Request from an HDS alum re: tax cuts and political action
Nabil Khan
Dear Friends,
The election is just behind us, but our work is just beginning, and it must begin now.
Come January 1st a combination of tax increases for all Americans and spending cuts will go into effect. The tax increases will affect everyone, from the poorest to the richest. The spending cuts total $1 trillion over 10 years, divided equally between military spending and other "discretionary" spending. Though Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are exempt from these cuts, the other spending is hardly discretionary. All aspects of the federal government, some of which help the neediest among us (food stamps and public housing assistance, for example) as well as programs that benefit everyone (food and drug safety, public transportation funding, the national park system, etc.) will have their funding reduced.
Pretty much the only thing that politicians agree about is that this must not happen. But no one agrees on what to do instead. This will make the next 6 weeks one of the most momentous lame duck sessions in memory.
For progressive, compassionate, peace-loving Christians, this represents both one of our best opportunities and our gravest threat. This is our best opportunity in decades to enact meaningful cuts in the defense spending that fuels the military industrial complex. To be clear, these are cuts in the projected growth of defense spending; the actual dollar amount will continue to rise. This also represents one of the largest proposed cuts ever to programs that help the neediest. In affordable housing alone, 275,000 families will lose Section 8 housing vouchers.
Obama and the Democrats have stated time and time again that they want taxes to remain low for most Americans while raising taxes on the very wealthy. However, most of the chatter in Washington prior to the election has talked of Democrats enticing Republicans into going along with this tax plan by using the increased tax revenue to restore military spending cuts. Not a single member of Congress has gone on the record supporting using increased tax revenues to restore current and projected cuts to non-defense discretionary spending.
Next week I will be joining the Friends Committee on National Legislation at the Quaker Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC and lobby congress to preserve Pentagon spending cuts while restoring cuts to other important programs. I currently have a confirmed appointment with Senator Kerry's office and hope to confirm an appointment with Senator Brown's staff shortly. I would like to present them with a stack of letters by concerned seminarians and others to show how many people support this cause who aren't able to make it to DC.
If you are registered to vote in Massachusetts, please consider writing a letter of support to both Senator Brown and Kerry that I can deliver. A letter with your actual signature is best; you can mail it to me at the address below or drop it off in my mailbox (I live close to the Harvard Divinity School campus). If that isn't practical, please e-mail me the letter and I can print it out.
If you aren't registered to vote in Massachusetts go to the FCNL website to find contact information for your Senators, as well as additional background information, and draft a letter to them there: http://fcnl.org/issues/checkbook/action_center/
Thanks, and God bless,
Mark
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Mark Kharas
Master of Theological Studies '12
Somerville, MA 02143
Nabil Khan