The Republican War on the Poor and Vulnerable

This is an excellent and deeply sad, disturbing, and important article. In my mind, and over a long period of time of being engaged in deep personal and professional work, I have come to understand pathology and how it is that human beings can cause such profound suffering to other humans, other beings, and the planet. But in my heart, I can never get it. Each and every action taken which consistently causes and colludes in such great harm directed at others has its roots in a disconnect with one's own heart. That is what I mean when I refer to being "asleep" - unconsciously building walls around one's heart resulting in a deep and pervasive disconnect with one's heart. And to the degree that any of us are disconnected with the wisdom of our hearts is the degree that we become a danger to ourselves and others. It is my belief that we all need to work individually and together in an ongoing way to strengthen our heart-mind connections. These times ask of us to stay conscious, to keep our eyes, minds, and hearts open. So hard to do when there is such an overwhelm of suffering. AND together we can do this. We are not alone. Courage can be contagious. We can inspire each other. And we can remember that in the midst of so much horror and heartbreak, more and more of us are waking up and deepening in our capacities to see, to care, and to act on behalf of a higher good. Bless us all. ― Molly

Supporters listen as Rep. Donald McEachin holds a news conference with faith leaders to "urge lawmakers to reject proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the Farm Bill" on Monday, May 7, 2018.

By Mike Ludwig

 

The children crying out for their parents in migrant detention camps may well define this moment of the Trump era, but families fleeing extreme violence and poverty in Central America are not the only ones in the administration’s crosshairs. The suffering on the Southern US border is just one example of how the politics dominating Washington under President Trump can cause real people to feel real pain.

Even as Trump was forced to back down on its family separation policy that created a crisis on the border, the immigration crackdown continues, leaving “fear and heartbreak” in its wake. Meanwhile, the White House announced plans to consolidate federal social safety net programs under one federal agency, a move critics say reflects the ultimate goal of doing away with the safety net altogether. Even as conservative lawmakers bickered over immigration, Republicans in Congress advanced legislation on Thursday that would eliminate or reduce food assistance for an estimated 2 million people.

All of this follows moves by the White House to cut immigrant families off from social services and allow states to drastically reduce their Medicaid rolls, eliminating health coverage for millions of people. These initiatives have one thing in common: They target and punish some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“It’s an onslaught,” said Elizabeth Lower-Basch, a policy director at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a group that focuses on policies impacting low-income people.

Please continue this article here: https://truthout.org/articles/the-republican-war-on-the-poor-and-vulnerable/