The Budget As Our Moral Center
By Rev. C. Douglas Smith
My friend Jim Wallis at the Sojourners Community speaks of budgets being “moral documents,” investing in the values and priorities of civil society. While I agree that the state budget may reflect the priorities of the legislature, budget bills are already being filed that are far from the values of a broader civil society. Amid dangerous budget cuts that Michael Cassidy of The Commonwealth Institute says are “no longer about fat but are cutting deep into the bone,” some legislators are pressing forward with an agenda that would shift $600 million in tax liabilities from big corporations to individuals (HB119). As if the last two years of economic meltdown were not enough, now some of our elected leaders plan to hand out millions of dollars in corporate welfare to the further detriment of social services, public safety, and public education.
Let’s be clear; businesses are a vital component to our economy and must be considered in budgeting, but they are only one leg of the economic stool. Workers – the second leg – must also be considered by the General Assembly, though legislators’ repeated failure to enhance unemployment benefits in times like these show how difficult it is to hear the voices of hard-working Virginians. But it is the third leg of the economic stool – consumers, particularly lower income consumers – who have the hardest time of all as demonstrated by eroding regulations, the power of slippery, shape-shifting predatory lenders, and most certainly the looming budget battle before us. Wallis is right, budgets are moral documents, only it may not be the kind of fiscal morality that you and I might expect of something called a Commonwealth. But you can keep that from happening.
During the weeks before us, the Virginia Interfaith Center will try our best to cover the bills that matter to you most, particularly as they relate to mid-to-lower income Virginians and those for whom incomes are nonexistent. We cannot cover every bill before the General Assembly with our small staff, but based on the priorities our members have established we will work tirelessly to ensure that the values and priorities of the faith community are heard and the voice of compassion is activated to speak as a present witness within the public square. All I ask, at this point, is for your prayers and presence during the General Assembly, that together we might Learn, Pray, and Act to build a more just and compassionate Virginia. Get ready to raise your voice!
