Morally Reprehensible': Liberal Pastor Jim Wallis Joins Other Faith Leaders in Blasting GOP Tax Plan

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)