April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
EDITORIAL

Cutting and saving

Many want to cut government spending. We should live within our means. One cautionary note from economists is that slashing government spending during a weak recovery could dump us into a double-dip recession.

That's what happened in Ger-many, where an economic resurgence has stalled. A balanced budget makes sense, but timing is critical. Prudence, reason and civil debate - all Christian values - should be deployed in tackling deficits.

An equally pressing caution is to remember our brothers and sisters who are poor. Congress has recommended dramatic cuts in foreign and domestic programs for the poor.

In a letter to Congress he co-wrote for the U.S. bishops, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard protested "disproportionate cuts in programs that serve the most vulnerable," which he termed "life-threatening."

We're not hearing much about poor Americans, either. Ser-vices for them, such as food stamps and home heating assistance, face drastic reductions while generous tax breaks continue for the well-to-do.

In New York, it is bizarre that Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to drop a surtax on rich households while cutting most welfare programs.

Odder yet is the silence from most politicians. (It echoes the quiet consensus in Washington that Bush tax cuts had to be preserved.)

Two proposals make sense. First, cuts in spending should affect all Americans, but progressively.

Spread the pain among those who can bear it best, instead of hitting the down and out most of all. A middle- or upper-income household can endure a modest tax hike much more easily than a poor family can endure even a small cut in food stamps or health care.

Second, those of us who object to cuts should suggest alternatives. The New York bishops, for instance, have suggested we save $45 million by ending state funding of abortions.

While that's unlikely, offering alternative ways to balance the budget acknowledges the state's dilemma and gives us credibility.
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