My friend Tony Hall told me several weeks ago that he felt called to a period of fasting in response to the budget debate that now dominates Congress. I have decided to join Tony (a former member of Congress who now heads the Alliance to End Hunger) in a one-week, water-only fast beginning March 28. Along with Sojourners and other coalition partners, we plan to form a circle of protection around programs that benefit hungry and poor people in the United States and abroad -- programs that new budget proposals threaten to cut in the name of reducing the deficit.
Right now, just 14 cents for every dollar in the federal budget is spent on domestic social safety-net programs, not including health insurance and Social Security. Beyond that, less than 1 cent for every dollar is spent on foreign assistance that helps hungry and poor people. Ironically, these programs are on the chopping block as Congress attempts to balance the budget. Cutting them would do far more damage than good.
I believe strongly in the need to balance the budget, but there has to be a better way. If Congress makes these cuts, people at risk of hunger in the United States will feel the impact immediately -- in their supermarket carts. Hungry parents in developing countries will feel the impact when their children ask for rice they can't afford. Does it bother us that millions of people across the globe stand to be impacted by these cuts? It should. The debate about the federal deficit is really a debate about our national priorities. It's time we reshape those priorities, and my colleagues and I are inviting God to help us do it.
Our plan next week is to focus attention on how people in need will be affected by these proposed cuts. We're going to communicate with members of Congress, urging them to make effective programs for hungry and poor people a priority instead of slashing the current systems that support them.
Back in 1993, Tony, then a member of Congress, conducted a 22-day fast when looming budget cuts also threatened progress against hunger. He made a strong impact then, and we believe we can have an even greater impact now. But we're not alone. In addition to Bread for the World, Sojourners and the Alliance to End Hunger, our growing list of partners includes American Jewish World Service, Congressional Hunger Center, Feeding America, Food for the Hungry, Islamic Relief USA, Meals on Wheels Association of America, New Manna Inc., ONE, Society of Saint Andrew and World Food Program USA.
I invite you to join us in this fast -- but do it in a way that's right for you. We have developed a guide that describes the spiritual basis of fasting and various ways you can participate: by skipping a meal, praying for hungry and poor people, taking only water and/or speaking to your members of Congress.
We must not abolish the support systems in place for vulnerable people without a plan to replace them. This is a moral imperative, but also a practical one. It is bad economics to do away with support systems for millions of people who can't afford to provide for themselves and their families.
Ending hunger sounds ambitious, but it is possible if we first change the politics of hunger. I invite you to join us in this great effort and make a difference for people in need.
World Food Prize laureate Rev. David Beckmann is the president of Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice urging our nation's decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. He is also president of Bread for the World Institute, which provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it, and serves as president of the Alliance to End Hunger, which works with diverse U.S. institutions in building the political will to end hunger.
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Currently, all of the costs of balanced budgets are being borne by the poor and the middle class, through layoffs and reduced services, and all of the benefits of balanced budgets are being reaped by the super-wealthy, through reduced tax rates.
We are condemning ourselves to impoverished lifestyles, for the sake of lowered tax rates for those who can most afford to pay taxes.
Matthew 25
37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
They should put their money where their mouth is or pay taxes like the rest of us have to. Enough rich churches and "preachers" while people are hungry and living in the street, sick without health-care, rotting in prisons, alone with nothing... Nonsense.
In fact, rather than encourage people to fast and pray, encourage them to donate a week's worth of groceries (or that amount of money) to a food pantry or soup kitchen.
I can agree with you on encouraging people to contact their Congressmen.
More effective is to rally the electorate and kick the republicans out of office who created these enormous deficits by waging wars of choice based on lies and in the mean time make it clear to them that waging a war on women and the poor will not go unpunished in the next election.
Fasting may be healthy and could save some food to give to the poor.
Praying is simply delusional and will not help anyone.
Oh, that'll *help* in their minds, yeah. Good calling.
Speaking of things old Irish, the 'hunger strike' used to be done by the aggrieved *next to the front door of those doing the aggrieving.*
That's why there's supposed to be a *seat* on your front porch if you have one and you're a free person.
If you wanna fast and think it matters, don't 'go tell it on the mountain,' *go tell it on the front porch of the people abstracting someone else being hungry and *especially* cause they claim it's piety to your religion.*
Capitol building might do, though. If you don't mind a little spin.
If fasting and praying helps you do that work, great, whatever.
If you only fast and pray and don't do the other stuff, then you're useless imho.
These programs help Americans. I do not care if you feel it is their problem, the truth is any one of the 90% of Americans today are with in one to two months of needing help.
The solution is jobs. To create these jobs means harming imports and crating work here. Full time work with benefits. That is against the Republicans and is in fact against the Democratic stance. But one party, The American Party, understands this next election is about America and what kind of America we want.
He would also have found out that raising taxes hurts poor people by forcing businesses to get rid of employees to pay for the taxes. BTW how is the U.S. responsible for feeding and caring for the abused citizens of communist and socialist countries? :-)
Wake up... if their taxes were any lower we would be paying them for the "privilege" of financing their corporate welfare.
As for all that silliness about taxes forcing businesses to fire people in financial self-defense: sorry, but this does not fly for people who remember or have studied all the times in our history that American businesses have shafted the little guy for profits. Trusting to corporations and rich conservatives to create and maintain an adequate safety net for the poor is foolish in the extreme. Just pay up, like all the rest of us real Americans.