1ST INTERNATIONAL
BETTY FORD
Washington Watch
Faith And Politics
rem uaneer
Symposium
George Bush and AI Gore sound a similar note.
JAMES D. BESSER
Washington Correspondent
T
Complementary and Conventional
Options for Today and Tomorrow
Keynote Speaker
Susan Ford
Advocate and daughter of Betty Ford
■
Medical experts from leading cancer centers will discuss:
Pre'vontion and nutrition
Medical advances, including
includinggenetics and immunotherapies
Complementarytherapies
Treatment aid effects
Trealtme
uttence issues
■
■
■
August 14
U M Rackham Auditorium
-
This free event is open to the public.
Space is limited. To register, call 800/654-1772.
Supported with an education& grant fromleneca Pharmaceuticals.
Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Michigan
Health System
http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu
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20 Detroit Jewish News
tions to do good in communities. And,
he added, it's political trickery "designed
to throw a bone to this lowest fifth —
and a very cheap bone, at that."
Jewish groups reacted predictably.
"It's a wholesale abdication of gov-
ernment responsibility for the social
welfare of the country, said Mark
Pelavin, associate director of the
Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism. "And Bush talks about mobi-
lizing armies of compassion; I'm very
much afraid his armies of compassion
will lay siege to the walls of church-
state separation."
That's fine with Nathan Diament,
director of the Orthodox Union's
Institute for Public Affairs.
"We're very pleased GOV. Bush has
put this on the national agenda," he
said. Its clear he's not interested in
using faith-based organizations for cre-
ating a religious revival, but because
they are effective institutions for social
services."
he 2000 presidential con-
test is beginning to look a
little like a tent revival
meeting, with top candi-
dates in both parties increasingly ser-
monizing about "faith-based" solu-
tions to the nation's social ills.
Last week Texas Gov. George W.
.
Bush, the GOP front-runner, used his
first major policy address to tout reli-
gious groups as the centerpiece of his
"compassionate conservatism. , ,
Bush promised big tax incentives
and direct federal funding for church
and community groups that provide
services to needy populations. Only
such groups can "put hope in our
hearts or a sense of purpose in our
lives," Bush said.
He added that "in every instance
when my administration sees a
responsibility to help people, we will
look first to faith-based institutions, to
charities and to community groups
that have shown their ability to save
Jewish groups are quietly quaking at
and change lives."
the prospect of a Republican-backed
Jewish Democrats were surprised by
$800 billion tax cut over 10 years —
the scope of Bush's proposals, but
or even a $300 billion cut that
hardly in a position to criticize. Vice
President Bill Clinton has signaled he
President Al Gore last month pro-
might accept.
posed a "new partnership" between
But publicly, Jewish groups are not
religious groups and government.
speaking out about the tax-cut propos-
Liberal Jewish groups fear the faith-
als because of the partisan rancor sur-
based boom will erode safeguards reg-
rounding the debate.
ulating how religious groups use gov-
We don't have a position on tax
ernment money; Orthodox groups say
cuts," said Reva Price, Washington
such proposals will lead to more
director for the Jewish Council for
responsive and efficient services.
Public Affairs. "The concern is about
For the Democrats, the sudden injec-
the combination of budget caps and
tion of faith into politics is a matter of
tax cuts, and what this does to a
infiltrating traditional GOP territory,
number of programs we care about.
according to presidential historian Allan
This combination will have a huge
J. Lichtman of American University. For
impact on domestic spending pro-
,,
Republicans, he said, it's a way of easing
grams of all sorts.
concerns about the social service budget
Even without a tax cut, she said,
cuts that are likely because of tight bud-
discretionary spending cuts are almost
get caps and proposed tax cuts.
certain because of the refusal of
"Everybody knows we're going to be
Congress to lift caps imposed by the
in a big hole," Lichtman said. "We have
1997 budget agreement.
this wonderful economic bubble, but
Price said that House Republicans
once it bursts, nobody knows what will
are trying to get around the caps by cre-
happen with the bottom fifth of the
ating numerous "emergency," spending
population, who have been the recipi-
provisions, but the bookkeeping trick is
ents of most government cutbacks. ),
unlikely to do much more than just
_ The growing talk of faith-based solu-
postpone a day of fiscal reckoning over
tions, he said, reflects both a genuine
social and health programs; tax cuts will
belief in the powcs: of religious institu-
only increase the budgetary pressure."
Tax Slam