Catholic thinkers examine Tea Party movement and Church teaching

11/24/2010

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religious values."

The future of the Tea Party's support for pro-life concerns and marriage issues has also been a public issue. Some Tea Party spokesmen have said the Republican Party should not focus on either.

Jeffrey Bell, a visiting fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told CNA he saw very little of this opinion in the daily activities of movement participants and sympathizers.

"People who think that voters are not concerned about social issues should go look at Iowa," he commented, referring to the electoral successes of traditional marriage activists in the key presidential primary state.

"People don't get amnesia on other issues just because the economy is in bad shape. They're still a factor," Bell remarked. "And the people who feel strongly about these issues, who are quite a few, are going to be less likely to vote for a candidate who is on the other side."

He did not think a Tea Party focus on fiscal issues and small government could eclipse social concerns. Polls indicate that most Tea Party participants are social conservatives, said Bell, and "very, very few" Tea Party-backed candidates for the Senate or the House were pro-choice on abortion.

He contended that both movements are "very similar" because of the importance they place on returning "to the values of the Founding."

"It's really a triumph of social conservatives that people would see these economic and size of government issues in the same light as many would also see abortion and traditional marriage," Bell claimed.

Those who are speaking of a "big civil war" between social conservatives and others in the Tea Party are, in Bell's view, "creating an issue where, on the ground, not much of an issue exists."
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Founded in continued response to Pope John Paul II�s call for a �New Evangelization,� the Catholic News Agency (CNA) has been, since 2004, one of the fastest growing Catholic news providers to the English speaking world.

Keywords: tea party, catholic social teaching, catholic, theology, politics

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1 - 10 of 68 Comments

Pat
2 years ago
Vance, don't forget to cut massive Foreign Aid except where starvation exists, United Nations waste, and tax dollars to Planned Parenthood. Then go after the Billion dollars in back taxes owed by White House, Congress and other Federal Employees. Stop all tax write-offs of interest for second and third homes, and homes over $500,000, and interest of more than 2 cars per household. Then review laws for shelters and Foundations for any needed changes. A few honest citizens could bring the budget under control - if we got rid of professional big-spending politicians.
Pat
2 years ago
Rob, we do not need more revenue. We need less spending; less government waste; and a smaller and much less expensive Federal Government.
vance
2 years ago
Rob, government doesn't need more revenue. I t needs to shrink. It can start with eliminating DO NOTHING Dept of Energy, Dept of Education, and Dept of Commerce. Education and Energy were established pure emotion that was stirred up by Pres Carter's "GAS SHORTAGES" and the continuous decline in academic scores across the nation. The Democrat Party ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN propagandized these issues daily to create this emotional frenzy. The politicians in both parties played into this emotion by creating these departments that are already established in all 50 states. Each Federal department should be cut by a third. Social Security needs to be changed now. It is obvious to everyone that the ritrement age needs to be raised to 65 to 66. Foreign nationals and people who claim to have an emotional problem need to be eliminated from the SSI roles. MEDICAID needs to be eliminated. I have known and still know people who should NOT be on the welfare rolls. They told me of other people they know who are collecting SSI, food stamps, medicaid, and free housing who are like them. The government can eliminate monumental waste and fraud without taking another cent out of taxpayer's pockets.
Rob
2 years ago
A flat tax would be great, but the majority of high income earners are already paying that effective tax rate. But you and I would benefit greatly from that. But unfortunately, the moment that tax policy became a tool to influence public and social policy, the gate opened wide to the disaster of a tax code we have now. If you could get politicians to leave the code alone and stop lawyers from figuring out ways around the tax, then sure it might just work. But those two trains are hard to stop. Seth, with all of the cost you just mentioned, why on earth would we not want to pay for them? I would much rather pay for everything you just mentioned than have bailed out wal-street who seems to be doing just fine. I don't disagree that the Dems have spent a lot of money, I merely want to pay for what our government has spent and is currently spending. But no matter how you spin it, we need more revenue. We really couldn't afford to add another trillion to the debt to finance this thing. And I do understand if they can cut a trillion from spending we have no debt, but I'm not holding my breath on that one since social security, medicare and military spending are sacred cows and a majority of the budget. Everything else is immaterial and will hardly have any impact.
Seth
2 years ago
Rob - the defecit spending started with the DESTRUCTION of the TWIN TOWERS in NY ($2 Billion) 2001, and KATRINA in New Orlenes ($81.2 Billion) and other cities and towns 2005. Big Waste and Big spending got totally out of control when the Democrats took control of both the House and Senate - Jan, 2007. Since he has taken office in Jan 2009, Obama and his Democratic Congress has QUADRUPLED the US DEBT. Remember that DEMS including Hillary Clinton (who had inside info from her husband) also VOTED to go to WAR - check the record.
Erasmus
2 years ago
As I recall, the four aspects of Catholic social teachings (dignity of person, common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity) are listed in the Church's Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church which was done by the Vatican (but can be purchased on Amazon). Hope this helps those who claim never to have heard of it.

:-)
JimS
2 years ago
Several things. The role of the government vis a vis "the poor" should never be to steal from some citizens at the point of a gun to redistribute to others as they see fit with all the prejudices inherent in such a plan. Rather the government should promote conditions whereby citizens can maximize their charity to those that they individually see as in need.
Also, I don't think Pope Benedict's statement that medical care is an inalienable right of all regardless of ability to pay is very well thought out. Is he proposing forcing those who spend 22-26 years of their life obtaining the education necessary to become a physician to provide service without pay? That's slavery where I come from. Or is he proposing that society through taxation should pay? That would lead toward a situation where 100% of an economy would have to be dedicated to medical care as a diminishing return is realized on increased life expectancy as continually more expensive treatments are require to marginally extend it. See the British National Health Service. It's a disaster as Doctor's flee the country and bureaucrats try to continually spread shrinking assets among more and more patients.
Remember the story of the Good Samaritan. The Priest and Levite (members of the governing class of the time) did not lay hold of the Samaritan and force him to pay for the care of the injured man. The Samaritan was moved by compassion and chose freely to be charitable. This should be the church's teaching and mission regarding regarding the poor.
vance
2 years ago
Rob, you are a tax expert? Then you know more than most people about how the government confiscates the people's money. I agree with you that BOTH parties have a hand in over spending. The Socialsit Democrat Party makes it quite clear that they intend to spend this country into the ground. The Republicans get beat up by the Socialist Democrat Party news media as being EVIL INSENSITIVE, AND CRUEL TO THE POOR, BLACKS, HISPANICS, WOMEN, CHILDREN, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. The Republicans want the vote from the 'BLUE' states so they go along with the Dems so they won't be demonized by the press. The People who are pulling the proverbial wagon are now standing up and saying ENOUGH. A flat Tax across the board with NO deductions is what we need. Churches and not-for-profit organizations are exempt from taxes.
Rob
2 years ago
Vance, of course I want more of my money in my paycheck. As I know you do, I work very hard for the money that I'm paid. And I don't disagree that our government spending is out of control, but I think it's intellectually dishonest to suggest that only Dems spend money. The government has not constricted under any administration for the past 20 - 30 years and that covers both parties. I think the spending that that has occurred in this administration is unprecedented, but it didn't start with Obama. As a registered Republican, I can't give my party a pass anymore when they say one thing and do another. This deficit/debt train started when we decided to go to war and borrow to finance it. I merely want us to pay for what we are currently spending and I'd like some semblance of equlity in the tax rates. If 35% of every dollar I earn goes to taxes, I would just prefer that the upper 2% of wage earners pay the same rate. The average, hard working American should not have a higher effective tax rate than the upper class. There is something horribly wrong with the tax code in that regard. I've been a tax professional for many years and it's actually quite amazing the how the law assists those who have wealth maintain it versus those who spend a majority of their income merely to live.
R.E.Craig
2 years ago
I think it should pointed out to all that during the last four decades not one single US President has pushed for the abolition of abortion nor for that matter have any shown the slightest inkling for the banning of state execution.

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