Well it’s not often from Arizona I get to report good news from our legislature in regards to the low-income population. But this week compassion and bi-partisanship came raining down from the AZ State Legislature. That’s because our state senate and house approved the Medicaid expansion inside our Governor’s budget which will provide health care for over 300,000 Arizonans of low income.  It’s a day long coming and a day necessary for Arizona and America’s economy.  In the past 24-48 hours Facebook has been pouring with comments of support, gratification and some negative complaints.  What is truly disgraceful is the one shown below, not alone in this users comment, there are loads of conservatives calling the Republicans (who chose the People over greed) “traitors”.

When it comes to hunger and health care, I could never be more demanding of a universal right.  No human being deserves to starve, and no human being deserves to suffer through medical pain.  It is our humanitarian duty to ensure that all receive these basic life necessities.  So when I hear Arizona State Senator Al Melvin claim that the Medicaid expansion is a “bottom line of greed”, I just lower my head in embarrassment. Yet, some Republicans wrote off their no votes as being “unclear” of what lied in the budget, yet it has been proposed to the floor for over 45 days.

I commend AZ Governor Jan Brewer for doing what some of her colleagues called a “temper tantrum”, but for which I see as a demand for human decency.  I commend the Republicans who caused themselves personal grief for this act, and I commend my fellow Democrats who have stayed true to the calling to support one another as human beings. I also must humbly agree with Sen. Steve Yarbrough in his statement that “Arizona will rue this day”.  Though I think he and I will disagree on what is “rueable”, it sems he is ashamed of acts of humanitarian compassion, while I regret that the same act is seen as betrayal.  I rue that!

To read more about the bill click here….

Paul Lovelis serves on the Leadership of the Arizona Young Democrats, and has been a life long Christian as well as a life long Democrat. He has been with YDA for the last year and a half.

Writing in the New York Times,  Mark Bittman urges action not only by Congress, but also by each American, to stand for justice and advocate reforms to the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill which, among many other things, authorizes financing for the food stamp program and subsidies for the agriculture industry. Of particular note in the piece is the attention he gives to Representative Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, who, in defending draconian cuts to the food stamp program, quotes the Bible in the way politicians usually do – out of context. Using a Bible verse that says those able but unwilling to work should not receive assistance from the church community, Representative Fincher ignores the facts that Mr. Bittman reminds us of: 45% of food stamp recipients are children, and 41% of recipients were in households with wage earners. Mr. Bittman also points out that while Representative Fincher is calling for less aid to the poor, he is not ashamed of taking aid himself – almost $3.5 million between 1999 and 2012. “The average SNAP recipient in Tennessee gets $132.20 in food aid a month; Fincher received $193 a day [in 2012],” pointed out Mr. Bittman. It’s shameful for our nation to turn its back to the poor, and even worse to do so while increasing subsidies for the well-off.

There’s plenty to be disgusted over, but our collective disgust is useless if it does not fuel action. Mr. Bittman encourages us to contact our elected officials in Washington and urge them to follow the moral compass at the heart of our nation. I urge you to do the same. Take five minutes to write your representatives an email (or if you’re short on time, use the ready-to-send form at Bread for the World) and then encourage someone else to do the same.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/welfare-for-the-wealthy/?src=recg

Seth Embry

Post by Rob Taber
Crossposted with LDS Democrats of America

What would you say if I told you that our nation had a program that:
1. Pumped $1.73 into the economy for every $1 spent.      (According to Moody’s.)
2. Has an error-rate that’s at all-time low and a program budget where over 95% of all money spent went directly to families.
3. And is incredibly good at responding to economic downturns, mitigating the impact of recessions and other set-backs on child health and development, which helps reduce the cycle of poverty?

The program in question: the Supplemental Assistance Nutrion Program. (More about who uses it, why they use, and fraud rates can be found here.) It is extraordinarily good at doing what it was designed to do: help children, the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor stay food secure, meaning they don’t get to the point of malnutrition. Despite a reputation for fraud and abuse, fraud rates are very low and keep getting lower.
The House Committee on Agriculture has advanced a version of the Farm Bill that cuts over $20 billion from SNAP over the next 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this would eliminate benefits of 1.8 million people per year, including 200,000 children who would no longer automatically qualify for the school lunch program.

The push to cut SNAP comes from Representative Stephen Fincher, Republican of Tennessee, who received $3.5 million in direct payments for his farmland between 1999 and 2012, including $70,000 in the last year, which is roughly equivalent to the maximum annual SNAP benefits for 12 working families. (This gets to another major problem with the 2013 Farm Bill: both the House and Senate are repealing the direct payments program, where the identity of major recipients is a matter of public record, in favor of an expansion of the funding and eligibility for the crop insurance program, whose beneficiaries are anonymous.)
The members House Committee on Agriculture reportedly traded Bible verses over these cuts and our responsibility towards the poor. This led Rep. Fincher to share Matthew 26:11 (“The poor you shall always have with you”) and 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat”) as evidence that “The Bible says a lot of things.”

Last month, Rep. Fincher stated, “The role of citizens, of Christians, of humanity is to take care of each other, but not for Washington to steal from those in the country and giving it to others in the country.”

This reminds me of discussions in LDS circles, where feeding the hungry is recognized as a very good thing to do and SNAP (often referred to as food stamps) is depicted as an evil, over-reaching government program. We are very focused on taking care of our hungry Latter-day Saints, either through the official Church welfare program, or through member-led efforts, and we conduct targeted humanitarian relief efforts for others around the globe. This is great, but the Church isn’t our only community.
The United States is also a community, wherein we elect legislators and executives who have the sworn duty to “preserve, protect, and defend” the Constitution, which itself was created to “insure domestic tranquility,” “promote the general welfare,” and “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” We pay our taxes, one of the responsibilities that comes with the rights of citizenship or residence, with the intent that our representatives will use this money towards these goals. Helping working families, the elderly, and, above all, children, receive the food they need to avoid acute hunger is crucial for them to secure the blessings of liberty. As Appleton, Wisconsin has discovered, good food can make all the difference.

During the 2012 election, the LDS Newsroom worked overtime to educate the public on what Mormons believe. A highlight was the publication of the editorial Modern and Mormon. I love its emphasis on the importance of both faith and reason and our need to ask questions, to pursuing truth, and to “seek after” anything that is “virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy.” The Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP), a  praiseworthy program “of good report,” is in danger of major cuts that will cripple its ability to feed the hungry and short-circuit the cycle of poverty. Let’s not do this.

Rob Taber, a member of YDA Faith’s senior leadership team, is the chair of LDS Democrats of America. He lives in north central Florida with his wife and daughter.

In the last two years I have been an active member in the Young Democrats of America (YDA) Faith and Values Initiative.  It has been a life changing experience and a spiritual inspiration to say the least.  If just two years ago you asked, how many of my generation were involved both politically and religiously, I would’ve answered with no one.  I thought I was alone in the world, but I have come to find that there are many young people who have faith in both a divine power and our election system.

It all began with an email asking for anyone who is a Democrat and a religious individual.  I almost didn’t reply but I thought “this must be my calling, and I’d better answer.” Sprouting into phone conversations with many like-minded individuals, it eventually grew into what I believe now to be a long-term initiative of Faith and Values for the Democratic Party. 

It’s interesting to say: Faith, Values, and Democrat in the same sentence, as I often get scruffy noses wherever I say it.  Most Republicans ask “how is that possible?”  Many Democrats question my ideals and my agenda.  Imagine that, to belong to a group that (in the majority of minds) belongs nowhere.  Nonetheless, YDA Faith and Values is where I belong, and I’m proud to be a member. 

On many calls I found young energetic souls who wanted to share our compassion with the world.  We have hosted events to get out the word of faith and Democratic values, in the past two years we have hosted two summits in efforts to build and sustain a strategy for employing our ideals.  I have gained life-long friends and colleagues who at the very core of my soul provide a support that is unprecedented.  Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” It is so true, for we do not need to see each other to let our hearts speak in ways our eyes and mind never could.  Our faith in each other allows us to have assurance in what is to be our future, our hope, and in a roundabout way, eventually again our faith.  YDA Faith and Values is more than a group of people, it is the Heart and Soul of who we all are.  We are the Young Democrats of America: Faith and Values Initiative.

Paul Lovelis
President Pima County Young Democrats
Arizona

Mistakes come and mistakes fade, what is important to remember is that we are all human and while we make mistakes we also make amazing strides as well.  Take my mother for example, in 5^th grade she forced me to go to school with a terrible pain in my shoulder, that she wrote off as strained muscle.  After telling the nurse, she agreed with my mother and attempted to massage the knot out.  In all the pain, I could only wimper the words, “get my mother.”  My mother left work early (and quite angrily might I add) to pick me up and take me to be examined.  On the ride to the chiropractic (not a hospital mind you) I couldn’t help but feel she was disappointed that I was making such a big deal about a pulled muscle. After an x-ray, she admitted she was wrong and that I had indeed broken my collarbone.  A mistake she will have to live with for the rest of our lives. 

But my mother has accomplished some amazing things as well.  Many of my colleagues and community members often, say “your mother must be very proud of you.”  To which I respond, I think she should be very proud of herself.  After all, who I am and where I am is because of her hard dedication, and strong will with an arrogantly stubborn child.   It is because of her that I am so involved and compassionate towards my community.  It is her willingness to argue with me through all hours of the night, that I am able to passionately advocate for the ideals that matter to me.  I owe her everything and so does the community I serve.

I think about that a lot when I hear of others mistakes, I remember the ones my mom made, and yet I love her.  So shouldn’t I love others who are pointed out for their mistakes as well, after all haven’t they achieved something in their time?  Take the Presidents for example, every one of them including President Obama have had their rough mistakes.  Most often, they are just too busy to oversee everything their people do.  Too often we focus in on those mistakes, and of course it is hard to find the good in a stranger, when the bad is pointed out so easily.

I recently heard an individual talk about American household debt and how well the people have done in getting that down.  But I wonder, is it possible that we have the President to thank for that.  The Financial Times Article on Market Insights pointed out that Americans have actually lowered their debt while Europeans have risen their debt. One reviewer used this to ask why can’t the government follow along, but I can’t help but think the government is serving us in an effort to make us sustainable, thereby sustaining the market as a whole.  Isn’t that what they should do? 

This is the first time in decades that America’s household debt has been lower than Europe’s.  President Obama may not be a close friend or relative, but like our mothers he is capable of both mistakes and triumphs.  Also like our mothers, we often forget to look at ourselves in reflection to determine their greatest triumphs.  I stand by President Obama and my mother, because I’m well off and I have them to thank for it.

Paul Lovelis
President Pima County Young Democrats
Arizona