Catholic Bishops Budget Letter

The following is the text of a letter sent to all Legislators:

April 20, 2009

Dear Members of the Minnesota State Legislature:
We know that you are facing difficult decisions regarding Minnesota’s budget. Because our faith tradition calls us to care for each other, both individually and as a state, we believe that Minnesota’s budget should uphold the inviolable human dignity, value and worth of every Minnesotan, and reflect a commitment to the common good. In your deliberations, we urge you to ensure that our state has sufficient revenue to meet the needs of Minnesotans, especially those among us who are poor and vulnerable, since they will be most affected by your decisions.

Minnesota’s budget is a moral document that sets the priorities for our state. It reflects not only the values and goals of Minnesota, but determines whether all Minnesotans can meet their basic needs. We are especially called to place the needs of those living in poverty at the center of economic concerns. “Like family life, economic life is one of the chief areas where we live out our faith, love our neighbor, confront temptation, fulfill God’s creative design, and achieve our holiness” (Economic Justice for All: A Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, 6).

Our state is facing many hardships, including:
•    a $4.6 billion deficit in Fiscal Year 2010-11, and an even greater deficit in FY 2012-13;
•    the highest rate of unemployment in twenty-six years – 8.9% – with unemployed Minnesotans outnumbering job openings by 8 to 1;
•    374,000 people – 77,000 of them children – who do not have health insurance;
•    a record number of visits to our state’s 300 food shelves – more than 2 million visits last year;
•    308,000 Minnesotans who use food stamps to supplement their food budgets, which only represents 69 percent of Minnesotans who are eligible for food support; and
•    482,000 of our sisters and brothers living below the poverty line, which is $22,050 for a family of four.

Economic decisions have human consequences. They promote or erode human dignity, help or hurt our sisters and brothers, strengthen or weaken our families and communities, enhance or diminish justice, and build or undermine the common good. As faithful citizens, we must carefully examine Minnesota’s budget. Do the spending and revenue raising provisions of Minnesota’s budget reflect justice? Do they promote the common good?

In your work to resolve the state’s budget deficit, we ask that you:
1.    fully consider the human consequences of spending and revenue raising proposals;
2.    place first, never last, those who are vulnerable, especially those living in poverty; and
3.    build on our interconnectedness – we are all strengthened when those with the greatest needs are strengthened.

The current budget proposals of Governor Pawlenty, the Minnesota House, and the Minnesota Senate include significant cuts to the Health and Human Services budget. Children and seniors, those living in poverty or foster care, those experiencing hunger, unemployment or homelessness, or living with severe disabilities or mental illness are most at risk in budget cuts. If the services for those who are in the greatest need are cut, many will be forced to live without basic necessities.

The current financial crisis has occasioned vigorous debate concerning the adequacy of state revenue and the ability of Minnesotans to pay for services. Given the budget crisis, the use of one-time funds, federal stimulus dollars, and our state’s increasing deficit, we must consider whether it is possible to meet urgent needs without increasing revenue. One way to contribute to the common good is by raising the revenues necessary to meet the needs of individuals, families and local communities throughout our state.

We believe that resolving the budget deficit through spending cuts alone will do great harm to Minnesotans and our economy. We urge you to support raising sufficient revenue as part of a comprehensive approach to resolving Minnesota’s budget shortfall. Catholic social teaching upholds the role of government to assist individuals and communities when they cannot help themselves. In performing this role, the state is fulfilling its moral responsibility to promote the common good.

May God bless and guide you in your work to strengthen the common good during this difficult economic time.

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt  Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner  Diocese of Crookston
Reverend James B. Bissonette  Diocese of Duluth, Diocesan Administrator
Bishop John M. LeVoir  Diocese of New Ulm
Bishop John F. Kinney  Diocese of Saint Cloud
Bishop Bernard J. Harrington  Diocese of Winona
Coadjutor Bishop John M. Quinn  Diocese of Winona
Archbishop Emeritus Harry J. Flynn  Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Bishop Emeritus Victor H. Balke  Diocese of Crookston