The Bishops on the Budget

For those of our readers who may be less inclined to listen to what Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) or any politician has to say about the budget, don't forget that the chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Domestic Policy and International Policy Committees wrote a letter to Congress about budget reconciliation back in November. That letter reads, in part:

We urge you to remember that the federal budget is more than a fiscal plan; it reflects our values as a people. Budget choices have clear moral and human dimensions. A just society is one that protects and promotes the fundamental rights of its members -- with special attention to meeting the basic needs, including the need for safe and affordable health care, of the poor and underserved. In these difficult times, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urges you to work for a budget that does not neglect the needs of the "least of these" in our nation and the world.

What the bishops asked for is precisely what Congress did not do. There is one more opportunity for the House of Representatives to set right what they and the Senate have already once done wrong. It is up to us to make sure that they do it.