Overture seeks to declare that mounting debt in U.S. is of ‘grave moral concern,’ ‘clear danger to the Republic’
The Layman Online, August 30, 2007
The Presbytery of New Covenant has approved an overture to the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) urging it to “declare that federal government practices and policies which create ever-increasing debt and unfunded or under-funded obligations for future generations of Americans are a grave moral concern as well as a clear danger to the Republic.”
Other overtures scheduled
for 218th General Assembly
The presbytery approved the overture, presented by First Presbyterian Church in Pearland, Texas, during its regular meeting Aug. 25 at Christ Church Presbyterian in Bellaire, Texas.
The 218th General Assembly will meet June 21-28, 2008, in San Jose, Calif.
The overture calls on the denomination “and the nation to study the policies and practices which have created this grave moral and economic crisis, to repent of the sins of greed and of stealing from future generations who cannot defend themselves, and to call upon our citizens and national leaders to make the sacrifices necessary to begin to solve this problem before it is too late.”
In its rationale, First Presbyterian Church cited a report by the General Accountability Office that stated:
“In 2006, explicit liabilities of the government were 10.4 trillion dollars, but implicit liabilities, based on future commitments to social security and Medicare, Parts A, B, and D, bring total federal government liabilities to 50.5 trillion dollars. At the same time, the GAO estimates total household net worth in the United States in 2006 to be 53.3 trillion dollars, meaning that our liabilities make up 95 percent of total household wealth. The GAO also estimates that the per-person burden is currently $170,000 and the per-family burden is $ 440,000.”
In summation, the overture argues that, “unborn generations as well as those who are only children cannot organize to protect themselves from what our society is doing to them. They have no voice or vote. We believe the Church of Jesus Christ is called to speak for them and to urge its members and the nation to stop and reverse this serious intergenerational injustice.”
The complete text of the overture is as follows:
“Session of First Presbyterian Church of Pearland, Texas overtures the Presbytery of New Covenant to overture the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA):
“‘The Church Addressing Intergenerational Injustice in America’
“Resolved: That the Presbytery of New Covenant overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to declare that federal government practices and policies which create ever-increasing debt and unfunded or under-funded obligations for future generations of Americans are a grave moral concern as well as a clear danger to the Republic. We call upon public leaders to have the courage to address this economic and moral crisis while there is still time. We call upon individual Presbyterians, sessions, presbyteries and agencies of the General Assembly to study, pray and speak words of justice and morality into the present situation and to defend future generations who have no defense. We do not at this time call upon G.A. agencies to prepare study documents or study papers, and we do not propose that the church at this time have a monolithic policy recommendation. We do call upon the church and the nation to study the policies and practices which have created this grave moral and economic crisis, to repent of the sins of greed and of stealing from future generations who cannot defend themselves, and to call upon our citizens and national leaders to make the sacrifices necessary to begin to solve this problem before it is too late.
Rationale
“1. The problem: According to the non-partisan United States General Accountability Office and the Honorable David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States (http://www.gao.gov/cghome/d07937cg.pdf), “saving our future requires tough choices today.” According to the GAO and the comptroller general, in 2006, explicit liabilities of the government were 10.4 trillion dollars, but implicit liabilities, based on future commitments to social security and Medicare, Parts A, B, and D, bring total federal government liabilities to 50.5 trillion dollars. At the same time, the GAO estimates total household net worth in the United States in 2006 to be 53.3 trillion dollars, meaning that our liabilities make up 95 percent of total household wealth. The GAO also estimates that the per-person burden is currently $170,000 and the per-family burden is $ 440,000.The GAO concludes:
- “The “status quo” is not an option.
- “We face large and growing structural deficits largely due to known demographic trends and rising health care costs.
“The GAO’s simulations show that balancing the budget in 2040 could require actions as large as:
- “Cutting total federal spending by 60 percent; or
- “Raising federal taxes to two times today’s level.
- “Faster economic growth can help, but it cannot solve the problem.
- “Closing the current long-term fiscal gap based on reasonable assumptions would require real average annual economic growth in the double-digit range every year for the next 75 years.
- “During the 1990s, the economy grew at an average 3.2 percent per year.
- “As a result, we cannot simply grow our way out of this problem. Tough choices will be required.
2. “‘The Role of the Church and of Christian Faith in addressing this National Problem.’ A majority of citizens of the United States are currently enjoying relative prosperity and are engaging in levels of personal consumption, which, while not shared by all, are purchased in part by our nation accumulating debt and other obligations for future generations of Americans to pay. The Christian faith is clear that exploiting future generations is both ungodly and immoral.
“Proverbs 13:22 says: ‘The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children. …” (NRSV). To leave debt is the opposite of leaving an inheritance.
“1 Timothy 5:8 says” ‘But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel’ (KJV).
“In the Old Testament, the Jubilee year was instituted so that even a profligate and irresponsible generation in the life of a family could not permanently endanger the inheritance of its heirs by selling off the family wealth forever – instead, land was only rented and not sold and reverted back to the original family every 50 years (Leviticus 25:10,13). Though we do not live in a society where land is the primary form of wealth, the lesson of Leviticus 25 for today is that our generation of Americans should be prevented from saddling future American generations with crippling and debilitating debt.
“Part of the way the American political system normally works is that people who believe they are being damaged or exploited by national policies and practices can band together and organize politically to improve their lot. Unfortunately, unborn generations as well as those who are only children cannot organize to protect themselves from what our society is doing to them. They have no voice or vote. We believe the Church of Jesus Christ is called to speak for them and to urge its members and the nation to stop and reverse this serious intergenerational injustice.
“(We request the Office of the General Assembly to inform us of agencies and entities of the General Assembly which may be affected by this overture so that we may consult with them as required by the G.A. standing rules.)”