A chara, - What in the world is happening?
In Monday's Irish Times, there were four letters to the Editor about the Budget. Three were about the single/double income question. One was about the injustice of the distribution of benefits.
In Tuesday's edition, there were seven letters about the Budget. Six were about the single/double income question. One was about the injustice of the distribution of benefits.
Yes, we need to deal with the single/double income question, like we need to fix a punctured tyre. But don't let it blind us to the ominous signs that the whole gear-box is about to fall out.
In your own Budget supplement of December 2nd, contributions by Jane O'Sullivan, Padraig Yeates, Denis Coghlan, Padraig O'Morain, and Tim Callan (not to mention the cartoon by Martyn Turner) showed that those who were already richest would benefit vastly more than the poorest. As Tim Callan said, the poorest 10 per cent of families will benefit by less than 1 per cent. The richest 10 per cent of families will benefit by more than 4 per cent. This inequity is a grave injustice.
If the Christian churches, individually or collectively, do not state clearly that to implement this Budget as proposed is contrary to true following of Jesus Christ, and contrary to what the Biblical Jubilee year is about, I at least as an individual Christian want to claim my right to do so. After all, I too am church. And I say to our Government: to implement the parts of the Budget which have this effect is unjust. It is sinful. It need not happen. You can act justly. You must.
Are there other individual Christians who will join me in this? Let the Church speak. - Yours, etc.,
Padraig McCarthy, The Presbytery, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow.