I've decided to join Former Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio), the head of the Alliance to End Hunger; Rev. David Beckmann, the president of Bread for the World; Jim Wallis, the president of Sojourners; Ritu Sharma of Women Thrive and Ruth Messinger of American Jewish World Service and at least 4,000 other people including Mark Bittman of the New York Times to protest proposed GOP Budget Cuts to domestic and international food programs
The open-ended fast started on Monday and I joined them today and will end my fast on Friday. I've never fasted before but I'm healthy and will drink water and juice if I need them. I already miss my morning coffee but surprisingly am wide awake and I thought I couldn't function without it. I'm not a religious person but in joining with these groups I am supporting what I believe to be the best function of the religious community; and that is to care for those who are the most vulnerable.
H.R. I, the bill we are protesting passed the house in February, failed in the Senate and is in negotiations now. The republican majority in the house wants the democrats to accept it's $61 billion dollars in total cuts to 2011 spending.
Among cuts to poverty programs, the bill would cut $800 million to two international aid programs, the Food for Peace PL 480 program and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program. The second program encourages poor families to send children to school where they receive a free meal.
The bill also cuts the Millennium Challenge Corporation and Feed the Future both of which train poor farmers to grow food more effectively.
Domestically, the House bill will cut the Women Infants and Children (WIC) food program by 10 percent.
House cuts would result in food being denied to up to 18 million more people.
These supposedly deficit-reducing cuts —which barely make a dent — will literally cause more people to starve to death, go to bed hungry or live more miserably than are doing so now. And: The bill would increase defense spending.
This is part of making the poor and disadvantaged pay for the mistakes made by those at the top while the richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined. and General Electric paid 0 US tax dollars on profits of more than 14 billion!
I'm just trying to draw attention to the inequities in HR I and you can too by calling or e-mailing your representatives and asking that they not support this over-reach by republicans which places our most vulnerable in an even greater precarious position.
You may contact your member of congress here.