New Federal Budget Priorities

Purpose
Activities
Sources of information
How you can help
Mission and Purpose of Coalition on Working people and the Poor
Endorsement form for Coalition on Working people and the Poor

Purpose

To reduce U.S. military spending, which now equals that of all other nations combined, and properly fund human, environmental, and infrastructure needs. An ancillary goal is to restore a progressive income tax system, one that requires corporations and wealthy individuals to pay their fair share.

Beginning in early 2005, HPJC worked to bring together human needs advocates, religious organizations, and peace groups to pursue these goals. The networking came to fruition in March 2007 with the formation of the Coalition of Working People and the Poor (CWPP).

As of August 1, the CWPP membership is Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s Office of Justice and Peace, Children at Risk, Children’s Defense Fund, Dominican Sisters, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Harris County AFL-CIO, Houston Area Urban League, Houston Metropolitan Baptist Ministers’ Alliance, Houston Peace and Justice Center, Houston Interfaith Worker Justice, NAACP -Houston Branch, Nigerian Christian Association, Community Baptist Church, Pax Christ-Houston Chapter, Service Employees International Union, Local 100, Third Ward Community Cloth Cooperative, Veterans for Peace-Chapter 12, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-Houston Chapter.

CWPP's agenda is broader than HPJC's initial focus on changing current federal budget priorities. It seeks to enhance economic justice in the U.S. in every way. The primary initial emphases have been raising the minimum wage until it becomes a livable wage and universal health care. 2007 marked significant legislative victories at the federal and state levels.

In addition to its own public education and advocacy activities, CWPP is committed to bringing large numbers of working class and poor people into the political process both as voters and advocates.

HPJC is a major participant in CWPP. One of its roles is to keep linking military spending—and the system of domination it fuels both abroad and at home—with the widening gap between the wealthiest 10% of Americans and everyone else.

Sources of information

Ÿ National Priorities Project (http://nationalpriorities.org/). This site best represents the emphases and values of HPJC's New Federal Budget Priorities Project. NPP's motto is "turning data into action." It does an excellent job of connecting military and war spending to economic justice. Its charts, accessed by clicking Federal Budget 101 on the home page, are wonderful. Among others, there are state-by-state, and in some cases city-by- city, breakdowns of the impacts of military spending and the Iraq War.

Ÿ Coalition on Human Needs (www.chn.org). A large coalition of human needs advocacy, CHN is most useful for its legislative alerts. You can become a subscriber by visiting the site

Ÿ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (www.cbpp.org). This is an important source of information about the federal budget for justice advocates. The site has a slide show that introduces the budgetary process. It tracks legislation such as immigration and health care. And it studies the impact of tax policy.

Ÿ United for a Fair Economy (www.faireconomy.org). UFE raises awareness that concentrated wealth and power undermine the economy, corrupt democracy, deepen the racial divide, and tear communities apart. It supports and help build social movements for greater equality. Good information on tax fairness. Some coverage of other issues, such as trade pacts and the exploitation of Katrina victims.

Ÿ War Resisters League (www.warresisters.org). On its site WRL posts its now-famous annual pie chart showing how much of the federal income tax dollar goes to the military. An indispensable resource.

How you can help

We are community leaders, civic associations, faith-based institutions, service organizations, unions, and concerned individuals alarmed by the continuing and increasing hardship our nation’s policies are imposing on large numbers of people in the United States and in Texas.

We believe that our economic priorities reflect our values, and that we must value above all else the well-being of our people, especially the well-being of our children. We are convinced that decisions regarding the federal minimum wage and both our national and state budgets are not being guided by this value. 

The federal minimum wage has remained at $5.15 an hour since September 1, 1997, while the cost-of-living has risen by 26% during that time. Even though Congress has finally mandated an increase, a full-time minimum wage worker cannot earn enough to lift a family of three above the federally established poverty level.

In shocking contrast, over this same ten years, the remuneration of those at the highest levels in the workforce has skyrocketed. As the Economic Policy Institute observed:  “An average CEO earns more before lunchtime on the very first day of work in the year than a minimum wage worker earns all year.”

Despite these gross income disparities, tax benefits for the wealthiest members of society are being given precedence over funding of health care, education, nutrition, housing, safe neighborhoods, job training, and environmental protection. Additionally, at the national level, spending on military procurement and war-making keeps rising even though such spending now almost equals that of all other nations combined and entails a chronic level of waste that would be intolerable in any other area of public spending.

We are certain that such morally distorted economic policies are jeopardizing the security of our nation, that their ill effects are already manifesting themselves in lost human potential, and that their impact will become even more apparent in years to come.

Thus, we are committed to new economic policies guided by the values that all deeply caring people share. To that end:

Ÿ We will educate the public about the way all too many of their elected officials are working in contrast to the public interest;

Ÿ We will organize and energize the rapidly increasing number of people being harmed to advocate for themselves and their families;

Ÿ We will hold elected officials accountable for their decisions;

Ÿ We will challenge and invite conscientious Americans who may not be directly impacted to advocate for their fellow citizens.

Endorsement form for Coalition on Working people and the Poor

For organizations and institutions

We have read “For a Caring Nation” (see reverse of this sheet) and are in full agreement with the identity, mission, values, and intentions of the Coalition of Working People and the Poor. We therefore wish to be a member of the Coalition, and to remain a member unless and until we give notice of our intention to withdraw.

As our resources permit, we will work with other Coalition members to secure a greater measure of economic justice for working people and the poor living in the United States. We understand that membership authorizes the use of our name when the Coalition addresses public officials and the general public. 

Group’s official name: _____________________________________________________________________

Our primary representative in the Coalition will be (representative’s name and contact information): _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

For individuals

I have read “For a Caring Nation” and am in full agreement with the identity, mission, values, and intentions of the Coalition of Working People and the Poor. I wish to be a member of the Coalition, and to remain a member unless and until I give notice of my intention to withdraw.

As my resources permit, I will work with other Coalition members to secure a greater measure of economic justice for working people and the poor living in the United States. I understand that membership authorizes the use of my name when the Coalition addresses public officials and the general public. 

Name and desired identification (if any) ________________________________________________________________________

Contact information
________________________________________________________________________

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