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Demonstrators gathered in the U.S. capital for the Mass Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington on June 18, 2022. (Photo: Bishop William Barber/Twitter)
This Is an Election Poor and Low-Income Americans Cannot Afford to Lose
The stakes for America's poor and low-income families are huge this election.
Nov 05, 2022
Our wellbeing is on the ballot this November. Amid a pandemic, rising inflation, and deepening financial instability, we need a strong commitment from all candidates to our children, families, and planet.
What have we learned? That poverty is a political choice. It drops when the government commits to reducing it. And it rises when that commitment vanishes.
In 2021, we won some of that commitment.
Members of Congress--some of them--heard our voices. They made investments--from the expanded child tax credit to healthcare to infrastructure--that brought unemployment to historic lows and reduced child poverty to its lowest measure on record.
Prior to the pandemic, the Poor People's Campaign: a National Call for Moral Revival estimated that 140 million of us were poor and low-wealth. The American Rescue Plan and other investments brought that down to 112 million last year--a huge step forward.
But even this help left one-third of us still living in serious economic hardship. Even worse, it was temporary. With those programs now expiring, and the cost of living continuing to climb, poverty is again on the rise.
What have we learned? That poverty is a political choice. It drops when the government commits to reducing it. And it rises when that commitment vanishes.
So the stakes for America's poor and low-income families are huge this election.
It's not just social spending at stake. Climate disasters are becoming deadlier and costlier. Wars, supply chain issues and corporate price-gouging are sending inflation upward. And the democratic systems we need to fix these problems together are under threat themselves.
We need our lawmakers to show moral leadership and take these crises seriously.
The Republicans favored to take control of the House of Representatives have released a program they call the "Commitment to America". We believe this document shows none of that moral leadership. Instead, it peddles in hollow resentment politicking and offers no alternatives to address real problems.
To the contrary, this agenda seems to threaten the most effective anti-poverty programs we have--like social security and Medicare--with vague allusions to "fixing" and "personalizing" them. Coming from Republicans, terms like these usually mean privatization.
Privatized healthcare helped big pharma and insurance companies make huge profits through the worst public health crisis in a century. And private takeovers of nursing homes increased both costs and deaths among Medicare patients using those facilities. What we need now is more public health care.
And despite professing concern for our health, the Republican manifesto leaves out the fact that every Republican voted against affordable healthcare and reducing prescription drug prices.
Meanwhile, the Republican program promises to increase our already obscene and ever-increasing Pentagon budget.
We've already spent over $21tn over the past 20 years on war, policing, surveillance and border enforcement even as our healthcare, infrastructure and social programs have failed to keep up with need. The so-called "Commitment to America" would divert still more funding from children and families while ignoring that the greatest threat to the homeland is domestic terrorism.
Finally, the "Commitment to America" promises still more tax cuts for corporations and the extremely wealthy. The 2017 Trump tax cuts for the rich are already on track to cost more than $2.2tn over the next decade. If they're extended, they could cost $5.5tn--effectively taking away from programs that support our basic needs.
Rather than its stated purpose, the Republican program is merely a commitment to corporate greed and private profit. These times call for a real "commitment to America" that moves us toward the promise of what we want to be. Toward a nation where the wellbeing of all of our children and families is guaranteed. A society where all workers have dignity and living wages, paid leave, healthcare, and the right to unionize.
In this society, moral policies would lift the crushing burden of debt. They would ensure a robust democracy and our participation in the decisions impacting our daily lives. They would prioritize wellbeing over militarization and mass incarceration.
This November, with one-third of the nation still struggling, we must come together and demand a real commitment to the wellbeing of our hardworking families from all candidates, not the revenge politics being served up by those who are unprepared to lead. We won't be silent any more.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 The Guardian
Karen Dolan
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty."
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, is a Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. He serves as President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival, Bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and has been Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Goldsboro, NC, for the past 29 years.
Our wellbeing is on the ballot this November. Amid a pandemic, rising inflation, and deepening financial instability, we need a strong commitment from all candidates to our children, families, and planet.
What have we learned? That poverty is a political choice. It drops when the government commits to reducing it. And it rises when that commitment vanishes.
In 2021, we won some of that commitment.
Members of Congress--some of them--heard our voices. They made investments--from the expanded child tax credit to healthcare to infrastructure--that brought unemployment to historic lows and reduced child poverty to its lowest measure on record.
Prior to the pandemic, the Poor People's Campaign: a National Call for Moral Revival estimated that 140 million of us were poor and low-wealth. The American Rescue Plan and other investments brought that down to 112 million last year--a huge step forward.
But even this help left one-third of us still living in serious economic hardship. Even worse, it was temporary. With those programs now expiring, and the cost of living continuing to climb, poverty is again on the rise.
What have we learned? That poverty is a political choice. It drops when the government commits to reducing it. And it rises when that commitment vanishes.
So the stakes for America's poor and low-income families are huge this election.
It's not just social spending at stake. Climate disasters are becoming deadlier and costlier. Wars, supply chain issues and corporate price-gouging are sending inflation upward. And the democratic systems we need to fix these problems together are under threat themselves.
We need our lawmakers to show moral leadership and take these crises seriously.
The Republicans favored to take control of the House of Representatives have released a program they call the "Commitment to America". We believe this document shows none of that moral leadership. Instead, it peddles in hollow resentment politicking and offers no alternatives to address real problems.
To the contrary, this agenda seems to threaten the most effective anti-poverty programs we have--like social security and Medicare--with vague allusions to "fixing" and "personalizing" them. Coming from Republicans, terms like these usually mean privatization.
Privatized healthcare helped big pharma and insurance companies make huge profits through the worst public health crisis in a century. And private takeovers of nursing homes increased both costs and deaths among Medicare patients using those facilities. What we need now is more public health care.
And despite professing concern for our health, the Republican manifesto leaves out the fact that every Republican voted against affordable healthcare and reducing prescription drug prices.
Meanwhile, the Republican program promises to increase our already obscene and ever-increasing Pentagon budget.
We've already spent over $21tn over the past 20 years on war, policing, surveillance and border enforcement even as our healthcare, infrastructure and social programs have failed to keep up with need. The so-called "Commitment to America" would divert still more funding from children and families while ignoring that the greatest threat to the homeland is domestic terrorism.
Finally, the "Commitment to America" promises still more tax cuts for corporations and the extremely wealthy. The 2017 Trump tax cuts for the rich are already on track to cost more than $2.2tn over the next decade. If they're extended, they could cost $5.5tn--effectively taking away from programs that support our basic needs.
Rather than its stated purpose, the Republican program is merely a commitment to corporate greed and private profit. These times call for a real "commitment to America" that moves us toward the promise of what we want to be. Toward a nation where the wellbeing of all of our children and families is guaranteed. A society where all workers have dignity and living wages, paid leave, healthcare, and the right to unionize.
In this society, moral policies would lift the crushing burden of debt. They would ensure a robust democracy and our participation in the decisions impacting our daily lives. They would prioritize wellbeing over militarization and mass incarceration.
This November, with one-third of the nation still struggling, we must come together and demand a real commitment to the wellbeing of our hardworking families from all candidates, not the revenge politics being served up by those who are unprepared to lead. We won't be silent any more.
Karen Dolan
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty."
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, is a Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. He serves as President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival, Bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, and has been Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Goldsboro, NC, for the past 29 years.
Our wellbeing is on the ballot this November. Amid a pandemic, rising inflation, and deepening financial instability, we need a strong commitment from all candidates to our children, families, and planet.
What have we learned? That poverty is a political choice. It drops when the government commits to reducing it. And it rises when that commitment vanishes.
In 2021, we won some of that commitment.
Members of Congress--some of them--heard our voices. They made investments--from the expanded child tax credit to healthcare to infrastructure--that brought unemployment to historic lows and reduced child poverty to its lowest measure on record.
Prior to the pandemic, the Poor People's Campaign: a National Call for Moral Revival estimated that 140 million of us were poor and low-wealth. The American Rescue Plan and other investments brought that down to 112 million last year--a huge step forward.
But even this help left one-third of us still living in serious economic hardship. Even worse, it was temporary. With those programs now expiring, and the cost of living continuing to climb, poverty is again on the rise.
What have we learned? That poverty is a political choice. It drops when the government commits to reducing it. And it rises when that commitment vanishes.
So the stakes for America's poor and low-income families are huge this election.
It's not just social spending at stake. Climate disasters are becoming deadlier and costlier. Wars, supply chain issues and corporate price-gouging are sending inflation upward. And the democratic systems we need to fix these problems together are under threat themselves.
We need our lawmakers to show moral leadership and take these crises seriously.
The Republicans favored to take control of the House of Representatives have released a program they call the "Commitment to America". We believe this document shows none of that moral leadership. Instead, it peddles in hollow resentment politicking and offers no alternatives to address real problems.
To the contrary, this agenda seems to threaten the most effective anti-poverty programs we have--like social security and Medicare--with vague allusions to "fixing" and "personalizing" them. Coming from Republicans, terms like these usually mean privatization.
Privatized healthcare helped big pharma and insurance companies make huge profits through the worst public health crisis in a century. And private takeovers of nursing homes increased both costs and deaths among Medicare patients using those facilities. What we need now is more public health care.
And despite professing concern for our health, the Republican manifesto leaves out the fact that every Republican voted against affordable healthcare and reducing prescription drug prices.
Meanwhile, the Republican program promises to increase our already obscene and ever-increasing Pentagon budget.
We've already spent over $21tn over the past 20 years on war, policing, surveillance and border enforcement even as our healthcare, infrastructure and social programs have failed to keep up with need. The so-called "Commitment to America" would divert still more funding from children and families while ignoring that the greatest threat to the homeland is domestic terrorism.
Finally, the "Commitment to America" promises still more tax cuts for corporations and the extremely wealthy. The 2017 Trump tax cuts for the rich are already on track to cost more than $2.2tn over the next decade. If they're extended, they could cost $5.5tn--effectively taking away from programs that support our basic needs.
Rather than its stated purpose, the Republican program is merely a commitment to corporate greed and private profit. These times call for a real "commitment to America" that moves us toward the promise of what we want to be. Toward a nation where the wellbeing of all of our children and families is guaranteed. A society where all workers have dignity and living wages, paid leave, healthcare, and the right to unionize.
In this society, moral policies would lift the crushing burden of debt. They would ensure a robust democracy and our participation in the decisions impacting our daily lives. They would prioritize wellbeing over militarization and mass incarceration.
This November, with one-third of the nation still struggling, we must come together and demand a real commitment to the wellbeing of our hardworking families from all candidates, not the revenge politics being served up by those who are unprepared to lead. We won't be silent any more.
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