budget blues

Budgets are moral documents.  Jesus put it this way - "where your treasure is,  there is your heart."  The converse is the same, where your heart is, there is where you put your money.  I am appalled at the budget passed by the US House this week, cutting aid to millions of poor folk and defunding the ACA which provides health insurance for millions more.  And these actions by those who call themselves pro family and pro life.  They are neither.  If this budget shows us where their hearts are, it is clearly on the side of the rich and powerful at the expense of those on the margins.  As an American,  and even more importantly as a person of faith and a follower of Jesus who always stood with those on the margins, I am disgusted by these actions.  This bill is immoral and clearly at odds with anything taught by any religious tradition.

Unfortunately,  or fortunately,  my representative voted against this travesty.  So, I cannot vote against a representative who so offends anything I value or that I think represents my faith or my understanding of what we stand for a as a nation.  I will give to candidates running against those incumbents who so voted and I will call again and again for those who are my friends and acquaintances to put those people out of office.  Their immoral visions do not represent any version of America I hold  dear.

If you live in a district served by someone who voted for this immoral document, write, call, or email them, telling them that you cannot support a candidate who votes against the needs of the poorest and neediest.  Then vote them out.  If you vote for them, then you have forfeited your right to call yourself moral and certainly cannot claim to follow any religious tradition that is worth embracing.

Sojourners published a list of the representatives who voted for this immoral budget both by state and by last name.

Here they are ordered by last name.  VOTE THEM OUT!

Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.)

Rodney Alexander (R-La.)

Justin Amash (R-Mich.)

Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) 

Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)

Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.)

Lou Barletta (R-Pa.)

Andy Barr (R-Ky.)

Joe Barton (R-Texas)

Dan Benishek (R-Mich.)

Kerry Bentivolio (R-Mich)

Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.)

Rob Bishop (R-Utah)

Diane Black (R-Tenn.)

Marsha Blackburn (T-Tenn.)

John Boehner (R-Ohio)

Charles Boustany (R-La.)

Kevin Brady (R-Texas)

Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.)

Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)

Susan W. Brooks (R-Indiana)

Paul Broun (R-Ga.)

Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.)

Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.)

Michael C. Burgess (R-Texas)

Ken Calvert (R-Calif.)

Dave Camp (R-Mich.)

John Campbell (R-Calif.)

Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

John Carter (R-Texas)

William Cassidy (R-La.)

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio)

Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)

Howard Coble (R-N.C.)

Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) 

Tom Cole (R-Okla.)

Doug Collins (R-Ga.)

Chris Collins (R-N.Y.)

Michael K. Conaway (R-Texas)

Paul Cook (R-Calif.)

Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)

Rick Crawford (R-Ark.)

Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.)

John Culberson (R-Texas)

Steve Daines (R-Mont.)

Rodney Davis (R-Ill.)

Jeff Denham (R-Calif.)

Charles W. Dent (R-Pa.)

Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.)

Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.)

Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.)

Sean P. Duffy (R-Wis.)

Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.)

John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.)

Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.)

Blake Farenthold (R-Texas)

Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.)

Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.)

John Fleming (R-La.)

Bill Flores (R-Texas) 

Randy J. Forbes (R-Va.)

Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.)

Trent Franks (R-Ariz.)

Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.)

Cory Gardner (R-Colo.)

Scott Garrett (R-N.J.)

Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.)

Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio)

Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.)

Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)

Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)

Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.)

Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.)

Kay Granger (R-Texas)

Tom Graves (R-Ga.)

Sam Graves (R-Mo.)

Tim Griffin (R-Ark.)

Morgan Griffith (R-Va.)

Brett S. Guthrie (R-Ky.)

Ralph M. Hall (R-Texas)

Gregg Harper (R-Miss.)

Andy Harris (R-Md.)

Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)

Doc Hastings (R-Wash.)

Joe Heck (R-Nev.)

Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas)

George Holding (R-N.C.)

Richard Hudson (R-N.C.)

Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.)

Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.)

Randy Hultgren (R-Ill)

Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.)

Robert Hurt (R-Va.)

Darrell Issa (R-Calif)

Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.)

Bill Johnson (R-Ohio)

Sam Johnson (R-Texas)

Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)

David Joyce (R-Ohio)

Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)

Steve King (R-Iowa)

Jack Kingston (R-Ga.)

Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)

John Kline (R-Minn.)

Raul R. Labrador (R-Idaho)

Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.)

Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)

Leonard Lance (R.-N.J.)

James Lankford (R-Okla.)

Tom Latham (R-Iowa)

Robert E. Latta (R-Ohio)

Billy Long (R-Mo.)

Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)

Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.)

Cynthia M. Lummis (R-Wyo.)

Kenny Marchant (R-Texas)

Tom Marino (R-Pa.)

Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)

Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas)

Tom McClintock (R-Calif.)

Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.)

Buck McKeon (R-Calif.)

David McKinley (R-W.Va.)

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)

Mark Meadows (R-N.C.)

Luke Messer (R-Ind.)

John Mica (R-Fla.)

Jeff Miller (R-Fla.)

Candice Miller (R-Mich.)

Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.)

Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.)

Tim Murphy (R-Pa.)

Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas)

Kristi Noem (R-S.D.)

Richard Nugent (R-Fla.)

Devin Nunes (R-Calif.)

Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.)

Pete Olson (R-Texas)

Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.)

Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.)

Steve Pearce (R-N.M.)

Scott Perry (R-Pa.)

Thomas Petri (R-Wis.)

Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.)

Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pa.)

Ted Poe (R-Texas)

Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.)

Bill Posey (R-Fla.)

Tom Price (R-Ga.)

Trey Radel (R-Fla.)

Tom Reed (R-N.Y.)

David G. Reichert (R-Wash.)

Jim Renacci (R-Ohio)

Reid Ribble (R-Wis.)

Tom Rice (R-S.C.)

Scott Rigell (R-Va.)

Martha Roby (R-Ala.)

Phil Roe (R-Tenn.)

Mike Rogers (R-Ala.)

Harold Rogers (R-Ky.)

Mike Rogers (R-Mich.)

Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.)

Todd Rokita (R-Ind.)

Tom Rooney (R-Fla.)

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)

Peter J. Roskam (R-Ill.)

Dennis Ross (R-Fla.)

Keith Rothfus (R-Pa.)

Ed Royce (R-Calif.)

Jon Runyan (R-N.J.)

Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)

Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.)

Mark Sanford (R-S.C.)

Steve Scalise (R-La.)

Aaron Schock (R-Ill.)

David Schweikert (R-Ariz.)

Austin Scott (R-Ga.)

James F. Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.)

Pete Sessions (R-Texas)

John Shimkus (R-Ill.)

Bill Shuster (R-Pa.)

Mike Simpson (R-Idaho)

Jason Smith (R-Mo.)

Adrian Smith (R-Neb.)

Lamar Smith (R-Texas)

Steve Southerland (R-Fla.)

Chris Stewart (R-Utah)

Steve Stivers (R-Ohio)

Steve Stockman (R-Texas)

Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.)

Lee Terry (R-Neb.)

Glenn W. Thompson (R-Pa.)

Mac Thornberry (R-Texas)

Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio)

Scott Tipton (R-Colo.)

Michael Turner (R-Ohio)

Fred Upton (R-Mich.)

Ann Wagner (R-Mo.)

Tim Walberg (R-Mich.)

Greg Walden (R-Ore.)

Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.)

Randy Weber (R-Texas)

Daniel Webster (R-Fla.)

Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio)

Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-Ga.)

Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.)

Roger Williams (R-Texas)

Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)

Robert J. Wittman (R-Va.)

Steve Womack (R-Ark.)

Robert Woodall (R-Ark.)

Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.)

Ted Yoho (R-Fla.)

C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.)

Todd Young (R-Ind.)