SALT Advicates:

Below are some facts to consider:

• About 14 million workers in the United States are unemployed.
• The official child poverty rate, which is a conservative measure of economic hardship, increased 18 percent between 2000 and 2009, essentially returning to the same level as the early 1990s, according to data released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in its annual KIDS COUNT® Data Book. This increase means that 2.4 million more children are living below the federal poverty line.  In 2010, 11 percent of children had at least one unemployed parent and 4 percent have been affected by foreclosure since 2007.
• “In 2009, 42 percent of our nation’s children, or 31 million, lived in families with incomes below twice the federal poverty line or $43,512/year for a family of four, a minimum needed for most families to make ends meet.”
• As many as 17 million children nationwide are struggling with what is known as food insecurity. To put it another way, one in four children in the country is living without consistent access to enough nutritious food to live a healthy life, according to the USDA study, "Map the Meal Child Food Insecurity 2011."
• A shocking 49 percent of all babies born in the U.S. are born to families receiving food supplements from the WIC program, according to Jean Daniel, spokesperson for the USDA.
• The prison population in the United States has nearly quadrupled over the last 25 years. In fact, we have the highest incarceration rate of any Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development country. This isn’t only a moral outrage; it’s also budgetary lunacy. As a report released by the Children’s Defense Fund pointed out, “the U.S. spends almost two-and-a-half times as much per prisoner as per public school pupil.”
  
  

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New CBO Report Finds Up to 2.9 Million People Owe Their Jobs to the Recovery Act

By Michael Leachman  and Christine Mai

"A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report estimates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) increased the number of people employed by between 1.0 million and 2.9 million jobs as of June.  

"Without ARRA, millions more workers would be either unemployed or struggling to get by on less income."

View the full report:

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3567

http://www.cbpp.org/files/8-30-11stim.pdf

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The Death Penalty—A Faith Perspective

The recent execution of Troy Davis in Georgia brought the issue of the death penalty into the homes of every American via the news media. Many hard questions were asked on editorial pages and talk shows. Religious and political leaders opined about the morality and justice of the death penalty. In the end, the Supreme Court eventually terminated the discussion with respect to all the death penalty questions as they applied to the fate of Troy Davis. The court assured the state of Georgia that no legal impediments stood in the way of the state ending the life of a human person, Try Davis, convicted of murdering a police officer in Savannah, Georgia—but the debate regarding the death penalty continues, and rightly so.

There are a number of ways to approach the matter of the death penalty, and those who followed the media reporting heard the various perspectives: economics (Is this really a cost-effective way to administer justice?), justice (Davies should not be executed because doubt of guilt remains, and this came from folks not known for being soft on crime or opposed to the death penalty in principle—former FBI Director William Sessions and former GOP representative Bob Barr of Georgia.) and morality (Monsignor Martin Krebs wrote, “I reiterate the commitment of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, and I hope you will give heed to his petition.”)

For people of faith, the perspective that requires our utmost attention is the principle articulated by Pope Benedict XVI: “to uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life…”  This same message was conveyed by Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II in 1995:

A sign of hope is the increasing recognition that the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil. Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform (The Gospel of Life--Evangelium Vitae--1995, #27-28).

At this time, in our history, we want to refresh our memory regarding what the Catholic bishops have said about the issues of crime and punishment. Their summary of Catholic social teaching regarding capital punishment is set forth in the Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty:

• Catholic teaching offers a unique perspective on crime and punishment. It begins with the recognition that the dignity of the human person applies to both victims and offenders. It affirms our commitment to comfort and support victims and their families, while acknowledging the God-given dignity of every human life, even those who do great harm.
• However, the Church has more and more clearly insisted the state should forgo this right if it has other means to protect society. Our fundamental respect for every human life, re- quires that we choose not to end a human life in response to violent crimes if non-lethal options are available. Pope John Paul II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Vatican Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, and statements from U.S. bishops are all clear and consistent that the use of the death penalty ought to be abandoned in our nation because we have alternative ways to protect society.
• In his encyclical, The Gospel of Life, the Holy FatherCSHOPS reminds us that “the dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.”
• Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform.” The cases where society could not defend itself, according to the Pope, “are very rare if not practically nonexistent.” (The Gospel of Life, # 56.)
• In response to the Holy Father’s call during his January 1999 visit to the U.S. to end the death penalty, the bishops issued A Good Friday Appeal to End the Death Penalty. They reiterated the Pope’s challenge to “end the death penalty which is both cruel and unnecessary.” They concluded that their opposition to the death penalty is about much more than “what it does to those guilty of horrible crimes but for what it does to all of us as a society.”

http://www.educationforjustice.org/system/files/cstdeathpen0905_0.pdf

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Faithful Citizen's Role in Politics?

By

John Horejsi, SALT Coordinator

Very often the argument is made that faith has no place in politics.

A quick review of U. S. history reveals that people of faith have been at the very heart of politics in this country since its formation.

All of us, as advocates for social justice and for the less fortunate, have a legitimate role to play in forging public opinion and influencing legislative voting on issues that directly or indirectly affect peoples' lives for good or ill.

Church leaders have continued to speak about our obligation to be involved in the political process that elects and governs.  Our responsibility for the direction of public life can appear to be enormous.

How can we who are busy do our part?

Here are a few suggestions:

Vote:    Since our elected officials have a great deal of influence on the common good, it makes sense that we at least find out what candidates believe about important issues such as the economy, arms control, military spending, caring for the poor, health care reform, creating jobs, and other important moral issues. Then we have to make the effort to get to the polls and vote.

Stay informed:   Even reading the newspapers or watching the news frequently helps us to be aware of the way political life does or does not promote justice and well-being in society.  Books, periodicals and magazines are good sources for analyzing issues in light of reason and faith.  Excellent sources for information and insight are ecumenical organizations like Bread for the World, the Virginia Interfaith Center and SALT.

Advocate:          Those elected to government posts respond to our opinions and concern especially when they are well reasoned and presented in a positive light.  Our letters, calls and visits do contribute to a better future for all.

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