April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OPINION
'Special interest' is not a dirty word
I take offense at that. One of the foundational principles of our Catholic social teaching is the "preferential option for the poor and the vulnerable." We are called to show "special interest" for the weakest, most needy and most oppressed.
In the Old Testament, we read: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Prov 31:8-9). The New Testament states: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25:40).
Papal encyclicals abound with the same theme: "Love for others, and especially for the poor, is made concrete by promoting justice" ("Centesimus Annus/ The Hundredth Year," Pope John Paul II, 1991).
Our bishops repeatedly teach that the moral measure of any economy is how the weakest are faring: "As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response" ("Economic Justice for All," pastoral letter of the U.S. bishops, 1986).
Those who answer this call by defending the defenseless and speaking for the voiceless should not be assailed as "the enemy."
We do have a special interest: the orphan, the widow, the unborn, the neglected, the disabled, the hungry, the jobless, the prisoner, the elderly, the abused and the stranger. We have a moral obligation to advocate for them.
The Governor's proposed budget recommends postponing a planned increase in the basic welfare grant, a minimal increase that was secured only after 20 years of inequity and decades of advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged. The delay will not help those who are struggling to make the transition from welfare to work.
The budget calls for the complete elimination of the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation, the only state-funded abortion alternatives program, which assists low-income, mostly single mothers to keep their babies and raise their families.
It plans to reduce state payments to adoptive parents of hard-to-place kids and it nixes the planned cost-of-living adjustment for a range of workers in foster care, mental health and other human service programs, who are generally underpaid in the first place.
The budget proposes cutting aid to Catholic schools by eight percent, and does not reimburse the hundreds of millions of dollars the government already owes them for state-mandated services. This means families who are paying their taxes and struggling to pay tuition on top of that will be hit yet again.
In health care, the Governor wants to reduce state spending by $2.3 billion in Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.
There is a need to reduce waste, inefficiency and duplication in state spending and to curb unsustainable expenditures. There are special interests who are in this only for their own benefit.
But all special interests are not alike. Our special interest is the benefit of others. Needy New Yorkers didn't make the fiscal mess we're in today, and the fix shouldn't be put on their backs.
They are already suffering the effects of the downturn. Ripping their safety net will do neither them nor the economy any good.
If Gov. Cuomo's budget were truly "transformational," as he calls it, it would change not just numbers and formulas; it would transform human lives for the better.
Cutting supports to those truly in need is morally and fiscally misguided. All those who take seriously the call of the Gospel should speak up. Log on to www.nyscatholic.org and send a message to elected officials by clicking on the "Take Action Now" button.
The state has until April 1 to craft a responsible and just state budget. Take a special interest. Act now.
(Kathleen Gallagher is director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference, which advocates for the state's bishops on public policy concerns.)[[In-content Ad]]
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