VALUES
DeLay's Divorce from Morality
The Washington Post
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58069-2005Mar22.html)
confronted Tom DeLay with this passage from Monday's Progress Report
(http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=475609) : "At
every opportunity, [House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay has sanctimoniously
proclaimed his concern for the well-being of Terri Schiavo, saying he is only
trying to ensure she has the chance 'we all deserve.' Just last week, DeLay
marshaled a budget resolution through the House of Representatives that would
cut funding for Medicaid by at least $15 billion, threatening the quality of
care for people like Terri Schiavo." In today's edition
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58069-2005Mar22.html) , DeLay's
spokesman, Dan Allen, responded. Allen said, "The fact that they're tying a life
issue to the budget process shows just how disconnected [they] are to reality."
Allen's statement succinctly reveals exactly what is wrong with right-wing
leaders like Tom DeLay. DeLay and his allies have divorced their conceptions of
morality from their core responsibilities as legislators, like the budget. As a
result, they are advancing amoral policies which have devastating effects on
children, the sick and the indigent. (Share your thoughts on DeLay's response at
ThinkProgress.org (http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=498) .)
THE BUDGET AS A MORAL DOCUMENT: Tom DeLay should read his mail. On Jan. 25, a
group of 60 religious leaders from diverse faiths sent a letter to all 535
members of Congress. The letter said, " Despite its complexity, the budget is
essentially a moral document -- the specific expression of the values of the
nation (http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=307173)
," and urged Congress to review the budget with six essential questions in mind,
including: "Does the budget provide adequately for all of God's children,
including the poor and sick, the old and very young?" and "Does the budget
provide those in need with the assistance necessary to build self-reliant,
purposeful lives?" The religious leaders who signed the document did so because
they understand the impact that the federal budget has on the lives of
Americans. Tom DeLay, apparently, does not.
THE BUDGET IS A LIFE ISSUE: For many Americans, the federal budget is an issue
of life and death. Tom DeLay is pushing Medicaid cuts of at least $15 billion
over five years. (That would mean a loss of $673 million in Florida alone
(http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=453265) .) Medicaid
currently " pays for health and long-term care services for over 50 million
low-income and disabled individuals
(http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7bE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7d/health%20valued%20background%201-25-05.pdf)
." States are already "struggling to fund their share of Medicaid's costs, and a
number are significantly reducing coverage or benefits." DeLay's proposal would
"reduce the federal commitment to Medicaid and shift costs to states which would
increase the pressures that states are facing." If DeLay's version of the budget
passes, the effect " would likely be to increase the number of low-income people
in the United States who are uninsured or underinsured.
(http://www.cbpp.org/3-10-05health.htm) " According to the Institute of
Medicine, lack of health insurance already " causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary
deaths every year in the United States (http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=17632)
."
AMORAL TAX POLICY: DeLay and his right-wing allies claim cuts in Medicaid and
other vital services are necessary to achieve budget discipline. They see no
shortage of cash, however, to shower on the wealthiest Americans. The House
budget proposal "calls for $106 billion in tax cuts over the next five years."
An analysis by the Urban Institute-Brookings Tax Policy Center reveals that 46
percent of the benefits "from the dividend and capital gains tax cuts accrue to
the nation's small handful of people with incomes exceeding $1 million a year, a
group that constitutes only 0.2 percent of U.S. households
(http://www.cbpp.org/3-10-05bud2.htm) ." Pursuing these policies while cutting
health benefits for the most vulnerable shows how disconnected DeLay and his
allies are from the struggles of many Americans.
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