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Once again, the USCCB is doing the Church proud, this time opposing cuts in the Agriculture Department's budget that will adversely affect programs that help the poor. The letter, dated May 31, 2011 and signed on behalf of the USCCB by Bishops Stephen Blaire and Howard Hubbard, states: "We express our deep concerns that the current proposal calls for significant cuts to both domestic and international food aid, conservation and rural development programs. These proposed cuts will greatly affect programs that serve hungry, poor and vulnerable people in our nation and around the world."
Those who are defending the GOP's Randian economic approach like to float generalities about how their anti-government stance will actually liberate the poor, but they don't do a very good job explaining how the good achieved by current programs will be replaced and bettered by their own proposals. By contrast, Bishops Blaire and Hubbard note very specifically which programs are currently helping the poor in this country and abroad and why they should not be cut. If conservatives like to point out that there is room for prudential disagreement in the area of economics, I concur, but then let's see some of their prudence in action. What, precisely and prudentially, do they want to do to help the poor?
The full text of the letter is here.
