We once had a thriving middle class where each generation could get ahead of their parents’ generation, where there were few unhoused people and catastrophic environmental disasters rarely occurred. We are now a country struggling with serious economic, social and environmental issues.
As Unitarian Universalists, we put love at the center of our religious values. Cornel West reminds us that “justice is what love looks like in public.” This is the lens we use as we look at our nation’s problems. For that reason, we support solutions that would allow all people in our society to thrive.
We find it troubling that some of the most pressing issues in this country, affecting large segments of the population, were not addressed in our new President’s inauguration speech and subsequent executive orders.
These include the following:
- Healthcare. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world and are the only high-income nation in the world without healthcare for all. The No. 1 reason for bankruptcy in the United States is healthcare debt. This is unacceptable and, since he took the oath of office, the President has not yet addressed this in any speech or executive order.
- Drug prices. One in four Americans cannot afford the drugs their doctors prescribe. Not a word from the President about this.
- Wages. The federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 an hour. The MIT Wage Calculator reports that a single mother with two children earning the current federal minimum wage needs to work 252 hours per week, the equivalent of almost six full-time minimum wage jobs, to make a living. This is outrageous! The President has not mentioned anything about prioritizing a living wage in the United States. His newly confirmed Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, stated during his nomination hearing that he would not support raising the minimum wage.
- Housing. People making low wages cannot afford housing. Although the recommendation is that no more that 30% of income be spent on housing, 50% of renters in California are rent burdened and spending more than 30%. In some areas in the San Joaquin Valley, as many as 87% of residents are rent burdened. Again, no mention of this in his speech.
- Homelessness. There are just under one million unhoused people in our country. The two major reasons for homelessness are economic hardship and lack of affordable housing. The President remains silent on this issue.
- The environment. For the past 10 years, we have continued to have the hottest recorded temperatures ever. The so-called once in a lifetime floods, droughts, hurricanes, fires, etc., are happening because of human-created disruptions to our climate. The President’s only response is to call for us to drill for more oil, which only makes the problem worse.
We now have a situation in our country where three billionaires together have more wealth than the combined wealth of more than 50% of the people in this nation. Those three billionaires have also made large contributions to the current President’s political campaign or inauguration. Did the President mention this income disparity in his speech, and is he planning to take measures to address it?
In his first term, he was responsible for the largest tax break for the richest 1% in our country, which he now wants to make permanent. Did the President mention this in his speech, and is he going to tackle this income disparity?
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno supports economic, social and environmental justice issues by making our voices heard and supporting leaders who are working for justice and equity. Unlike our new President, we plan to amplify these issues, and we ask you to join us and do the same.
