US Bishops' Conference Largely Disappointed by Debt Ceiling Agreement

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CMatt25 said:
Yes that’s a problem with a 2 major party system.

It certainly is the case only if you define “life issues” as basically related to abortion and embryos which of course I understand many Catholics and others do. Peace.
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I don’t define it that way, but clearly abortion is a greater evil than, for example, poverty or the death penalty (which neither party opposes btw). Last I checked, putting an innocent to death was worse than allowing that innocent to live in poverty. 🤷
 
SamH said:
So why do you propose to extend programs that have been proven to exacerbate poverty? Don’t you want to see people succeed?
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Twice now you’ve avoided a direct question. Is it your belief that we should just end all social programs?

Again, another dishonest question from you. I’ve made myself clear and think maybe you’re only asking those type questions to ‘inflame’, or think there might be some ‘one up man ship’ with those type questions.

The problem I see with the solution of letting poverty stricken people work this out for themselves is, it lacks any of Christ’s principles. He taught to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, and care for the sick. Did He exacerbate poverty with those teachings? No, He most certainly did not. He taught us those things in hopes we’d love our neighbors as He loved all of us. Do unto others as we’d have them do unto us.

Silly questions, with spin wording, are not worthy of responses…
 
rlg94086 said:
I don’t define it that way, but clearly abortion is a greater evil than, for example, poverty or the death penalty (which neither party opposes btw). Last I checked, putting an innocent to death was worse than allowing that innocent to live in poverty. 🤷
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What’s that famous liberal battle cry? Better dead than underfed?
 
estesbob said:
Failure to answer question is duly noted You can’t tell us what fair is other than it’s not fair now of course another question is how does making 250,000 a year make one “rich”
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I have answered the question. I think it is fair to raise taxes on the rich now, and I have explained why by referencing to income inequality and the growth patterns of the economy the last 30 years. Now, the reality is that this economic growth have been concentrated at the top, and the higher you go, the higher the growth. So, the top 1% have seen more growth than the top 10% and so on.

I am open to concentrating tax increases for those earning over $500 000 or $1 million. The details is best left to relevant experts. What is important is the principle of it. To imagine that the rich is somehow burdened unfairly in this economy is ludicrous (as I have explained). What is clear is that those who have to pay in this economy is those who have benefited from its structure, and that (as I have explained) is the rich.
 
ComputerGeek25 said:
What’s that famous liberal battle cry? Better dead than underfed?
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There’s no such ‘cry’.

While I agree that abortion is a terrible thing, I cannot justify being against it by saying a starving baby is less terrible. To me, both are horrendous and worthy of attention, especially from Christians. Neither is something that should be joked about, or insinuated as lightly as a back slapping point between people who somehow agree on a ‘political’ view.
 
Prodigal_Son1 said:
The problem I see with the solution of letting poverty stricken people work this out for themselves is, it lacks any of Christ’s principles. He taught to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, and care for the sick. Did He exacerbate poverty with those teachings? No, He most certainly did not. He taught us those things in hopes we’d love our neighbors as He loved all of us. Do unto others as we’d have them do unto us.
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I guess you haven’t read 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
 
ComputerGeek25 said:
Even then, I know some people that could work, even part time at menial jobs, but choose not too - because it would drasically affect their government benefits.
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Maybe because the part time menial jobs don’t pay enough or provide benefits for them to survive.
 
SamH said:
I guess you haven’t read 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
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It boggles my mind that people seem to forget this. This whole issue is a shade of grey - we can’t simply support craddle to grave welfare but there is a need for a safety net. No one is advocating doing away with it - but we need help people get on their feet - no more, no less.
 
In a speech today, Romney just commented on the fact that nearly 50% of Americans pay no federal income tax. . I am hoping this becomes a key issue in the 2012 election.
 
CMatt25 said:
Maybe focus on jobs and not the debt ceiling.
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Then tell you’re congressmen to reign in spending, tax at a fair level, and reduce uncertainty regarding, but not limited to taxes, Obamacare, energy policy and Cap’n’Trade.
 
SamH said:
I guess you haven’t read 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
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I haven’t read it to support a political view, or more specifically used an interpretation to support a political view. To accept such a view is to contradict the teachings of Christ, Himself, as listed in the Gospels.

Here’s a Catholic Bible commentary on the passage you referenced.
III 6-15 A Special Exhortation to work— Cf. 1Th_5:14. All are bidden to act in accord with the Apostle’s teaching and to get on quietly with their daily work, and to avoid vain idling in view of the supposed imminence of the Parousia. 11b. The play of words in the Greek is preserved in the well-known rendering ‘doing no business but being busybodies’.
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Here’s another commentary from Haydock’s Catholic Commentary.
2Th 3:10 Not work. By prying with curiosity into other men’s actions. He that is idle, saith St. John Chrysostom, will be given to curiosity. (Witham) — The apostles, like our Lord, were fond of introducing popular saying or axioms. Another, and not unlike the former, is found in one of the Jewish rabbies, Zeror: Qui non laboraverit in Prosabbato, ne edat in Sabbato.
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I cannot see how the passage applies to poverty stricken people, or the ‘least of His’.
 
estesbob said:
In a speech today, Romney just commented on the fact that nearly 50% of Americans pay no federal income tax. . I am hoping this becomes a key issue in the 2012 election.
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He also said something to the affect of, ‘corporations are people too.’
 
ComputerGeek25 said:
It boggles my mind that people seem to forget this. This whole issue is a shade of grey - we can’t simply support craddle to grave welfare but there is a need for a safety net. No one is advocating doing away with it - but we need help people get on their feet - no more, no less.
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Then let’s read scriptures within scriptures, and not cherry pick something that can possibly be read out of context. Please offer some supporting scriptures for such a view. It would really be helpful to see something Christ taught on the subject, which has to be looked into deeply so as we don’t place the Lord in the position of contradicting Himself.
 
SamH said:
That solution was working. Poverty rates were in decline for 30+ years until the Great Society Programs started. Don’t you want to use a solution that works?

Are you against ending poverty?
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It seems that the liberal method of ending poverty is to make more people poor.
 
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