Wednesday, April 4, 2012 , Vol. XI No.7

Speaking of Values

Dear Friends:

I may be one of the last individuals on the planet to realize it, but it is dawning on me that what happens in public policy is not ultimately about facts and figures. It is about images, stories: it’s about what happens in the emotional side of the brain that matters.

I have begun to learn about this through reading The Political Brain, by Professor Drew Weston, a psychologist and neuroscientist at Emory University. He argues persuasively that it is the parts of our brains fueled by emotion rather than dispassionate reason that determine how we respond to our political choices.

Why am I sharing this insight with you now?

Because, armed with facts and figures, I am about to make the case for a graduated income tax in Illinois. (The Board of Protestants for the Common Good adopted this position last spring.) The arguments are so compelling that it is hard for me to understand how anyone could disagree.

Illinois faces a deficit of $10.5 billion for FY2013, even as we owe vendors who provided services in good faith roughly $6 billion in unpaid bills. We are cutting human services so drastically that we don’t even pause to feel the pain any more. We have the lowest credit rating in the nation.

A graduated income tax could:

—produce $2.4 billion annually, which would do much to eliminate our structural deficit,
—reduce the tax burden on 94% of all taxpayers (that is, all with an annual base income below $150,000),
—keep the effective tax rate on millionaires at just 4.3% (an increase from the current 2.3%).

A graduated income tax would bring fairness to our state tax structure, which right now taxes the poor at about 13% and the wealthy at about a 4% effective rate.

It also would ensure that state revenues grow as the economy grows. Most of the increase in income and wealth in recent years has been concentrated in the upper income levels; lower and middle income families have lost income in real terms. We forego revenue by placing the tax burden on those whose real income has been declining rather than where the growth is.

A regressive tax policy makes it hard to invest in education, and physical infrastructure—the things necessary to generate revenue growth.

Some will argue that the poor become better off as the wealthy become wealthier, a trickle-down argument that has not worked in recent memory. New jobs are more likely to come from consumer demand on the part of the 94% receiving a tax cut.

(The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, an Illinois think tank, has offered these figures as only one possible way to structure the tax and will be working with other groups to explore a range of alternatives.)

If it is the emotional rather than the rational side of the brain that matters, how does Professor Weston suggest we might approach a graduated income tax for Illinois? “A progressive moral critique of right is past due,” he writes. “It should be framed as a debate about fundamental values and principles, and it should be designed to elicit moral emotions, including righteous indignation.”

He draws upon the national scene. In 2006 “Congress passed a $70 billion bill to extend tax cuts to the super rich, locking them in through 2010. Just four months earlier, in the name of fiscal responsibility, they had cut $40 billion in social programs, including student loans and Medicaid.” His moral perspective? “The people of whom Jesus spoke most scornfully were those who were wealthy while others suffered.”

We have a similar case in Illinois. It is time we get started making it. We have talked in the past about our values getting hijacked. Maybe that is because we didn’t talk enough about values.

Sincerely,


The Rev. Alexander Sharp, Executive Director

Killing Jesus
THINKING THEOLOGICALLY
by: Larry Greenfield

Annual Environmental Day Wrap-Up!
LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS
by: Courtney Eccles

Occupy Palm Sunday
FAITH REFLECTIONS
by: Protestants for the Common Good

We’re moving!
IN THE NEWS
by: Protestants for the Common Good

STUDY THE LECTIONARY

Biblical scholar Jay Wilcoxen advocates for the plain and direct sense of the Lectionary readings for each week.

Apr 29

Apr 22

Apr 15

Apr 8

Apr 6

Spring Advocacy Network Gathering April 15th at 2 pm

PCG is moving on Thursday, April 5th to…

Slideshow: Annual Environmental Day

STUDY BIBLE REVIEW

Who’s Been Reading Mark Lately?

TAKE ACTION

PCG believes that it is imperative for people of faith to participate actively in our political democracy. Become an advocate.

Sign a Petition Supporting an Increase in Minimum Wage

PCG is working with the Raise Illinois Coalition to pass legislation to increase the minimum wage in Illinois. A full-time worker making the current minimum wage ($8.25/hour) earns about $17,000 a year before taxes, which studies have demonstrated, is simply not enough to live on in Illinois. As disparities between the rich and the poor grow larger, increasing the minimum wage by 50 cents each year for four years (until it reaches $10.65) would go a long way in keeping families out of extreme poverty. Please take a moment to sign the voter letter to show your support for increasing the wages of low-wage workers in Illinois. We will deliver the letters and signatures to members of the Illinois General Assembly in mid-March. For more information on the bill, please visit Raise Illinois.

Tell Your Senator to Support Fracking Regulations!

For those of you who couldn’t make it to our environmental lobby day last week, there is still time to contact your state senator about SB 3280 – a bill that will regulate natural gas fracking in Illinois and protect our water supply. SB 3280 will hopefully be up for a vote when the legislature reconvenes on April 17th. Contact your state senator in their home district before then, and ask them to support SB 3280.

PARTICIPATE

Please join in the work of PCG and our coalition partners by attending the following events.

Friday, April 13, 2012
Second Annual Forum on Drug Policy

Chicago, IL: The Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University is hosting it’s second annual forum on drug policy. There will be two panel discussions focused on harm reduction in Illinois with a focus on Colorado’s and China’s policies as well as the legalization of marijuana for non-medical purposes. The forum will be held at Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, 10th floor, from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m. Following the event, there will be a networking reception until 6:00 p.m. There is no cost to attend, although space is limited and reservations are required. Email kkane@roosevelt.edu to reserve your spot today.

Saturday, April 14, 2012
Advocacy Training at CTS Ministerial and Lay Leadership Institute

Chicago, IL: Courtney Eccles, Assistant Director of Policy and Outreach at PCG, will lead an advocacy training session at Chicago Theological Seminary’s (CTS) three-day institute entitled “People of Faith in the Public Arena”. The session will focus on tools to help lay leaders and clergy successfully participate in the political process in Illinois. For more information on the workshops and how to register, visit the online event page.

Sunday, April 15, 2012
Preaching at Wesley United Methodist Church

Champaign, IL: Rev. Betsy Neely, PCG Director of Communication, will be preaching at both services at Wesley United Methodist Church of Champaign. As part of Wesley’s celebration of Earth Day, her message will focus on the importance of caring for creation and ways people of faith can act on behalf of the environment. Wesley has a traditional service at 9:30 a.m. and a more contemporary service at 11:15. Visit Wesley’s website for more information or contact Betsy at 312–673–3841.

Sunday, April 15, 2012
Preaching at First United Church of Oak Park

Oak Park, IL: Rev. Alexander Sharp, Executive Director of PCG, will be preaching at First United Church of Oak Park for the 11:00 a.m. service. First United is located at 848 Lake Street. For more information, visit the church website or contact Al at 312–678–3854.

Sunday, April 15, 2012
PCG Spring Advocacy Network Gathering

Chicago, IL: Join members of PCG’s Advocacy Network for an afternoon of fellowship, advocacy training, and important legislative updates from Springfield. The event will be held in the Chapel of St. Pauls Church, 2335 N. Orchard, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. We’ll be serving light snacks and refreshments. All are welcome to attend – we ask that you register online before April 10th. For any further questions, contact Lindsey Hammond at hammondl04@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!

Friday, April 20, 2012
Sound the Alarm 2012

Statewide: The Campaign for Better Health Care is holding their annual “Sound the Alarm for Health Care Justice” event during the week of April 13th through April 20th. Congregations will join together in prayer or meditation and then “Sound the Alarm” calling for the creation of an affordable and quality healthcare system for all. To see how you can involve your faith community, visit the event webpage or contact Laura Leon, Faith Director, at lleon@cbhconline.org.

CONTACT US

The Common Good Network welcomes responses from readers about individual articles or the newsletter as a whole. We also welcome submissions from our readers. Take a moment to tell us what you think. Please email your suggestions, comments, and submissions to cgn@thecommongood.org. Protestants for the Common Good relies on its members and readers for much of its support. If you are able to contribute, please do so.

© 2012 Protestants for the Common Good. All Rights Reserved.

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