LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Budgets Are Moral Documents Revealing Society's Priorities

Because so much is written in the Scriptures concerning the poor, it could be considered the most important political issue in the Scriptures.

What public programs do you think are most effective in responding to poverty?

If all political spectrums would work together to push their points of view on poverty, we could make progress on limiting the effects of poverty which has unfortunately increased in the last decade. Both personal and social responsibilities are necessary for overcoming poverty.

So how do we strengthen the family and community ties that bind us together while rejecting the mean-spirited scapegoating that has proven so divisive? Why should either the "prosperity gospel" or the "loving your neighbor gospel" be used exclusively.

By first admitting that God is not a Republican or a Democrat, we can make progress toward the common good rather than only individual and special interests. If we move toward privatizing the poor, it will eventually rip apart the moral ties of our country.

We must urge our Iowa legislators to keep in mind the most vulnerable among us: children, the elderly, those with severe illnesses, the disabled. They do not have high-paid lobbyists to protect their interests.

An example of what happens to the vulnerable is the lack of adequate state funds directed to regulators of our nursing homes, who have patients that are neglected and/or abused.

Budgets are moral documents that reveal our true priorities. Budgets must be judged morally, not just economically.

– Julie Stewart Ziesman, Waukee