www.barackobama.com
Sunday, 2nd November 2008
Chicago, Illinois
Poverty and the 2008 Elections
By John Carr
“Love of God and love of neighbor have become one: In the least of the brethren we find Jesus himself, and in Jesus we find God…. Love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind is as essential to her [the Church] as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel.” (Deus Caritas Est # 15, 21)
This priority for the poor also needs to be at the center of the national discussion in this election year. The facts about poverty in our land raise significant moral and policy issues.
Such statistics show the kind of nation we are becoming.
U.S. Catholics have a moral obligation to protect the lives and dignity of all God’s children, especially the poor and vulnerable. We can debate how best to pursue economic opportunity and justice, provide decent jobs for all who can work, and ensure adequate health care and housing. However, we cannot escape the moral duty to work actively to overcome the poverty and deprivation which diminishes the lives of so many children and families.
Unfortunately, debates about poverty often become polarized by ideological and partisan divisions. This political season, campaigns needs to move beyond false ideological choices that often paralyze national discussion. Catholic teaching and experience insist that reducing poverty will require personal responsibility and social responsibility, better choices and behaviors by individuals, and better policies and investments by government.
In their statement A Place at the Table, the U.S. bishops outline a four-part strategy to address poverty. It calls for:
Sadly, some advocates embrace just one element rather than all. Some insist individual responsibility is the real answer, or that just faith-based institutions can make the difference, or that the market by itself can solve the problems or that government action is the only effective response. A comprehensive national commitment that addresses the complicated causes and diverse steps to overcome poverty is needed.
Isolated efforts cannot promote integral human development that is the foundation of effective efforts to overcome poverty, deprivation and despair (www.catholiccharitiesusa.org and www.usccb.org/sdwp/placeatthetable/index.shtml). In the upcoming elections, U.S. Catholics ought not to focus on individual economic interests, but rather seek to lift up "the least of these." In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. bishops call for a new politics, focused more on:
How we treat “the least among us" (Mt. 25:40) is a moral measure of our lives, as individuals and as a nation. In Scripture, this is the question on judgment day. It should be a central question on election day.
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John Carr is executive director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/media/article/carr
John Carr serves as Executive Director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the United States Catholic Bishops’ Conference. In this role, he assists the U.S. bishops in sharing Catholic social teaching, advocating on major issues of justice and peace and building the Catholic community’s capacity to act on its social mission. The Department he leads includes the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which is the Bishops’ anti-poverty program, and is guided by two Bishops’ Committees: Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace.
an important message from Hillary Clinton...
This election is a fight for the future. And it's a fight we must win. Remember what a presidential election is really about. When the polls have closed, and the ads are finally off the air, it comes down to you -- the American people, your lives, and your children's futures. I have been traveling across the country campaigning for Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and other Democrats. People ask, "What can I do to help?" My answer is, "What's the most you can do?" We all want to see Barack Obama stand before America as our President having led a powerful wave of Democratic victories up and down the ticket. That's why we've got to demand the most from ourselves over the final days of this campaign. People are counting on us. Let's work together in these final days to give Democrats the boost they need to win. Please make a donation to the Democratic National Committee. In so many ways, our families' futures and our children's aspirations are on the line in these elections. Getting Barack Obama and Joe Biden to the White House will mean getting relief and new hope to people bearing the brunt of the Bush administration's failures. And it will mean restoring America's reputation and standing in a risky world that's crying out for steady, principled leadership. November 4th is about giving every child the chance to reach his or her God-given potential and that is why we cannot afford to let up now. With only 8 days to go, we cannot afford to be lulled into a false sense of security and we must do everything we can. This election is about bringing jobs and opportunity to families who have been hit hard by the failed Bush economy. It's about securing retirement for people who've seen their nest egg shrink and about securing the American Dream for people who've seen their hopes of owning a home start to fade. It's about providing people with a health care system they can depend on when they're sick and a Supreme Court they can count on when their rights are at risk. Those are the things we're fighting for. That's why it's so important to do the most we can possibly do to secure victory in these final days. People are counting on us. Let's work together in these final days to give Democrats across the country the boost they need to win. Please make a donation to the Democratic National Committee. https://www.democrats.org/donatenow Events are moving fast. Our opponents' strategies are shifting by the moment. Our candidates have to be prepared for anything. And you and I have to do all we can to win the Democratic victory our country needs. Only you know what is the most you can do. But, all of us know this: Extraordinary commitment is what it's going to take to see our candidates through to victory and to see our country through to better days. Thanks so much for all you are doing -- and for intensifying your efforts in the coming days we have left to win. Sincerely, Hillary Clinton
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