These guys never fail to amuse me:
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), whose budget plan recently passed the House in a party-line vote, says his faith contributed in shaping the proposal, which he says is consistent with Catholic teachings.
“A person’s faith is central to how they conduct themselves in public and in private,” Ryan said in an interview released on Tuesday by the Christian Broadcasting Network. “So to me, using my Catholic faith, we call it the social magisterium, which is how do you apply the doctrine of your teaching into your everyday life as a lay person?”
The budget, which cuts about $5 trillion more than the president’s 2013 proposal and would create a “premium support” option for future Medicare recipients, sets up an election-year contrast with Democrats on spending and the debt.
So, according to Ryan, we’ve got a budget that is equal parts Ayn Rand and Jesus, with, ho doubt, some Hayek and Burke thrown in. Fabulous. Nothing could go wrong here, amirite? Except there are some people who would disagree that this budget adheres to the religious principles Ryan thinks it does:
The bishops voiced support for moves to strengthen programs that help the poor and vulnerable, such as Pell Grants and improved workforce training and development. They also opposed moves negatively impacting poor families such as increasing the minimum rent that can be charged to families receiving housing assistance and a proposal to eliminate funding for the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. The bishops also made the case for protecting programs that help the poor internationally.
“As pastors, we see every day the human consequences of budget choices. Our Catholic community defends the unborn, feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless, educates the young, and cares for the sick, both at home and abroad. We help poor families rise above crushing poverty, resettle refugees fleeing conflict and persecution, and reach out to communities devastated by wars, natural disasters and famines,” the bishops wrote. “The moral measure of this budget debate is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how those who are jobless, hungry, homeless or poor are treated. Their voices are too often missing in these debates, but they have the most compelling moral claim on our consciences and our common resources.”
But, as we all know, the wingnuts only listen to the men in funny hats when it comes to their fetus fetish and any and all panty-sniffing/contraceptives ventures. When it comes to war, the death penalty, and taking care of the poor and the less fortunate, well screw all that. What the hell did Jesus know about Welfare, anyway?