San Francisco Saint Mary’s Cathedral Drenches Homeless With Water

Archbishop Cordileone - a total asshole

In yet another example of the "Christian love" that is now the norm with "conservative Christians" and the Catholic Church hierarchy in particular, news comes out of San Francisco that Saint Mary's Cathedral, seat of homophobic Archbishop Cordileone, has had a water system installed to drench homeless individuals seeking shelter in alcoves for doors to the cathedral.  The water system intermittently soaks the doorway areas to drive the homeless away.  KPIC TV5 has details.  Here are excerpts:

KCBS has learned that Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the principal church of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, has installed a watering system to keep the homeless from sleeping in the cathedral’s doorways.

The cathedral, at Geary and Gough, is the home church of the Archbishop. There are four tall side doors, with sheltered alcoves, that attract homeless people at night.

“They actually have signs in there that say, ‘No Trespassing,’” said a homeless man named Robert.
But there are no signs warning the homeless about what happens in these doorways, at various times, all through the night. Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, about 30 feet above, drenching the alcove and anyone in it.

The shower ran for about 75 seconds, every 30 to 60 minutes while we were there, starting before sunset, simultaneously in all four doorways. KCBS witnessed it soak homeless people, and their belongings.
A neighbor who witnessed the drenching told KCBS, “I was just shocked, one because it’s inhumane to treat people that way. The second thing is that we are in this terrible drought.

A cathedral staff member confirmed to KCBS the system was installed, perhaps a year ago, to deter the homeless from sleeping there.

Then, suggests this church neighbor, turn it off. “I would hope that they would stop doing this, both for environmental reasons and for common decency.”

KCBS has also learned from a review of city permit records that the system was installed illegally, and may violate water use regulations.

Yet again, the "godly folk" show hatred for others and a sense that they are above the laws that apply to others.  Is it any wonder that the ranks of the "Nones"  are soaring.  What moral, decent person wants to be a Christian if this is what Christians do to others. 

The Misplaced Priorities of the "Morality Police"

I have often noted the hypocrisy of the far right and particularly the Christofasicts who constantly trumpet their own supposed piety while spewing hatred towards others.  Likewise, they wrap themselves in feigned religiosity, seek to regulate the sex lives of others and worship fetuses yet oppose government programs that aid poor children, the sick and the homeless.  Indeed, their conduct is the antithesis of the Gospel message.  Robert Reich sums up these misplaced priorities and modern day Pharisee behavior well in a recent column.  Here are some excerpts:

We’re still legislating and regulating private morality, while at the same time ignoring the much larger crisis of public morality in America.   .  .  .  .  The morality brigade worries about fetuses, but not what happens to children after they’re born. They and other conservatives have been cutting funding for child nutrition, healthcare for infants and their mothers, and schools. 

The new House Republican budget gets a big chunk of its savings from programs designed to help poor kids. The budget sequester already in effect takes aim at programs like Head Start, designed to improve the life chances of disadvantaged children. 

Meanwhile, the morality brigade continues to battle same-sex marriage. .  .  .  Conservative moralists don’t want women to have control over their bodies or same-sex couples to marry, but they don’t give a hoot about billionaires taking over our democracy for personal gain or big bankers taking over our economy. 

Yet these violations of public morality are far more dangerous to our society because they undermine the public trust that’s essential to both our democracy and economy.

[N]o major Wall Street executives have been held accountable for the wild betting that led to the near meltdown in 2008. Attorney General Eric Holder says the big banks are too big to prosecute.

Why doesn’t the morality brigade complain about the rampant greed on the Street that’s already brought the economy to its knees, wiping out the savings of millions of Americans and subjecting countless others to joblessness and insecurity — and seems set on doing it again?

What people do in their bedrooms shouldn’t be the public’s business. Women should have rights over their own bodies. Same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. 

But what powerful people do in their boardrooms is the public’s business. Our democracy needs to be protected from the depredations of big money. Our economy needs to be guarded against the excesses of too-big-to-fail banks.

New Study Confirms 4 In 10 Homeless Youth Are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender

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This blog has looked at the plight of homeless LGBT youth and a new study confirms that 40% of homeless youth are LGBT.  The main cause of homelessness? Rejection by their families due to their sexual orientation.  Yes, yet again we see the evil consequences of ignorant, religious based bigotry.  As a parent myself, I can only feel that these parents who reject their own children deserve a special place in Hell.  They most assuredly demonstrate their hypocrisy when they place allegiance to myths and Bronze Age writings over their own flesh and blood.  The New Civil Rights Movement reports on this new study.  Here are article highlights:

A new study confirms that approximately four in ten homeless youth and teens are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, and more than 40% of those ran away from home or were kicked out of their family’s home because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While these numbers don’t sound new, the massive study, taken from the results of surveys of 354 youth agencies, confirms tragic previous findings.

“Overall, respondents indicated that nearly seven in ten (68%) of their LGBT homeless clients have experienced family rejection and more than half of clients (54%) had experienced abuse in their family,” the study, conducted from October 2011 through March 2012, notes, adding that “family rejection on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity was the most frequently cited factor contributing to LGBT homelessness.”

The study also found many barriers to proper assistance for these homeless youth who have been so often treated as disposable trash by their families.  The chart below sets out these barriers.  The article also notes another barrier to assistance:

It would be negligent to omit, given today’s political climate, what a Mitt Romney presidency would do to these already-challenged front-lines of defense.

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It goes without saying that here in Virginia, the anti-gay bigotry of the Republican Party of Virginia and its puppet masters at The Family Foundation bodes ill for any state funding.   With these nasty folks, hate, bigotry and prejudice - and, of course rank hypocrisy - are "family values".

Catholic Church Ends Homeless Shelter Funding Because Director Supports Marriage Equalityand Planned Parenthood

Proving yet again that the Catholic Church hierarchy cares more about continuing its anti gay jihad than following the Gospel message of feeding the poor and caring for the homeless, the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento announced that it was ending its funding for Francis House, a nonprofit agency that serves homeless people, because the new director supports gay marriage. And the homeless people who will suffer from the funding cut? Apparently they aren't of any consequence to the modern day Pharisees who inhabit bishopric across the world and certainly the one in Sacramento inhabited by Bishop Soto (pictured at left - and looking very well fed, of course). Not that such an attitude should be surprising coming from a group of foul, hypocrites who have proven time and time again that other than keeping this hushed up, they cared nothing about the sexual abuse of children and youths. Cooks and Liars looks at this travesty. Here are some highlights:

What a crock. And what a cynical misuse of their church non-profit status, trying to push out this director on the basic of her religious and political beliefs -- all the while screaming about "religious freedom" for whatever universal restriction they want to push that week. When will American Catholics finally get fed up enough to break off with Rome?

The Catholic Diocese of Sacramento no longer will fund programs at Francis House, a nonprofit agency that serves homeless people, because of its new director's views supporting abortion rights and gay marriage.

In a letter last month, the diocese's director of social services said the Rev. Faith Whitmore's public statements on the issues clash with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Therefore, said the Rev. Michael Kiernan, the social services director, it is "impossible for the diocese to continue funding Francis House" as part of its annual Catholic Appeal.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Really? What part of that clashes with what Francis House does?

Each morning, dozens of poor people line up at Francis House, in Sacramento's homeless services epicenter on C and 14th streets, for help with basic services such as housing and transportation. Now in its 42nd year, the organization is one of the largest homeless services agencies in the Sacramento region, serving upward of 25,000 people. It has an annual budget of about $500,000.

For at least two decades, Francis House has received annual donations from the diocese ranging from $7,500 to $10,000, said Michael Miller, a member of the agency's corporate advisory board.

The good news is that, as the Sacramento Bee is reporting, donors have stepped up to replace the funds from the diocese which are likely going to fund anti-gay and anti-women activities of the Church. To make a donation, go here. Here are some details from the Sacramento Bee:

The first of hundreds of online donations to Francis House came in early Thursday, just after midnight, as news broke that the Catholic Church was cutting off funding to the homeless services agency because of its new director's support of Planned Parenthood and gay marriage.

By Friday morning, people from Sacramento and across the country had contributed roughly $8,000 to the nonprofit group, and the checks and telephone calls continued throughout the day.

In addition to donations from $20 to $1,500, the group has received offers of volunteer help and pledges of support from ordinary people and power brokers, including state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Sen. Roger Dickinson, both Democrats.

The cash and pledges will fill the gap created in January, when the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento decided to discontinue funding Francis House as part of its annual appeal, Miiller said.

As news spread about the diocese's decision to stop funding Francis House, its website lit up with donations. Supporters began arriving at the C Street agency when it opened a few hours later, and phoned and streamed in throughout the day.

Some expressed their unhappiness with the diocese's decision, Miiller said. Others "just wanted to make sure that we were able to backfill the lost donations" from the church.

"We really don't want to engage in politics," Miiller said. "We just say, 'Thank you so much for helping us help the poor.' Our hope is that the support continues. The need is great."

Candidly, I would feel literally dirty if I were still a Catholic. The institutional Church is rapidly turning into something horrible. OK - make that something even more horrible. The sex abuse cover ups have gone on for decades if not centuries.

Will Republicans Continue to Try to Destroy the Economy?

With elections here in Virginia tomorrow being influenced by economic matters driven at the national level, it drives me to distraction that those who complain that the Democrats haven't gotten anything done are totally blind to the fact that the real blame lies with Congressional Republicans who would rather have the country go into a full depression rather than do anything that might be perceived as allowing Barack Obama to have a successful measure. Unfortunately, things will probably get force as the Congressional Republicans continue to throw millions of Americans under the bus in their quest for partisan victory. Even more disgusting is that their Christianist supporters are perfectly fine with ignoring the Gospel dictates to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and to care for the poor. The New York Times looks at this travesty in an editorial. Here are highlights:

High unemployment and low job growth, which have plagued the economy all through the current “recovery,” hurt both consumer spending and economic growth. But don’t count on government to do the obvious and urgent thing — intervene to create jobs.

Tragically, the more entrenched the jobs shortage becomes, the more paralyzed Congress becomes, with Republicans committed to doing nothing in the hopes that the faltering economy will cost President Obama his job in 2012. Last week, for instance, Senate Republicans filibustered a $60 billion proposal by Mr. Obama to create jobs by repairing and upgrading the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. They were outraged that the bill would have been paid for by a 0.7 percent surtax on people making more than $1 million.

Things may be about to get worse.
Federal unemployment benefits, which generally kick in after 26 weeks of state-provided benefits, are scheduled to expire at the end of the year. That would be a disaster for many of the estimated 3.5 million Americans who get by on extended benefits — an average of $295 a week. It would also be a blow to the economy. . . . Unfortunately, given Republicans’ demonstrated willingness to ignore human needs and economic logic, it is more likely than not that jobless benefits will be a major battle in the months ahead.

There are no plausible arguments against an extension — in fact, Congress has never let federal benefits expire when the unemployment rate was higher than 7.2 percent. But there are many specious arguments, chief among them that providing benefits reduces the incentive to get a new job. The evidence says otherwise.

Unemployment benefits are the first line of defense against ruin from job loss that is beyond an individual’s control. . . . . They clearly need to be extended, though we have no illusion that it will happen without a fight.

The Un-Christian Conduct of "Family Values" Republicans and Their Falsely Pious Supporters

I have noted before the glaring disconnect between the actions of conservative Christians and their whore like representatives in Congress who wear their religion on their sleeve and then go about pushing legislation that is diametrically opposed to the Gospel message of love of neighbor and charitable works. Rather than care for the poor, the sick and homeless, these self-congratulatory "Christians" and their minions in Congress who disingenuously gush about family values focus solely on hoarding wealth for themselves and seek to disband and/or defund programs that do precisely what the Gospels says followers of Christ should do in terms of caring for the less fortunate. Jim Wallis has a post on Huffington Post that looks at the toxic nature of the falsely pious and examines the manner in which they have turned the Gospel message totally upside down in the course of the political agenda. Here are highlights:
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House Republicans announced a plan yesterday to cut $43 billion in domestic spending and international aid, while increasing spending for military and defense by another $8 billion. This proposal comes just months after billions of dollars were added to the deficit with an extension of tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. House Republicans . . . . targeted things like education, the environment, food safety, law enforcement, infrastructure, and transportation -- programs that benefit or protect most Americans. They also proposed cutting funding for programs that benefit the most vulnerable members of our society, such as nutrition programs for our poorest women and children.
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Under the proposed budget cuts, deficit reduction will not come from the super-rich; it will come from the rest of us. And the poorer you are, the more vulnerable you become, and the more you will pay for the burdens of deficit reduction.
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It used to be very popular for Christians to ask, "What Would Jesus Do?" They even wore bracelets with the initials "WWJD." . . . . the moral test of any society is how it treats its poorest and most vulnerable citizens. And that is exactly what the Bible says, over and over again.
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I believe that vaccines that save children's lives; bed nets that protect them from malaria; and food that keeps their families from starving are more important to Jesus than tax cuts for the rich; bigger subsidies for corporations; and more weapons in a world already filled with conflict.
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Taking the cutting knife to programs that benefit low-income people, while refusing to scrutinize the much larger blank checks we keep giving to defense contractors and corporate executives, is hypocritical and cruel. I'll go even further and say that such a twisted moral calculus for the nation's fiscal policy is simply not fair, and not right. It is not only bad economics, but also bad religion.
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Wallis is correct - the GOP/Christianist version of religion IS bad religion. Indeed, it is a moral blight on society and is driven by greed and heartlessness, not true Christian values. Yet our main stream news media lacks the balls to call these folks out for their hypocrisy.

America's Race Towards A Banana Republic Social Divide

America is hurtling towards a income level divide that is both disturbing and a threat to the economy as more and more members of the middle class find their standard of living eroded if not in sharp decline. Except for the very wealthy, most incomes are stagnant or falling. Worse yet, the social safety net is being dismantled by Republicans and the GOP's conservative Christian allies who seem to have utterly forgotten the Gospel message of tending the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and providing shelter for the homeless. Instead, these elements of the right focus on how they can hoard more for themselves and damn everyone else to misery. Combined with this trend is a growing mindset among this element that unless someone looks just like them and believes just as they do, then people are somehow not even human. It's a frightening and disgusting phenomenon which shows the shallow hollowness of the supposed "Christian faith" of these self-congratulatory and self-centered hypocrites. Bob Herbert has a piece in the New York Times that addresses this situation. Here are highlights:
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The Ronald Reagan crowd loved to talk about morning in America. For millions of individuals and families, perhaps the majority, it’s more like twilight — with nighttime coming on fast. Look out the window. More and more Americans are being left behind in an economy that is being divided ever more starkly between the haves and the have-nots.
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[M]ore and more of the so-called fringe benefits and public services that help make life livable, or even bearable, in a modern society are being put to the torch. Employer-based pensions, paid vacations, health benefits and the like are going the way of phone booths and VCRs. As poverty increases and reliable employment becomes less and less the norm, the dwindling number of workers with any sort of job security or guaranteed pensions (think teachers and other modestly compensated public employees) are being viewed with increasing contempt.
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We have not faced up to the scale of the economic crisis that still confronts the United States. Standards of living for the people on the wrong side of the economic divide are being ratcheted lower and will remain that way for many years to come. Forget the fairy tales being spun by politicians in both parties — that somehow they can impose service cuts that are drastic enough to bring federal and local budgets into balance while at the same time developing economic growth strong enough to support a robust middle class.
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The U.S. cannot cut its way out of this crisis. Instead of trying to figure out how to keep 4-year-olds out of pre-kindergarten classes, or how to withhold life-saving treatments from Medicaid recipients, or how to cheat the elderly out of their Social Security, the nation’s leaders should be trying seriously to figure out what to do about the future of the American work force.
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The United States can’t thrive with so many of its citizens condemned to shrunken standards of living because they can’t find adequate employment. Long-term joblessness is a recipe for societal destabilization. It should not be tolerated in a country with as much wealth as the United States. It’s destructive, and it’s wrong.

The False Gospel of the GOP

For a political party that claims to be the champion of family values and intense supporter of Christianity - and therefore, one would assume of the Gospel message - the Republican Party has a strange and perverted version of the Gospel. Christ spoke of assisting the sick, the poor, the hungry, the homeless, and the less fortunate, yet these are the very people that Republicans hold in active contempt. Indeed, given their option, the Republicans would do away with all social programs that support those whom the Gospel directs be taken care of. And instead, the GOP aligns itself with those who are either immensely wealthy or who act as the Pharisees so roundly condemned by Christ. The disingenuousness and hypocrisy is absolutely shocking, yet too often the media fails to call out the falsely pious and make them explain their utterly perverted approach to the religion they claim to worship. A column in the Washington Post asks the question: In a time of economic turmoil and record poverty levels, are tax cuts for the wealthy moral? Obviously, the answer in my view is no, it's not moral. But it is fully in keeping with a religious tradition now largely known for its contempt - if not open hatred - of others rather than its love and acts of compassion. Here are some column highlights:
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Some politicians argue that religious values should be reflected in the public square. Should this faith-based view of politics be applied to the economy? Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
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Are tax cuts for the rich immoral? Not always. Certainly, when the government enjoys a big surplus, having captured more of taxpayers' dollars than it needs to pay its bills, an across-the-board tax cut to all Americans is one of the best, and most morally justifiable, public policy options.
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When the country's facing a big deficit, however, as we are today, it's a different story. That's when difficult choices have to be made. And that's when one's faith, it seems to me, must come into play.
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For Christians, especially, the message is clear. Read the New Testament. Jesus paid special attention to the poor and expected his followers to do the same - even to the point of shedding all their worldly possessions to help the poor. That same theme of helping the less fortunate permeates both the Old Testament and the Quran.
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In light of that clear moral imperative, those who would burden our grandchildren with paying for tax cuts for today's millionaires - or demand tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans as a price for helping the poor and unemployed - either ignore the teachings of their faith or are deliberately throwing faith and morality out the window.

Is America On the Edge of a Financial and Political Cliff?

There was a time when political parties of all stripes seemed to have concern for the overall well being of the country and some minimum shred of compassion for more unfortunate citizens. Sadly, that description seems no longer to apply to the Republican Party that seems concerned with the interests of two groups: (1) the extremely wealthy who want to pay less in taxes no matter the impact on the nation as a whole and (2) social conservatives who would be happy to see the nation revert back to a 17th century or earlier time frame when no social safety net existed. As for the nation's infrastructure or the health - indeed, the very lives - of the poor and down trodden, the mantra seems to be "who gives a damn, its all about me." As I have noted before many times, those who seem to care the least about the unfortunate (other than the extremely wealthy who have a Marie Antoinette mind set) are conservative Christians who display no compassion towards their fellow citizens. Indeed, hatred and open contempt are the main characteristics of how the "other" is viewed by these truly un-godly folk. Paul Krugman has a column in the New York Times that looks at the possible blood bath that may approach as the GOP controlled House of Representatives seeks to weak havoc on the nation. Here are highlights:
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[O]ur nation is in much worse shape, much closer to a political breakdown, than most people realize. . . . Some explanation: There’s a legal limit to federal debt, which must be raised periodically if the government keeps running deficits; the limit will be reached again this spring. And since nobody, not even the hawkiest of deficit hawks, thinks the budget can be balanced immediately, the debt limit must be raised to avoid a government shutdown. But Republicans will probably try to blackmail the president into policy concessions by, in effect, holding the government hostage; they’ve done it before.
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Now, you might think that the prospect of this kind of standoff, which might deny many Americans essential services, wreak havoc in financial markets and undermine America’s role in the world, would worry all men of good will.
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[T]he G.O.P. isn’t interested in helping the economy as long as a Democrat is in the White House. Indeed, far from being willing to help Mr. Bernanke’s efforts, Republicans are trying to bully the Fed itself into giving up completely on trying to reduce unemployment. But, no . . .
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[O]n matters fiscal, the G.O.P. program is to do almost exactly the opposite of what Mr. Bernanke called for. On one side, Republicans oppose just about everything that might reduce structural deficits: they demand that the Bush tax cuts be made permanent while demagoguing efforts to limit the rise in Medicare costs, which are essential to any attempts to get the budget under control. On the other, the G.O.P. opposes anything that might help sustain demand in a depressed economy — even aid to small businesses, which the party claims to love.
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Right now, in particular, Republicans are blocking an extension of unemployment benefits — an action that will both cause immense hardship and drain purchasing power from an already sputtering economy. But there’s no point appealing to the better angels of their nature; America just doesn’t work that way anymore.
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My sense is that most Americans still don’t understand this reality. They still imagine that when push comes to shove, our politicians will come together to do what’s necessary. But that was another country. It’s hard to see how this situation is resolved without a major crisis of some kind.

Jobs Outlook Bleak - Long Term Unemployment Soaring

UPDATED: What I find most telling about the intellectual and moral bankruptcy of the GOP is that faced with this economic calamity, members of the GOP at both the state and federal levels are blathering against same sex marriage yet doing nothing to address the employment melt down.

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As the GOP continues its program of obstructing almost everything in Congress, the economy continues to teeter and a new form of long term unemployment is growing. Obviously, more of the same old thing is not going to turn the state of affairs around - not that Republicans like Bob McDonnell seem able to grasp this fact. While this region of Virginia is somewhat cushioned from the worse joblessness due to the huge number of military, defense contractor and civil service personnel, the number of available jobs is dwindling and those previously in the construction trades are being especially hard hit as new construction of all kinds plummets. In my view, something akin to the Civilian Conservation Corps program of the 1930's is needed to both provide jobs and address the nation's crumbling infrastructure. There's been a lot of talk to date but no real action. Obviously, the gay bashing and demonization of minorities by the GOP base are not going to fix the problem. Here are highlights from the New York Times on the growing unemployment disaster:
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Even as the American economy shows tentative signs of a rebound, the human toll of the recession continues to mount, with millions of Americans remaining out of work, out of savings and nearing the end of their unemployment benefits. Economists fear that the nascent recovery will leave more people behind than in past recessions, failing to create jobs in sufficient numbers to absorb the record-setting ranks of the long-term unemployed.
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Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives — potentially for years to come. Yet the social safety net is already showing severe strains.
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6.3 million Americans who have been unemployed for six months or longer, the largest number since the government began keeping track in 1948. That is more than double the toll in the next-worst period, in the early 1980s.
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An unusual constellation of forces — some embedded in the modern-day economy, others unique to this wrenching recession — might make it especially difficult for those out of work to find their way back to their middle-class lives. Labor experts say the economy needs 100,000 new jobs a month just to absorb entrants to the labor force. With more than 15 million people officially jobless, even a vigorous recovery is likely to leave an enormous number out of work for years.
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Large companies are increasingly owned by institutional investors who crave swift profits, a feat often achieved by cutting payroll. The declining influence of unions has made it easier for employers to shift work to part-time and temporary employees. Factory work and even white-collar jobs have moved in recent years to low-cost countries in Asia and Latin America. Automation has helped manufacturing cut 5.6 million jobs since 2000 — the sort of jobs that once provided lower-skilled workers with middle-class paychecks.
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Traditionally, three sectors have led the way out of recession: automobiles, home building and banking. But auto companies have been shrinking because strapped households have less buying power. Home building is limited by fears about a glut of foreclosed properties. Banking is expanding, but this seems largely a function of government support that is being withdrawn.
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At the same time, the continued bite of the financial crisis has crimped the flow of money to small businesses and new ventures, which tend to be major sources of new jobs. All of which helps explain why Ms. Eisen — who has never before struggled to find work — feels a familiar pain each time she scans job listings on her computer: There are positions in health care, most requiring experience she lacks. Office jobs demand familiarity with software she has never used. Jobs at fast food restaurants are mostly secured by young people and immigrants.
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Reforms in the mid-1990s imposed time limits on cash assistance for poor single mothers, a change predicated on the assumption that women would trade welfare checks for paychecks. Yet as jobs have become harder to get, so has welfare: as of 2006, 44 states cut off anyone with a household income totaling 75 percent of the poverty level — then limited to $1,383 a month for a family of three — according to an analysis by Ms. Albelda.
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The article goes on to track some individual stories and it becomes very clear that the USA gives little or no value to its citizens while obscene bonuses are dolled out on Wall Street - fueled by government bail outs. Something is seriously wrong with this nation.

Bob McDonnell's Vicious Budget Priorities

Some say that Bob McDonnell is a rising star of the GOP. If so, people need to take a close look at his proposed budget cuts which demonstrate a low priority towards everyday citizens, particularly the poor and those at the bottom of the economic food chain. The budget cuts are very much in keeping with the mindset of The Family Foundation and other far right elements in the Republican Party of Virginia that all too often seem to believe that one is down trodden, it is because one deserves such misfortune. Indeed, these self-congratulatory Christianists seem to take a decidedly un-Christian view of others be they black, gay, Hispanic, or non-Christian. It may be a very long four years under McDonnell's administration. The Virginian Pilot has details of McDonnell's proposed cuts and the reaction from those who work with society's down trodden elements. There seems to be little compassionate conservatism. Moreover, while McDonnell claims to want to create jobs and attract business, he utterly ignores what social atmosphere attracts the "creative class." Here are highlights:

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After reviewing his [McDonnell's] proposal to pare $2.2 billion from the budget, some human-service advocates question the governor's intentions. McDonnell's suggestions show "an absolute disregard in investments for our future, while... his spending demonstrates an appetite for more corporate takeover in Richmond," said Doug Smith, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.
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Smith takes exception to cuts McDonnell recommended for school meals, homeless people, juvenile crime prevention, and a state insurance program for low-income children and pregnant women. By proposing those cuts while asking the legislature to approve tens of millions in funding to attract business to Virginia with incentives and tax credits, "Bob McDonnell is choosing business over people in this budget," Smith argued.
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Trish O'Brien, executive director of a human services organization called CHIP/Healthy Families in Chesapeake, said that if legislators approve the proposed cuts, she will lose half of her staff members, who check on 3,000 children in at-risk families throughout Chesapeake.
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Some programs that would be slashed or eliminated would save relatively little money. For example, a teen pregnancy prevention program in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and five other areas would be ended to save $900,000.
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State Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax County, said McDonnell's proposed reductions slice "the heart and soul" out of state government. Particularly upsetting to state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, is the possible cut to a school meals program. "To even put school lunches on the table has got to be the most insensitive thought of the session, because that school lunch is the only decent meal some of these kids are going to get in a day's time," Lucas said.
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The cuts to social services, mental health services and health insurance programs would fray the safety net of a growing number of Hampton Roads residents, according to Betty Wade Coyle, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads. "It's scaling back direct services to children and to the most vulnerable citizens in the community."
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Maureen Hollowell, who advocates for disabled people through the Norfolk-based Endependence Center, said 6,000 disabled and elderly people who receive services through a "consumer directed" program that allows them to hire their own personal care assistants would lose their funding under the governor's proposals.
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Many of us tried to warn that Bob McDonnell is no moderate, but few would listen. I hope voters take a good look at the GOP's priorities when it comes to viewing citizens as basically disposable goods. WWJD??

Lutheran Human Warmth and Care Fund

As I have mentioned before, I sublet a portion of my office space to the ELCA Lutheran Bishop of Virginia for the bishop's eastern office. The office staff includes the director of the The Lutheran Council of Tidewater (The LCT) which operates the Human Warmth and Care Fund in Southeastern Virginia. All contributions to the Human Warmth and Care Fund go directly toward helping those in need pay utility bills; there is NO administrative fee.

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This year, with the depressed economy, there is increased demand for assistance and less money available to make the small family by family donations that can keep heat/power from being cut off during these coldest months. I can personally attest that unpaid volunteers man the phones and deal with utility companies to prevent power/heat from being turned off at the homes of the less fortunate. Volunteers also act as a clearing house for directing the needy to other potential resources.

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Call LCT for particulars - the office number is 757-623-0155. Or go to the LCT website and donate online or learn about other volunteer opportunities.

LGBT Teen Homelessness is an Epidemic

I have touched on this topic before and to me it is so very, very sad that LGBT teens continue to find themselves homeless often because their allegedly pious, religious parents, be they Christian or some other faith, toss their own children away as if they are garbage simply because God created them differently that the majority. This topic is dear to the heart of my blogger friend Justin from the west coast and just the other night we talked about how wonderful it would be if we had the means to set up a home for homeless gay teens. As a parent, it is beyond my comprehension how a parent can discard their child, particularly in the name of a supposedly loving God. It is these parent, not their LGBT children, who are the ones God will punish. Here are highlights from a 365gay.com article that details the problem:

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As National Coming Out Day approaches, I find myself wondering if the LGBT community is failing too many of the teens who come out. When a teen comes out, and their parents are able to accept them, it is a wonderful thing. However, recent studies have shown that as many as 25 percent of teens face rejection by their parents and families when they come out. Our nation’s homeless youth population is swollen with LGBT youth who have been thrown to the streets as a punishment for their honesty and integrity in coming out.

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In last year’s report “An Epidemic of Homelessness,” the Task Force cited studies showing that up to 40 percent of all the homeless youth in the United States are LGBT. It is upsetting and disturbing to hear the stories kids tell us when they seek help from the Ali Forney Center. We hear of kids being battered and beaten by their parents and family members. We hear of kids being told that they are damned and unloved by God by their religious leaders.

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A common theme I hear in the stories our kids tell us is how, in the eyes of their families and communities, their being LGBT cancels out their human value. They become no longer worthy of love and protection in the eyes of their parents. This is where the broader LGBT community must come to the table. We need to show our kids that they are loved and cherished for who they are. We have an obligation to our youth to create and support structures that protect queer youth when their parents refuse to do so.

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In every city we need to be advocating that youth shelters be safe for LGBT youth, and that distinct programs be created and funded to meet the needs of LGBT youth. Paying closer attention to the needs of our kids needs to be a higher priority for us as a community on local and national levels.

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There are only a small handful of programs in our country dedicated to housing LGBT youth - there are tens of thousands of LGBT youth enduring the terrors and humiliations of homelessness on our streets. The protection and safety of our youth must become a central priority of our community. We need to show these kids, and ourselves, that they are valued. When a kid is thrown to the streets for being gay, it is an assault against each one of us.