Catholic Social Tradition and the Federal Budget

“The serious distortion of the national economic priorities produced by massive national spending on defense must be remedied…The dedication of so much of the national budget to military purposes has been disastrous for the poor and vulnerable members of our own and other nations. The nations spending priorities need to be revised in the interests of justice and peace.”  Economic Justice for All, U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1986, #320

Why the federal budget matters

No other decisions made by Congress have greater impact or are more important than those around the money. A budget is a document that clearly lays out what any individual, group or organization values. How money is spent will show what has priority. The real long term impact or legacy of an administration is through its budget. The budget must be examined beyond the funding for programs. There are very significant changes proposed in the budget rules. Not paying attention to the arcane of the budget process will have dramatic consequences if the proposed changes are not understood and prevented from becoming policy.

For NETWORK the federal budget is a moral document that shows what has importance both in the near term and future as a budget’s implications play out. In the Catholic social justice tradition the needs of people who are poor and vulnerable claim our highest priority. If the budget truly reflected our values it would place our most vulnerable and needy at its center and not just the wealthy. The changes proposed would make things worse for those our tradition calls us to consider with a preferential option, those who are poor.

A just budget would cut unnecessary military spending, provide economic security for all but most especially for our children, elderly and vulnerable citizens, and restore a fairer tax structure. The tax cuts have put us into a perilous situation as we face the retirement of the baby boomers. How will we meet the commitments made to them?

Our communities are suffering as health care costs soar and affordable housing becomes more difficult to find. The nation’s resources are being drained by the war waged on Iraq, which NETWORK believes was misguided and wrong. Just what is it we are securing at a price tag of over $400 billion if the basic human needs of our citizens are not being met?

Congress must lead by ensuring that every person in our nation is free from hunger, has access to health care, can live in a safe, affordable and decent home and community, and receives the education needed for work that pays a livable wage. With all the resources and ingenuity available to us we can and must do better. It’s a matter of priorities, not dollars. It’s a matter of promoting the common good.