Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America

Faith, Hope and Charity- Gone Fishin'

CCUSA welcomes David Siler from Catholic Charities and Family Ministries in Indianapolis as our guest blogger.

The ancient Chinese proverb says “give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”  I think we just say “ancient Chinese proverb” when we have a pretty neat saying and we don’t know where it came from. Regardless, I like this saying, but for Catholics I believe that it needs further exploration.

In our Catholic Charities programs and services we recognize both elements of this proverb: if someone has no fish and they are hungry, we must feed them; and if they do not know how to fish, we must teach them how. When a person’s belly is empty, it is no time to stop and ask why they are hungry. We must first meet this immediate need and then begin to learn what is needed for them to stay well fed and nourished.

God’s justice about our world would also have us ask a whole bunch of additional questions after our guest is well fed for today and days to come. We also need to ask, “Can our friend afford a fishing pole? Does she have adequate transportation to get to the stream to fish in the first place? If he learns to fish but becomes sick or disabled, who will catch his fish for him so that he can still eat? Is anyone polluting the river upstream from our hungry friend? Has someone put a net across the river and taken all of the fish? What if she has a learning disability and cannot learn to fish? Is anyone trying to keep him from getting to the stream to fish? What if she cannot catch enough fish for her entire family? What if there are no fish in this part of the stream?

These are just some of the questions that make our seemingly simple proverb a bit more complex. The answer to just one aspect of poverty, hunger, is not as simple as a fishing lesson. 

I often hear people, after climbing up on their very tall horse, say all kinds of judgmental things about our brother or sister in need -- the most common by far is, “if they would just pick themselves up by their bootstraps and stop being so lazy, they would not be poor”. I suppose that this sage advice might apply to some, but this judgment does not seem to come from a place of compassion and love – the kind that Christ demonstrated so well.

Another ancient proverb might help here – “never judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes”.  I have never had to walk in my bare feet because I could not afford shoes or had to walk in an old worn out pair, so I cannot say I have experienced first hand poverty. But, our Catholic Charities staff and I walk alongside people every day with ill-fitting shoes or no boots at all let alone the straps to go with them and have learned that no two stories are alike and judgment does not buy a new pair of shoes.

Catholic Charities USA Applauds House Passage of Modified Children’s Health Bill

Alexandria, VA—“Catholic Charities USA applauds Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle who came together to craft compromise legislation to reauthorize SCHIP,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. The legislation—which modifies a bill vetoed by the President earlier this month—would still provide quality and affordable health care to nearly 10 million of the neediest children in our nation. 

Renewing this vital program will provide health access to four million more uninsured children.  It also ensures that the 6 million children who are currently depending on SCHIP for medications and necessary medical procedures will continue being covered. 

“The successful vote for the bipartisan compromise is not only a stand for low-income children, it is a stand for the future strength of our community, our country, and the common good.  The House vote today shows the leadership necessary to protect vulnerable, low-income children in our country, said Father Snyder.

The new bill will still provide $35 billion over five years to keep children already receiving health care coverage, and provide insurance to nearly four million more children whose health is at risk due to lack of proper health coverage. Additionally, the bill addresses some concerns over the previous legislation by clarifying who is eligible for health care and focusing on low-income children. The bill outlines a future maximum eligibility at 300 percent of the federal poverty level, while still preserving existing eligibility levels for any states that have been previously approved to expand its program. 

“Catholic Charities USA urges the Senate and our President to support our nation’s children and approve this bill,” said Father Snyder. 

Improving public policies that promote the health of children in the United States is a key component of Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America, which aims to cut poverty in half by 2020.

US House Fails to override President Bush's Veto

Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, issued the following statement today following the failure of the U.S. House of Representatives to override President Bush’s veto of a compromise bill to strengthen and improve the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a highly successful program that provides health insurance coverage to poor children. The vote was 273-156, 13 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

“It is disappointing that there were not enough House members willing to stand up for children and vote to override this ill-conceived veto of a bill that would have helped so many children without health insurance.

“Because of President Bush’s veto and the 156 House members who voted to uphold it, thousands of poor children living in every state will not receive health insurance coverage that they would have received under this legislation.  Their actions put the health of many of our nation’s children at risk.

“The veto may have blocked this bill, but it cannot stop our commitment to the most vulnerable in our society. Catholic Charities USA calls on Congress and the White House to work together to find agreement on a bill that provides this critically needed health coverage to more poor children.”

October 17th is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural.
It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Nelson Mandela

Have you taken action today to help reduce Poverty?

It's easy to get involved. Today you can:

• Read Poverty in America, a threat to the common good and reflect on what you can do
• Endorse the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America
• Take Action and help children get the health insurance they need
• Talk to your family, coworkers, community groups about poverty in your community and what you can to

 

Children need your help!

Despite strong support from the U.S. Congress and the American people, President Bush vetoed the SCHIP bill earlier this month. The bill, which passed both the House and the Senate on a bi-partisan basis, would have provided an additional $35 billion over five years to keep children already receiving health care coverage, and to provide insurance to nearly four million more children whose health is at risk due to lack of proper health coverage. The President vetoed the bill not because the funding passed by Congress exceeded the $5 billion over five years that his Administration had requested, but because of ideological differences about how to expand health coverage to poor Americans. The President has, however, recently expressed a willingness to compromise with Congress on renewing SCHIP; thanks to those of you who expressed your disappointment with the White House on this issue. Contacting your Representative will go a long way to shoring up support for this important legislation.  Click here for more information on our positions on SCHIP.

Improving public policies that promote the health of our nation's children is a key issue area of Catholic Charities USA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America.  This month, be take part in the Campaign by calling on our nation's leaders to protect children's health!  Take Action Today

Conference Call- Share your ideas!

Did you reply to the last action alerts? Are you engaging your colleagues in the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America? What about other members of your community?
Did you get funding for Campaign events?  Do you have a great idea about how to get more people involved?

If you answered yes to any of these questions or you have others of your own, join us on a conference call to discuss the Campaign

Thursday, October 11th at 2pm Eastern 

Click here to request the Call in information.

Help Make Poverty a Priority in the '08 Elections

As candidates campaign for elected office at the local, state, and national levels, question the candidates and ask them how they will address the important issue of poverty in our nation. CCUSA has provided instructions, sample questions,and the platform of the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America to help you raise this issue in candidate forums around the country at the local, state, and national levels.

Download elections_08.pdf