Budgets are moral documents

Monday October 24th, Leviticus 19: 16 Don't be a gossip, but never hesitate to speak up in court, especially if your testimony can save someone's life. 17Don't hold grudges. On the other hand, it's wrong not to correct someone who needs correcting. 18Stop being angry and don't try to take revenge. I am the LORD, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself. It all seems so simple; love others as much as you love yourself. Step one is to love yourself. Step two is to love others. Sometimes the two are intertwined so that in order to be able to truly love one’s self, one needs to feel good about how well they lovingly act toward others. This quote from Sojourners puts it in a present day context. “Just weeks after Hurricane Katrina exposed the crisis of poverty in America, Congress will debate as early as Wednesday how much money should be cut from the budgets of health care, nutrition assistance, and other vital services for poor and working families….. Perhaps equally astonishing, they will decide how much - up to $70 billion - they will cut taxes for the richest people in America. In Washington, this may be business as usual, but as people of faith, we believe that budgets are moral documents, and so far this budget is morally bankrupt.”