March 10, 2003
EDITORIAL:
Without justice & mercy, Lone Star looks banged up
___"What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)
___Like many of you, I grew up in Texas, and I've been proud to be from Texas. That's always made fulfilling the last section of Micah's divine requirement--the "walk humbly" part--rather difficult. If you grew up Texan and Baptist, then you grew up proud. You hailed from the biggest "non-frozen" state and were part of the biggest non-Catholic denomination. In Texas, biggest equals best.
___As a lesson in humility, the Lord sent Joanna and me to other parts of the country for 17 years. We learned to love other regions and cultures and geography. But if you woke me up in the middle of the night and asked me where I was from, I'd blurt out, "Texas!" Not because Texas was big, or because it had the best barbecue, or because it featured the bes
| Unfortunately, good people often unwittingly participate in or enable systems that inflict pain and suffering, even when they never would do so as individuals. |
t high school football. No, I always was proud to be from Texas because of the people. I knew them to be straight shooters, honest, caring, committed. They got the "do justice, love mercy" parts of the divine requirement down pat.
___I still feel that way about Texans as individuals. If you single folks out, as a rule, you'll find them to be gracious, loving, honest, kind, compassionate. The kind of people who make you proud. But the current season in Austin is casting a shadow over us as a group. I'm talking about how our state is getting set to treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us.
___We face a problem of Texanic proportions--a $9.9 billion budget shortfall. Who would want to be a legislator during this session? Like Texas families, we expect Texas lawmakers to live within the budget. Balancing that budget is a daunting task. It's going to call for courage and commitment. But I'm praying legislators also will be compassionate.
___Early previews aren't promising, however. An austerity plan presented by Albert Hawkins, the commissioner of Health and Human Services, proposes budget-balancing measures built on the backs of Texans who can least afford them--poor children, the elderly and the infirm.
___According to Hawkins' own figures, 240,000 children would lose their health insurance. Nearly 70,000 adults would lose their Medicaid coverage. Doctors and hospitals that treat poor people would have their payments cut by 33 percent, and Medicaid recipients could have their prescription medicines cut. Hawkins estimates these cuts would eliminate $3.5 billion from the budget.
___Here are other estimates of the damage: 1,400 children with illnesses ranging from cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy will lose $14.3 million in medical benefits. A half million elderly and disabled Texans will lose prescription drug coverage. About 85,000 frail and elderly citizens will lose home health care. And 41,000 in nursing homes will be removed when supplemental funding is lost.
___God will not forgive us if we force the young, the poor, the old and the weak to balance our state budget for the rest of us.
___Turns out, my longtime confidence in Texas' corporate compassion wasn't so well-founded, either. For example:
___ Only eight states are home to a greater percentage of children living in poverty than Texas.
___ In Texas, 20.5 percent of children--almost 1.2 million youngsters--live in poverty, compared to 16 percent of children nationwide.
___ Across the Lone Star State, 30 percent of children live in poor neighborhoods. That compares to 20 percent of children across the nation.
___ Texas ranks worse than the national average in six of 10 indicators of child well-being, such as child mortality rates, percentage of children living in poverty, teen birth rates. And it does no better than tie the national average in two categories.
___Of course, these are hard times, and Texans need to find a way to live within our means. This is only responsible. Texas families do it. Texas churches and businesses do it. The state should do it as well. But we need to do it fairly and equitably. We don't need to do it the age-old political way--by protecting the already rich and powerful (and most of us who read the Standard are rich and powerful in comparison to the folks who will be hurt by Hawkins' proposals) and forcing the poor and undernourished to tighten their belts.
___As I said, individual Texans are routinely kind and compassionate and even generous. But state fiscal policy is a corporate affair. Unfortunately, good people often unwittingly participate in or enable systems that inflict pain and suffering, even when they never would do so as individuals. We must acknowledge this is sinful.
___You already may be disgusted by this editorial for at least a couple of reasons:
___First, some say this is a political issue, and the Standard should stay out of politics. Those people are half right. Poverty in Texas is a political issue. Politics is the process of channeling the public will and public resources to do public deeds. It's not necessarily wicked, exclusionary or sacrosanct. It's how things get done.
___Politics should seek to serve the best interests of all Texas Baptists. Politics doesn't have to be partisan. In fact, dealing with Texas' challenges, especially how the public will shapes the public good, should be decidedly non-partisan. The Standard should report and comment on these issues, because Texas Baptists should be informed, discuss them and encourage lawmakers to enact a just and merciful budget.
___Second, some say service to the poor is a church issue, and we should not expect the state to deal with these matters. To these people I ask, show me your latest tax returns and your church budgets. Show me where you have contributed enough to make a difference. Show me where your church has budgeted enough to adequately feed, clothe and medicate the poor children, elderly and infirm in your community.
___And even if you and your church are beneficent on that scale--a miracle in itself--consider the bigger picture. Less than half the state attends any church. In churches, less than 20 percent of the members provide 80 percent of the funds. So, do you think 10 percent of the state can provide enough support to take care of the "least of these" in Texas? Should 10 percent of the state be expected to take care of them?
___People of faith in Texas do not have a right to impose their religious beliefs upon others. But we do have an obligation to work to secure the basic needs of all Texans. This demands selflessness, commitment and, yes, courage. It also asks a three-part question: Are we committed to justice, do we love mercy and are we willing to humbly allow God to guide us so that Texas can be a state that makes God proud?
--Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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