Board Statement on Protecting the Most Vulnerable in the United States of America from the Effects of the Fiscal Cliff
Adopted in 2013.
With the approaching fiscal cliff, Ohalah expresses its great concern over the potential consequences of “going over the cliff.”
Without an agreement, the process of “sequestration” will be triggered in January 2013. Sequestration will include $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board federal spending cuts through 2021. The areas to be most impacted by sequestration include: education, low income housing programs and Medicare. In addition, tax credits for low- and moderate-income families and federal emergency unemployment insurance benefits will expire as well as the tax cuts passed during the Bush-era. Therefore, we believe that the resulting tax increases and deficit reduction will unfairly burden the poor and the lower Middle class.
We understand that we do have a long-term debt problem. However, we are convinced that the solution to this problem should involve long-term measures, not simplistic moves that would throw the economy back into recession. Above all, we should definitely not treat a return to recession with the burden that such a return would place upon the poor as a necessary cost of solving our long-term debt problem. Recent history, especially that of European democracies, has shown the disastrous effects that government austerity may have in a depressed economy.
Jewish tradition has many statements relevant to this situation. Deuteronomy 15:11 states “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12 states: “…If all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.”
These statements express our belief that prioritizing financial assets over people is inherently immoral and counter to Jewish values. As they decide on the appropriate measures to take in this crisis, we urge the administration and the congress to protect low income Americans and the social safety net. Our economy cannot be rebuilt by imposing unfair burdens upon the vulnerable.
Adopted in 2013.
With the approaching fiscal cliff, Ohalah expresses its great concern over the potential consequences of “going over the cliff.”
Without an agreement, the process of “sequestration” will be triggered in January 2013. Sequestration will include $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board federal spending cuts through 2021. The areas to be most impacted by sequestration include: education, low income housing programs and Medicare. In addition, tax credits for low- and moderate-income families and federal emergency unemployment insurance benefits will expire as well as the tax cuts passed during the Bush-era. Therefore, we believe that the resulting tax increases and deficit reduction will unfairly burden the poor and the lower Middle class.
We understand that we do have a long-term debt problem. However, we are convinced that the solution to this problem should involve long-term measures, not simplistic moves that would throw the economy back into recession. Above all, we should definitely not treat a return to recession with the burden that such a return would place upon the poor as a necessary cost of solving our long-term debt problem. Recent history, especially that of European democracies, has shown the disastrous effects that government austerity may have in a depressed economy.
Jewish tradition has many statements relevant to this situation. Deuteronomy 15:11 states “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12 states: “…If all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.”
These statements express our belief that prioritizing financial assets over people is inherently immoral and counter to Jewish values. As they decide on the appropriate measures to take in this crisis, we urge the administration and the congress to protect low income Americans and the social safety net. Our economy cannot be rebuilt by imposing unfair burdens upon the vulnerable.