He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine, who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over 30 years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth -- by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries..
He blunted the extreme message of the Tea Party by offering an alternative vision of government's obligation to help the neediest, provide everyone with the basic structures of society and the economy and end unconscionable discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans.
Tax dollars, after all, should be used to fund initiatives that take care of the needy or provide services that the private sector can't or isn't willing to provide.
Can a governor place caps on spending, state taxes and local property levies, and also grant tax credits for job creation, protect the neediest and provide low-cost housing?
The three-year program, now in its second year, coordinates care for medically needy children, providing access to pediatric physicians, medical specialists and behavioral health care, while offering family support services.
The texts cite purportedly historical examples to show that the sage-kings ruled fairly and impartially, performed public works projects that benefited everyone, brought peace to society, and ensured that the needy were provided for.
While some churches are supportive of the ACL's efforts, others are less than impressed with the group's focus on what-goes-into-which-hole, as opposed to helping the needy and providing platonic love to neighbours.
The study reveals that gangs sometimes reach out to needy families, providing food, school supplies or other assistance, to improve their reputation and strengthen their role in the community.
This is the church that supports extraordinary aid organizations like Catholic Relief Services and Caritas, saving lives every day, and that operates superb schools that provide needy children an escalator out of poverty.
The work-study program could be reformed to better target truly needy students, to provide more substantive job options or even to give students the option of taking the value of their wage subsidy as a grant instead.
