I liked taking something I read in the newspaper and relate it to the Gospel and my beliefs and faith. Today’s headline made doing this easy. It read: “Walker seeks tax cut” and the sub headline was “$100 million surplus would reduce statewide property taxes by $13 per home.” In these postings on the Diary of the Worm I have been talking about the New American Dream, how the old American Dream about having a job, home, education and family has been replaced by the new American dream “get all you can get”.
Reading the newspaper article made me want to write a “Letter to the Editor” of the newspaper using this article and others ones in the newspaper to point to what I consider a central issue of our time: Individualism vs. Common Good.
The letter might not be published in the newspaper but here it is:
Dear Editor,
Today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel headlines states Governor Walker is proposing a $100 million tax cut which would reduce my property tax about $13. If the proposal is passed I would like to donate my $13 tax cut to the people, low income people, whose taxes were raised in the Budget bill, Earned Income Credit taxes and Homestead Credit taxes. ( See MJS PoliticalFact of December 12th, 2011.) If my $13 cannot be used to erase these tax increases I would like it used for food stamps or health care for Wisconsin residents for those being cut or eliminated.
If the Governor can find a million or so left in the budget surplus I would suggest it be used for a Sustainable Fund for the Works of Mercy in Milwaukee’s North Central areas, the poorest and most segregated in the city and state. When the Catholic Archdiocese closed our church in this area a few years ago we urged the Church to use the money for the corporal works of mercy in this area.(MJS article Northwest side Catholic parish ponders use merger money, MJS, Jan. 9, 2013). The money is needed to provide vouchers for beds, stoves and refrigerators which are a major problem due to bed bugs and many landlords no longer supplying appliances as part of the rent. The 1.1 million was given to another church whose leaders are proposing of putting this abundance into an endowment fund.
Our faith traditions teach us that our “abundance” needs to be shared with those most in need.
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