Christian politics, taxes, and justice

My September 8, 2011, column for the Grand Haven Tribune, Christian politics, taxes, and justice,

Around the same time, the chairman of two U.S. bishop’s committees urged Congress not to ignore the moral dimensions of the debate, insisting: “A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons.”

As we all know, the debt deal was cut, the ceiling raised, and much of the heat of the debate has dissipated.

And that’s a shame, because this debate could have provoked an even greater conversation about the ethical imperative of a society to have concern for the least of these. Instead, many politicians closed their ranks, refusing even to consider closing tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy — insisting instead on cuts to the poor and the elderly, and those trying to move out of extreme poverty.

Read more at the Tribune's website online here.