{"id":10021,"date":"2011-12-20T11:48:07","date_gmt":"2011-12-20T16:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/?p=10021"},"modified":"2012-12-26T20:07:56","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T01:07:56","slug":"conservatives-contradictory-take-on-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/cultural-correspondent\/12\/20\/conservatives-contradictory-take-on-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservatives\u2019 Contradictory Take on Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Christmas trees are skinny this year. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s the end of 2011: laden with recessions, lay offs, and pay cuts, no amount of tinsel or red ribbon can distract Americans from the chilling menace of impending winter or the rocky road to economic recovery that awaits. Nor can Americans be distracted from the fact that they are struggling.<\/p>\n

One in every two Americans is either living in poverty<\/a> or qualifies as low-income status. The middle class is shrinking. Conversely, salaries in Congress have only risen, as have the salaries of CEOs. As a result, in the season of giving the only things the majority of Americans receive are increased economic hardships, disappointment, and all-consuming fear. And with the thin-blanketed proposals made on behalf of so-called Christian conservatives that will hit Americans in the dead of winter, a question remains: is this really what Jesus would do?<\/p>\n

The Vanishing Act of the Middle Class<\/strong><\/p>\n

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While Congress bickers over rudimentary budget procedures in the nation\u2019s capital, Americans across the board have been suffering the consequences. In a recent report released by a U.S. Conference of Mayors<\/a>, 29 cities confirmed that over 1 in 4 Americans needing emergency food assistance did not receive it. Of them, 51% were families, 26% were employed, 19% were elderly, and only 11% qualified as homeless. <\/p>\n

The middle class has been hit the hardest. As many erstwhile middle-income families have slipped into the dregs of poverty and low-income status, new realities are harsh: the percentage of working families who have fallen into low-income status is currently 31.2%<\/a> –the highest proportion in over a decade. In other words, those whose work ethic and employment once insured them a relatively comfortable life now find themselves in situations they\u2019ve never dreamed of.<\/p>\n

And as the anemic middle class continues to bleed, conservatives have proposed budget cuts and tax increases on those who, thanks to the reckless and shameful behavior of self-interested politicians, have less and less to give. As University of Michigan Professor Sheldon Danziger states, the effects are dangerous and could push the nation even further off the path toward recovery: \u201cIf Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, the Obama Administration and House Democrats continue to disappoint. Succumbing to the Republican majority once again, both Obama and his supporters have shied away from their millionaire surtax<\/a> that, despite its modest 1.9% tax increase on millionaires and overwhelming support of the majority of Americans, would have raised over $140 billion in tax revenue. The proceeds of that plan would have helped pay for the extension of tax cuts for over 160 million workers. Dropping their feeble tour de force by hobnobbing with a resolute Warren Buffett, Democrats now present themselves as nothing more than an \u201copen book\u201d with a broken spine.<\/p>\n

In other words, it is not the Right who will save the country and it\u2019s beginning to seem like it\u2019s not the Left, either. Who is it going to be, then?<\/p>\n

Catholics and Christian Conservatives: Same Book, Different \u201cSolutions\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Realizing the dire circumstances in which many Americans live, it was not the Democratic Party that most recently demanded solutions from the Republican-led Congress\u2014it was not anyone on Capitol Hill. Rather, it was the behemoth Catholic Church. In a letter to the GOP-led House, a conference of non-partisan Catholic Bishops recently stated<\/a>, \u201cWhen the economy fails to generate sufficient jobs, there is a moral obligation to protect the life and dignity of unemployed workers and their families.\u201d <\/p>\n

Citing aspects of Pope John Paul II\u2019s seminal 1981 Laborem Exercens, the bishops proclaimed, \u201c[providing] unemployment benefits\u2026is a duty springing from the fundamental principle of. . .the right to life and subsistence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is where the hypocrisy begins. Drawing from the same Bible as many self-proclaimed Christian conservatives, these bishops\u2019 conclusions are manifestly different than the alleged solutions of their Republican counterparts, especially those seeking the GOP Presidential nomination.<\/p>\n

Take a look at some of them: with nearly 7 million views on YouTube, Rick Perry has let the world know that he is not afraid to be a Christian. As such, he believes that America\u2019s values are Judeo-Christian, yet the charitable dogma comes to a screeching halt when it comes to those who are unemployed or low-income. Flatly rejecting extending a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits, Perry supported measures that would effectively raise taxes on only the middle class as he callously claimed that they are \u201cincentives to be unemployed.\u201d<\/p>\n