Stevensville Citizen Advocates Supporting the Needy in Letter

This letter was written by a Stevensville, MI citizen to the Harold-Palladium. This letter highlights some of the core issues facing our country today, and is the center of the discussion on lowering taxes vs. supporting the needy through government.

"Editor,

Recent letters to the editor from Sen. Ron Jelinek and from folks who attended the Fourth of July TEA Party need to be rebutted.

There is more to being a good citizen than advocating for lower taxes. There is a responsibility to extend a helping hand to those who are unemployed or under-employed, to assist those who are without access to compassionate health care, to provide a dignified existence for poor youth and for the aged.

John Kennedy in his inaugural speech said: "And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

We have forgotten those words. They are words of the true responsibility of citizenship.

Pope Benedict in his recent encyclical said it this way:

"(The Pope) recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property but that economic and civil progress can only be made if they are oriented to the common good ... ethical and religious ... (and) respectful of the needy and of the rights of the weak."

I am not saying that we should not hold government accountable for delivering services efficiently and with minimal bureaucracy. We should hold government officials' feet to the fire to ensure that government is responsive and cost-effective.

However, budget cuts to social programs for DHS or community health programs being proposed in Lansing will have a profound and negative impact on our state's most vulnerable citizens.

I agree that the state needs to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. I agree that our state should have a warm and welcoming business climate. Those are also moral imperatives. However, the budget problems in this state should not be balanced on the backs of the poor. Too many of the cuts being proposed in Lansing impact the poor negatively.

One other moral teacher once said: "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"

Were we listening?

Robert Burgess
Stevensville"

Southwest Michigan News

Economy:

• More jobs to disappear in SW Michigan. The ripple effect of the auto industry's troubles will wash away at least 1,200 jobs in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties before the end of 2010, according to a report Michigan Works! issued Tuesday.
• Benton Harbor has hired a consultant to help it build a local economy that revolves around developing a local and regional economy that centers around the area's natural resources. Components of the plan will include the use of wind, water, plants, fruits and vegetables.

Housing:

• Residents in Battle Creek rallied on Friday against blight in their city. The city of Battle Creek has been seeking more federal money to demolish and renovate blighted homes. City commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to let city staff move forward with a joint application with the Calhoun County Land Bank for $10 million in economic recovery money to tear down an estimated 100 homes and acquire then redevelop an estimated 106 more homes.
• Last month, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) awarded the City of Three Rivers with Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds in the amount of $233,475 for demolition of five blighted homes in Second District plus funding for construction of five new homes.
• A Sturgis Neighborhood Program has a new plan to help first-time homebuyers with those affordable “fixer-uppers.” Through its Homebuyer Purchase and Rehabilitation Program, SNP offers qualified homebuyers down payment and repair funds. SNP’s HPR Program provides up to $10,000 in down payment assistance and up to $20,000 in repair funding.
• Habitat is planning another home in Niles, MI.

Food:

• On Saturday, July 11, the “Cupboard to Cupboard” program was launched to help people in the Barry County area hit hard by the economic recession. The program encourages neighbors to help each other by donating items that cannot be purchased with ‘bridge’ cards or food stamps. onations being sought this week include backpacks, pencils, notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, crayons, colored markers, notebooks, folders, colored pencils, pencil boxes, scissors, glue and glue sticks.
• Light and Life ministry offers a delivery of free food service to needy citizens in Three Rivers.

Education:

• A new study by Western Michigan University and the latest enrollment data from The Kalamazoo Promise suggest the scholarship program is having a positive effect on student aspirations and Kalamazoo Public Schools' rate of college enrollment.

Government:

• Five public meetings will be scheduled over the next 12 months to gauge what community members' visions are for everything from Kalamazoo's neighborhoods and job-generating businesses to its recreation areas and transportation system.

Community Action:

• Members of Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC) and Communities for all Ages went door-to-door in three neighborhoods to talk with residents about their community and its needs.