Liberal Pastors Support Obama's Tax Plan
As President Barack Obama and members of Congress continue heated negotiations over the debt ceiling and deficit reduction, a coalition of Christian clergy that has campaigned to keep cuts to social safety net programs off the table met with the president and senior members of his staff on Wednesday to make a plea for the nation's poor and vulnerable.
The 40-minute meeting, which did not appear on the president's public schedule, included liberal representatives from some of the nation's largest religious denominations and organizations, including the Roman Catholic Church, the National Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as representatives from social service groups such as the Salvation Army and Bread for the World.
The meeting came after over 5,000 of the more left leaning pastors sent the president and congressional leaders a letter last week telling them the "moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable fare." Held in the White House's Roosevelt Room, it included a prayer session and a discussion of ways in which Biblical scripture is relevant to the budget debate.
Republicans seek to cut back the fastest growing portions of the spending-- entitlements, which would most affect non taxpayers (retirees and the welfare class), while the President seeks tax increases on the middle class by eliminating home mortgage deductions and differed taxes on savings plans (tax increases that will primarily affect those with average incomes). Republicans argue that eliminating the home mortgage deduction would hurt the housing market even more, which is what first caused the recession. They believe the best way to improve the economy is to reduce taxes to encourage more jobs, spur growth, and thereby increase the number of tax payers overall. Democrats insist the 49% of Americans who currently pay income taxes can better afford to pay more than the 51% who pay no income taxes or receive large kickbacks in earned income tax rebates. See Chick's THE MAD MACHINE.
The 40-minute meeting, which did not appear on the president's public schedule, included liberal representatives from some of the nation's largest religious denominations and organizations, including the Roman Catholic Church, the National Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as representatives from social service groups such as the Salvation Army and Bread for the World.
The meeting came after over 5,000 of the more left leaning pastors sent the president and congressional leaders a letter last week telling them the "moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable fare." Held in the White House's Roosevelt Room, it included a prayer session and a discussion of ways in which Biblical scripture is relevant to the budget debate.
Republicans seek to cut back the fastest growing portions of the spending-- entitlements, which would most affect non taxpayers (retirees and the welfare class), while the President seeks tax increases on the middle class by eliminating home mortgage deductions and differed taxes on savings plans (tax increases that will primarily affect those with average incomes). Republicans argue that eliminating the home mortgage deduction would hurt the housing market even more, which is what first caused the recession. They believe the best way to improve the economy is to reduce taxes to encourage more jobs, spur growth, and thereby increase the number of tax payers overall. Democrats insist the 49% of Americans who currently pay income taxes can better afford to pay more than the 51% who pay no income taxes or receive large kickbacks in earned income tax rebates. See Chick's THE MAD MACHINE.
posted by chickcomics | 8:48 PM
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