Posted on 06/29/2012 3:15:28 PM PDT by Alex Murphy
The bishops released a statement a short time ago:
Today the United States Supreme Court issued a decision upholding as a tax the provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires individuals to purchase a health plan—the so-called “individual mandate.”For nearly a century, the Catholic bishops of the United States have been and continue to be consistent advocates for comprehensive health care reform to ensure access to life-affirming health care for all, especially the poorest and the most vulnerable. Although the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) did not participate in these cases and took no position on the specific questions presented to the Court, USCCB’s position on health care reform generally and on ACA particularly is a matter of public record. The bishops ultimately opposed final passage of ACA for several reasons.
First, ACA allows use of federal funds to pay for elective abortions and for plans that cover such abortions, contradicting longstanding federal policy.The risk we identified in this area has already materialized, particularly in the initial approval by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of “high risk” insurance pools that would have covered abortion.
Second, the Act fails to include necessary language to provide essential conscience protection, both within and beyond the abortion context.We have provided extensive analyses of ACA’s defects with respect to both abortion and conscience.The lack of statutory conscience protections applicable to ACA’s new mandates has been illustrated in dramatic fashion by HHS’s “preventive services” mandate, which forces religious and other employers to cover sterilization and contraception, including abortifacient drugs.
Third, ACA fails to treat immigrant workers and their families fairly.ACA leaves them worse off by not allowing them to purchase health coverage in the new exchanges created under the law, even if they use their own money.This undermines the Act’s stated goal of promoting access to basic life-affirming health care for everyone, especially for those most in need.
Following enactment of ACA, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has not joined in efforts to repeal the law in its entirety, and we do not do so today. The decision of the Supreme Court neither diminishes the moral imperative to ensure decent health care for all, nor eliminates the need to correct the fundamental flaws described above.We therefore continue to urge Congress to pass, and the Administration to sign, legislation to fix those flaws.
That is ridiculous, Hispanics are a recent event so they have nothing to do with the Catholic voting history until very, very recently, and besides, they are Catholics, it isn't like they are Episcopalians, or whatever.
I pray you will find the choice for yourself. There is liberalism in all churches, in all branches. I guess you have to find for yourself, in your soul, where the right fit is. I found it in the Catholic Church. The Spirit will lead you to where you need to be, if you just let Him.
As you can see from this thread, not only is the Catholic church officially liberal, but even many of their freeper conservatives are as well, and of course no church that has 54% of it's baptized members voting for Obama is conservative.
About 80% of Southern Baptists voted republican, and they are our second largest denomination, they are definitely on my list.
Catholic voting history was solidly Democrat during the JFK era, over the past 30-40 years it's become increasingly conservative, which is why Nixon, Reagan, and George W. Bush won the Catholic vote. If Hispanics didn't vote, the remaining "Catholic vote" would be majority Republican. Poll after poll reflects this, including 2008 when a majority of white Catholics voted for McCain. In recent elections like the special election for Anthony Weiner's seat, the "Catholic vote" was much more Republican (70% for Bob Turner) than the Protestant vote (50%)
>> they are Catholics, it isn't like they are Episcopalians, or whatever. <<
About 20-30% of Hispanics are protestants (including Methodist, Episcopalian, non-denominational, etc.) And yes, they are every bit as liberal as their Catholic counterparts. If you don't believe me, I can direct to the nearest protestant parish with a Hispanic majority congregation. There's one in Chicago right now doing a "hunger strike" for "undocumented migrants" and they're Anglican. The one in Chicago that housed illegal immigrant Elvira and her son was Methodist.
Natural Law:
For the Historical record, the first President to push for Nationalized Health Care was Teddy Roosevelt, and to say he was a communist is a joke, the guy was a war hero and a Republican. President Nixon, as anti-COmmunist a president that you will find also proposed a law that all employers over a certain size be federally required to have insurance and for companies that could not, federal subsidies would be used.
Take note of my Screen name. There are not many Southern Baptists OR conservatives where I live. Go where the Spirit leads YOU. What YOU choose may be different from what I choose, but as long as we are all brothers and sisters in CHRIST, I can’t see where disagreements in how we practice get us. I just pray we all come to Jesus as our Savior. I don’t believe shouting Allah Akbar while blowing ourselves and others up is what our perception of Faith is, so why create more conflict with each other on how is the correct way to believe in HIM is?
a couple weeks ago I asked several Catholics on FR how the catholic bishops stood on socialized medicine before the abortion plank was put in Obamacare.
None of them could answer.
This makes it fairly clear that the bishops are in favor of socialized healthcare.
I now have my answer. Thanks again for the post.
The Liturgy of the Word focuses on Jesus Christ. (Other readings are read in addition to a Gospel.)
The Liturgy of the Eucharist focuses completely on Jesus Christ.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I seriously thank God for all the good Catholics that **do** obey the First Commandment and focus on the above.
Catholic Bishops...well...not so much.
Fascinating. Could you provide a few citations for that assertion?
He was a progressive and attempted to lead the republican party into progressivism — which is socialism.
"President Nixon, as anti-COmmunist a president that you will find also proposed a law that all employers over a certain size be federally required to have insurance and for companies that could not, federal subsidies would be used."
Nixon was a fascist, which is based on socialism. It's not at all out of Mr. price controls character to mandate anything.
This is a very short lived window of some white Catholics waking up, but it is too little, too late.
Catholics voted against Nixon, and then voted for his reelection, Reagan was the only Republican to win their vote against an incumbent democrat, then they voted for him in 1984 and for his veep in 1988, Catholics then voted against George W in 2000 and voted for him for reelection in 2004, or course returning to the pro-abortion side in 2008.
This appears to be a temporary high point as Republicans picked up a few narrow margins of the Catholic vote in recent decades, but we know that the white Catholics stirred too late, and that the Hispanic Catholics are voting democrat like Catholics have so consistently in the past.
Hispanic Protestants are more republican than the Catholic vote, W. got 56% of their vote compared to the Catholics 52% in 2004, and Obama won 54% of Catholics while winning 52% of Hispanic Protestants, Pew says about 31% of the Hispanic (vote) is Protestant.
If Catholic bishops were doing their job ( and not worshiping at the altar of socialism) the election results would have been different.
My daughter taught at a Catholic K-12 school during 2008/2009. All of the teachers, the principal, and the overseeing priest voted for Obama ( except my daughter). These teachers and principal took every opportunity to tell the students that, too. Something is **seriously** wrong here. Obama is a man who voted three times against a law that would have protected babies born alive after an abortion. Unbelievable!
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/churchgoing_catholics_chose_mccain_over_obama/
“Exit polls are reporting that more weekly churchgoing Catholics voted for John McCain than for President-elect Barack Obama, slightly favoring McCain by 50 percent to 49 percent.”
“Those who attend Mass on a weekly basis comprised 46 percent of the overall Catholic vote, while 54 percent of Catholics surveyed said they attend less than weekly. Among infrequent Mass goers, Obama was favored 58 to 40 percent.”
I agree with you and described the situation in my post.
“I’ve said since it first was a gleam in O’s eye, it was my line in the sand. I’m not jumping up and down with glee at whatever consequence my decision will bring.”
Well in those immortal words, we must all hang together lest we all hang separately.
Peace + Blessings.
I'm afraid that is a dishonest representation of the facts. 54% of the Catholics that voted did indeed vote for Obama, but that was relatively inconsequential in the overall results.
There are 68 million voting age Catholics in this country. Obama received a total of roughly 70 million popular votes, McCain roughly 60 million votes. Catholics cast a total or 35 million votes. Obama received 19 million Catholic votes (27% of the registered Catholic vote) and McCain 16 million (25% of the registered Catholic vote). That means the largest recipient of Catholic votes was "none of the above".
I don't know what political point you are trying to make, but had 70% of Catholics who voted cast their ballots for McCain, it still would not have been enough to overcome the non-Catholic vote for Obama. Further, women voted for Obama in far greater percentages than Catholics. Are you joining Alfalfa and Spanky's "He-man Woman Haters Club"? Mormon's voted for McCain in far greater percentages than Protestants. Are you getting yourself fitted for temple garments?
Peace be with you.
The point of this thread is that the Catholic church is a liberal church, and produces liberal voters.
Learning that the Catholic church has been pushing this agenda for a 100 years is an eye-opener, to see all the liberal support the leftist agenda wins on this thread is an eye-opener.
It pays for all conservatives to figure out how to change the agenda of the Catholic church in American politics, and to convince it’s members to vote pro-life and conservative, regardless of which denomination that they belong to.
I don’t think that conservatism has seen any support from Catholics on this thread, instead the reaction has been that of angry liberals.
The Catholic Church is not a political party. The goal of assuring that people have access to health care and that such care does not bankrupt them or their families is in keeping with Catholic teaching. Where good people disagree is in how to best meet this goal. Would larger government involvement in the health care field help or hinder people getting the care they need? I believe it will hinder it.
Would allowing more of a free market approach help? Yes to a certain extent I think it would. But that so many people do not have access to health care is a shame. It is also a shame that people do not question the attitude that health care is something insurance (gov’t or private) is supposed to pay for instead of a projected expense people should prepare for as best they can.
When those preparations can not meet the needs is when insurance should kick in. I also believe that assistance should begin at the private level and have the flexibility to serve people as needed.
But Obamacare is not about health care access it is about access to insurance coverage. The two are not the same.
The agenda of the Catholic Church is set by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is not subject to the influence of Conservatives or Liberals. It may come as a surprise to you, but many Catholic's first allegiance is to God, not to country, party or political ideology. We are citizens of heaven first. We are patriots only to the degree that this country serves God. If you believe that the Church's position on abortion, religious freedom, euthanasia, opposition to communism, and defense of marriage is liberal than perhaps it is your agenda that is in need of change.
Peace be with you
Why do you assume advocating for health care reform means to nationalize it?
That doesn't look like a push for freedom, it looks like a push for socialism and government.
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