I believe the most important issue before us right now is health care reform. Every American must have health care coverage. We also need to look at how we handle the last three to six months of life. President Obama is addressing this issue and we must support him each and every day. I don't know what people fear so much in this but it reminds me of the alarm around the ERA that it meant males and females would share a restroom. Some restaurants actually do that now and we survive, but the threat of it destroyed what made such perfect sense.
I also believe that any person of faith, of any faith, knows that we care for everyone. We don't ignore the weak. I was surprised to learn when I read the biography of John Clare, a 19th century English poet, that his town supported an asylum well-enough maintained that he would periodically check in for food and rest. If they felt a moral obligation to take care of the people of their town then, can't we do it now?
Read this and sign if it speaks to you. Jim Wallis of Sojourners speaks of values all life on the planet shares. The Golden Rule is universal. I think we need to sign every petition that comes our way to ensure that our president knows he has our support to get this extremely important legislation through and soon.
Dear Cathy, I am setting aside the formal columns, blogs, and interviews that are typical of my weekly communications and choosing instead to send you a personal and heartfelt letter. As a nation, we are engaged in making decisions about our health care that will impact our families and communities for generations to come. And I must personally share with you that I’ve had enough of the misinformation and, frankly, misleading statements coming from those who oppose the transformation of a health system that currently renders the best health care to the wealthiest, depletes the savings of solidly middle-class Americans, and leaves 46 million people with no health-care coverage at all. We don’t have to fall victim to the naysayers – those seeking to prop up the status quo and sustain the profits of the massive insurance corporations. Business as usual is not what we’re about. It’s not what change is about. It’s certainly not what people of good will from all faiths, who embrace the Golden Rule and seek the common ground of justice and fairness, are about. During the last big national debate on health-care reform in the early 1990s, the religious community mostly stayed out of the discussion. Not this time. A friend of mine recently traveled across several states in the At a recent meeting of leading faith groups in These egregious and false accusations are being created for only one purpose: to manipulate and instill fear in American citizens. This must stop. We are the ones who can stop it. Together, speaking out, acting out, and joining as one on a mission, we can push back the clouds of misinformation and fear-mongering, and allow the light of truth shine through. Today, right now, let’s join together making the health-care debate factual, worthy of our families and communities. Let’s put the special interests on notice that we want real health-care reform, not misinformation and fear-mongering. Sojourners has created a rapid response Web site where you will find what you need to fight for the truth: Sojourners' Health Care Reform Resources. At this Web site I want you to: SIGN Sojourners’ Health-Care Creed and let Congress know you stand for values-based reform. SHARE Sojourners’ Guide to the Health-Care Reform Debate with your church and neighbors. DISTRIBUTE Sojourners’ two-page flyer with health-care reform facts and values at your small group or Bible study. USE the messages and talking points that Sojourners has created in your discussions with others. CALL your Members of Congress today, toll-free, at #1-866-279-5474 and ask them to vote for health-care reform. We must act. We must speak out in our communities, schools, and workplaces. If we all take part, then our voices will join thousands of others across the nation. Other things you can do include writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper supporting health-care reform. I pledge to you that I will do my part by keeping you updated on what’s happening here in Together, imagine the thousands of faithful voices speaking out, in unison – with all joining in. Together, we can bring about the most sweeping change to our health-care system in history. Together, passing health-care reform for our families is what people of good will from all faiths, who embrace the Golden Rule and seek the common ground of justice and fairness, can do. Join me. Together on mission, Jim |