I do not envy our elected officials these days. They are faced with many difficult choices, with many pressures coming from different directions, with many asking for resources and many others trying to limit those resources.
In making difficult choices to reduce future unsustainable deficits, our leaders must keep in mind the plight of the poor, here and around the world. Those among us who have the least power and the greatest need should be at the forefront of their minds.
For me, this is a moral choice. My church asks that we ”” individually, as communities and as a nation ”” give special consideration to the poor, that we recognize our obligation to help those who are not just at the bottom of the ladder, but those who are below that, trying desperately to reach the bottom rung, constantly pushed down by forces beyond their control.
Bishop Guglielmone was the chaplain at my Boy Scout camp one year, and he later became the pastor of my parents’ church on Long Island. Good guy!