To: Rep. Jesús García (IL-4) and The United States House of Representatives
Calling all Clergy and Lay Leaders
As ministers of the Gospel of Christ, we are required to demand justice for the poor. Citing Isaiah 61:1, Jesus began his ministry by saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”(Luke 4:18)
A nation that shuts down its own government to avoid providing health care to millions of its citizens, causing government workers who live paycheck to paycheck to wonder how they are going to feed their families, stopping essential programs like WIC, Head Start, cancer research and punishing the most vulnerable among us, is not good news for the poor. Allowing this disrespect for law and disregard for the welfare of the nation to continue further, to the point of threatening our economy, will not be good news for anyone.
A nation that shuts down its own government to avoid providing health care to millions of its citizens, causing government workers who live paycheck to paycheck to wonder how they are going to feed their families, stopping essential programs like WIC, Head Start, cancer research and punishing the most vulnerable among us, is not good news for the poor. Allowing this disrespect for law and disregard for the welfare of the nation to continue further, to the point of threatening our economy, will not be good news for anyone.
Why is this important?
I, and others, are extremely outraged at Congressional Republicans across the country who are responsible for shutting down the government. Their reckless and irresponsible scheme has put Social Security checks for American senior citizens at risk, threatens veterans' benefits for our men and women in uniform, delays many government programs vital to the middle class, and impacts student loans--all in the name of a Tea Party crusade to shut down the government and derail the Affordable Care Act.
How many marginalized Americans will be hurt before Republicans finally denounce this radical right-wing crusade to re-fight the health care battles of the past and devastate our national and global economy? Under a government shutdown, nearly 1.4 million active duty military personnel--two of which are our family members--would not be paid for their work until after the shutdown ends. Additionally, according to the Department of Defense, nearly half of the civilian workforce would not be paid during a government shutdown.
This is immoral and disrespectful to American voters. For the Bible says pay unto ever man and woman what is due.
How many marginalized Americans will be hurt before Republicans finally denounce this radical right-wing crusade to re-fight the health care battles of the past and devastate our national and global economy? Under a government shutdown, nearly 1.4 million active duty military personnel--two of which are our family members--would not be paid for their work until after the shutdown ends. Additionally, according to the Department of Defense, nearly half of the civilian workforce would not be paid during a government shutdown.
This is immoral and disrespectful to American voters. For the Bible says pay unto ever man and woman what is due.