier to call for justice to roll down like waters than it is to design and build the irrigation system. . . .