‘Morally Reprehensible’: Liberal Pastor Jim Wallis Joins Other Faith Leaders in Blasting GOP Tax Plan
- Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:40pm by
Billy Hallowell
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Progressive pastor Jim Wallis (AP)
This week, leftist pastor Jim Wallis and his coalition of-left-of-center faith leaders reacted strongly to the Republican budget plan.
The bill, which would cut the Earned Income Tax credit, a program that offers $1,000 in financial support per child to poor working families, is enraging liberals. Why, you ask? Well, if enacted, it would also keep Bush-era tax rates at their current levels — even for America’s wealthy.
On the surface, this seems benign. However, in tough economic times and with many individuals and families suffering, refusing to raise taxes on individuals who make $200,000 and families who bring in $250,000, while cutting programs for the poor, frustrates Wallis and his compatriots.
Religion News Service has more about the letter that 60 faith leaders, including Wallis, sent to Congressional leaders this week:
In a letter delivered to Capitol Hill on Wednesday (Aug. 1), 60 faith leaders urged Congress “to put families and workers before ideological agendas that favor the powerful.”
“To roll back tax credits for the poor to help fund tax breaks for the rich is simply morally reprehensible,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis, president and CEO of the social justice organization Sojourners, who called the federal budget a “moral document” that should transcend party politics.
The Rev. David Beckmann, president of the ecumenical hunger group Bread for the World, said letting tax benefits expire for the highest earners would create $830 billion in revenue over the next 10 years. This money, he said, could be spent on helping those who struggle with poverty.
Last week, the Senate narrowly passed a Democratic bill that would let tax cuts expire for these higher-income earners, but would also continue the current rates for middle-class Americans. The House bill, which liberal faith leaders are lamenting, passed on Wednesday in a vote that tallied 256-to-171.
“The vote was split largely along party lines, with only 19 Democrats voting for the bill, and one Republican voting against it,” reports Voice of America. “Proponents of the Republican measure say it is necessitated because the U.S. ecenomy remains weak.”
(H/T: Religion News Service)
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Comments (80)
TRONINTHEMORNING
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:38pmOh boy, J.W. is back in the news. “Leftist pastor” says it all.
Report Post »Polarized America
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 4:07pmtheblaze gave you this news, but not the others that stand with Wallis. like the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
http://www.usccb.org/news/2012/12-131.cfm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The site theblaze gave you..the RNS…Religion news Service .. story about Wallis, but not this one
Muslim group, CAIR, regains tax-exempt status……but i guess Wallis trumps them
Report Post »http://www.religionnews.com/ethics/money-and-giving/muslim-group-cair-regains-tax-exempt-status
AvengerK
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 4:30pmWhen did Wallis begin deluding himself that he’s a tax expert and an economist?
Report Post »Ohello
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 9:28pmNo such thing as a leftist Pastor..”….such are equivalent to communist sympathtizers or nazi youth camp leaders or indoctrination camp organizers
Report Post »jwt
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 10:59pmmuch todo about nothing
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 11:54pm@Polar – Misleading headline much? One Bishop is not the entire conference; and, on top of that, he is in charge of a domestic justice group. Also, exactly how much is being cut from EITC? And, who will be impacted by it? Both stories fail to discuss that area.
Report Post »thibx
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:26pmJesus said in Isiah when i return and set up my kingdom one will NOT plant and another eat, one will NOT build and someone else live in it. Jesus is saying it is not right to take from one and give to another keep what you earn. WHY IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND? like that money would go to poor. go to drug heads, people who keep having kids not married don’t even know who the father is etc. ole o’s green jobs, the unions, his buddies etc.
Report Post »bullbythetail
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 4:01pmPlease let me know the chapter and verse in Isaiah.
Report Post »Bill Wallace
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 4:20pmIsaiah 65:22 is the chapter and verse he is referring to.
Report Post »pissantno.10
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:26pmanother con man. how do these people think when the die they are going bull sh there maker
Report Post »pissantno.10
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:36pmwill i guess he can all ways say, lord see that world down there, you didnt do that
Report Post »martyinhagerstown
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:19pmThe message of Christ can never be hijacked…it simply is…
if a message is something different then it is not Christ’s message.
Report Post »wvernon1981
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 7:28pmWhat is Christ’s message? No one can agree on what it is.
Report Post »Magyar
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:17pmI’ll save all the adjectives needed to describe this fraud (oops!) and just sit back and wait until the LORD does HIS house cleaning.
Pastor Jim should give Dr. Jack Schapp of the First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana a call! He knows what it’s like to be in the dustpan….
Report Post »GoodCook
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:17pmThe man is pure evil residing in clerics garb. What about thou shalt not steal or thou shalt not covet they neighbors goods doen’t this communist preacher get!
Report Post »v15
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:17pmThe Earned-Income Tax Credit was designed to get people out of poverty. The problem is most poor people do not think about savings, investments, etc so they blow it on something frivolous.
Report Post »Popp40
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:16pmI find it funny what they consider poor in this country. If you take America‘s poor and compare them to the rest of the world’s poor…..our poor people would look rich compared to them. I mean look at most of the poor, they have flat screen TVs, Xbox/playstation/Wii, Cell Phones, WIC/Food Stamps, Section 8 housing, their utilities paid by the government/tax payers just to name a few, yet to hear the liberals/democrats talk they are the poorest of the poor.
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:11pmThis man is an extreme flake.
Report Post »svan71
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:10pmPastor Jim how do you feel about abortion or teaching children as young as five that homosexuality is normal?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:10pm“left-of-center faith leaders” That’s a pretty mild description for Marxists, isn’t it Billy?
Report Post »MikeinIdaho
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:06pmJim Wallis is NOT a “progressive” or a “liberal”!
Report Post »Jim Wallis is an out and out Communist.
PERIOD
svan71
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:08pmWhat the diifrence?
Report Post »heyjim55
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 8:29pmYou are correct!!! he is a Communist and is no more a Christian than Mao was, Wallis is a former SDS member who poses as a pastor or a man of faith he really doesn’t believe in GOD he believes in the State. This is his costume his cover he chose religeon while Bill Ayers chose Education and the same for Mark Rudd, Jeff Jones, Robert Borasage and others. They all picked a place to indoctrinate and subvert the system without getting their hands dirty.
Report Post »BLACKDIAMONDSKIER
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:05pm“All day long they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil.” Psalms 56:5
Jim Wallace is “reprehensible”. When you try to toe the party line while still claiming Christ this scripture comes to mind…..
“So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:16
Report Post »Magyar
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:09pmNow, YOU know your Scripture! Perfect choices!
Report Post »dublinthewagons
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:10pmCollective salvation preachers need to becollected in one place and sent to hell.
Report Post »Neither cold nor hot they are vomit in the mouth.
BeeDee
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 9:34pmIt should be translated as “vomit” not spit out.
Report Post »Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:05pmI am still trying to find that section in the Bible where Jesus pulled a sword,pointed at people’s throats then stole their money bag to give away.Did he have a cave that he walled people up in that did not cough it up? Did he send out the disciples to strong arm money?
Report Post »Popp40
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:03pmMy question is which God does Jim Wallis really pray to? Is it the real God in Heaven, or is it Satan himself, or is it the God of Government?
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:14pmI would venture to asy it is a golden calf of sorts.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:02pmNice the way the Far Left has hijacked the message of Christ and turned it into a political weapon of hate ! So Marxian ! Am sure that Jesus didn‘t come to save men’s spiritual souls but to save men from material poverty. Chicken in every pot. Yeah. That was why Jesus was here.
Report Post »ModerationIsBest
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:13pmYup, because Jesus NEVER preached about the dangers of money…..
In fact, Jesus loved rich people right? He wanted everybody to be financially wealthy. Jesus LOVED money. He also had a strong affinity for money changers right?
Luke 21:1-4 is wasted on the individuals who follow the prosperity gospel.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:37pmMOD: Agree. Jesus had a much different focus than Big Brother who acts more like Satan ! All of that government forced “redistribution” used to be called collective theft which is very different from personal charity which always involved individual choice and action.
Report Post »Larry E
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:59pmJim, Jerry Wright, and the rest of the progresso-commie pseudo Christians who are openly campaigning for Obama and the other progresso-commies need to be investigated. That will never happen though with Obama and Holder running the show.
Report Post »Realist4U
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:04pmHe is “nobody.”
Report Post »Winedude
Posted on August 3, 2012 at 12:50amInvestigated? What for? If you’re complaining that he is mixing politics with religion (non-profits can’t get political), it’s a legitimate complaint. The way to solve it is to eliminate the tax-exempt status for all religious affiliations. If the believers are TRUE believers, they should be eager to pony up some more $$$ to their money-grubbing leaders. REMOVE TAX-EXEMPT STATUS FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS!
Report Post »THX-1138
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:59pmSo, he‘s pissed that the tax bill lets some people keep more of what they earn and doesn’t redistribute the taxes they do pay as Charity (at gunpoint) to people who didn’t pay any taxes at all?
Now who could argue with that?
Report Post »Popp40
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:04pmYet he is tax exempt!!!
Report Post »sooner12
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:57pmThe more tax “credits” for the poor, on income they never earned, only encourages the poor to not better themselves.
Report Post »dublinthewagons
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:06pmWhy don’t these commie preachers donate more of their salaries to the poor?
Report Post »Because they dont care about the poor. They rape the poor for their own financial gain.
Popp40
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:10pmSo what is going to happen when the government can’t tax people anymore because they have already taken everything….where are they going to get the money then…and where will the poor get their money.
Report Post »Flag-Man
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:11pmYou get it. In the words of Thomas Jefferson.
Report Post »The Best Way To Help The Poor Is to Make Them Uncomfortable In Their Poverty
progressiveslayer
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:56pmWallis‘s tax exempt status should be scrutinized because he’s running a political operation and he’s a socialist as well.
Report Post »Flag-Man
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:55pmPastor Wallis dosen’t pay taxes so why should he care
Report Post »Bum thrower
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:53pmThose nasty, evil Republicans; it’s not fair to the 48% that pay no taxes that the other 52% aren’t paying their fair share…….
Report Post »chips1
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:50pmJim Wallis sure made some fine Elvis movies. “Blue Hawaii” was the best.
Report Post »Landon410
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:49pmi dont get how these people think tax cuts cost the government money, its not the governments money, so them not getting it doesn’t cost them anything.
its like what obama said tax cuts is government spending? how does that work?
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:57pmWallis is a communist there’s nothing Chistian about him he77 he even looks as evil as the ideology.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 3:02pmBecause Marxist’s like Barry believe the government has money and can create wealth,government can only consume wealth since government doesn’t produce anything.They simply shift money around to their friends like unions and the so called poor,these are essentially bribes to their voting blocs to ensure their reelection to redistribute wealth ie convert the middle class and make them poor.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on August 2, 2012 at 2:44pmIf a liberal blasts it, it must be good, if a liberal calls it morally bad, it must be good. After all everything they say is the opposite of the truth.
Report Post »