Washington, DC, May 14, 2008–Bread for the World president Rev. David Beckmann issued the following statement today concerning the 2008 Farm Bill that is expected to pass both houses of Congress this week and is also expected to be vetoed by President Bush:
“The 2008 Farm Bill represents half a loaf. Congress has increased funding for vital domestic nutrition programs but has failed to substantially reform the U.S. agricultural system.
“We rejoice that additional funding has been given to nutrition programs especially in light of the growing global hunger crisis that is hindering the efforts of struggling parents to feed their children. We celebrate the increases to the Food Stamp Program and funding for food banks. We are happy that the bill authorizes the Hunger Free Communities grant program, which will enable community-based organizations to work together to plan and implement local strategies to end hunger. We are also encouraged that it contains a pilot program that allows for the local purchase of food aid from sources closer to the countries in need.
“But we are missing the other half of the loaf–substantial reform of the commodity programs. Congress has failed to make our commodity programs fairer and more equitable. The bill does little to target subsidies to where they are most needed, but continues to concentrate payments to the largest and wealthiest landowners.
“This missing half has long-term and pernicious effects on global agriculture and trade. Current policies have helped stymie agricultural development in poor countries, leaving millions of people mired in poverty and helping to create the current hunger crisis worldwide. Rather than respond to the new reality of global agriculture, the 2008 Farm Bill locks the United States into another five-year protectionist system that hampers the desperate efforts of small farmers to feed their families.
“We celebrate the important and urgent increases in nutrition funding. But we deeply lament the lack of serious reform of agricultural subsidies in this bill. Many will praise the 2008 Farm Bill as ‘the best we can do.’ We think the United States can and should do better. Therefore, with a heavy heart, we have chosen a middle of the road stance as the bill moves toward final passage.
“Our stand on the 2008 Farm Bill comes from a Biblical imperative that calls for a ‘harvest of righteousness’ (James 3:18). We will keep on working to reform the farm bill until it truly serves the needs of poor farm and rural families and all people around the world who struggle to feed themselves and their children.”

As we previously reported, Jim Beezhold, a 72-year- old retired teacher, is preparing to bicycle 3,750 miles across North America next summer hoping to raise more than $1.5 million to help the world’s poor! Jim is one of 211 riders, ranging in age from 18 to 76, currently registered to participate in what is likely to be the largest group of cyclists to ever cross North America! The Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour begins June 28 in Seattle, Wash., and ends nine weeks later in Jersey City, NJ on August 30. For his part, Jim hopes to raise at least $10,000.
Jim has reported that he has acheived his goal of raising $10,000! That won’t stop Jim from raising more and going beyond his goal though! A fundraiser is being planned by his home church on May 31st. See our events calendar for details and watch this site for more news as Jim begins his coast to coast cycle ride raising awareness about the Millennium Development Goals and raising money for the world’s poorest.

Voices of local Congregations Ignored by Three Republican Congressmen who voted “No” Despite Bipartisan Support in Congress By Jean O’Leary

Leaders of churches, development agencies, and civil rights, labor, and human rights groups praised the passage by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote 285-132 of the Jubilee Act (2634). The legislation calls the U.S. Treasury Department to negotiate a multilateral agreement for debt cancellation for up to 24 additional poor countries that need cancellation to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Jubilee USA Network, which includes 20 Jubilee Congregations from a variety of churches and faith communities in San Diego County, is an alliance of 80 national organizations that has been leading the advocacy for the legislation. “We commend the US Congress for its bold step in passing the Jubilee Act and listening to the people of the impoverished nations who have borne the burden of unjust debt for far too long,” said Rev. Bill Harman, a retired Encinitas pastor and member of the Board of Jubilee USA Network. “We hope that House passage will inspire the US Senate to move quickly to also pass the Jubilee Act and send it to the President for immediate action.”

Representatives Bilbray, Issa, and Hunter all received several delegations and messages of support for the Jubilee Act over the past months from local people of faith. Despite verbal and some written expressions of probable support for the act, after receiving thousands of written appeals from their constituents, they all failed to join Representatives Filner and Davis in voting “yes.”

WHY? We await replies from each of them soon. We hope their replies will reflect a reasoned response based on their faith perspectives and moral values and not on purely political considerations.

Can Representatives Issa and Hunter explain to us from their faith and moral values perspective their failure to join their fellow 69 republicans who publicly project “compassionate conservativism” and the importance of faith in the shaping of public policy as well as democrats like Representatives Davis and Filner to vote for this piece of legislation?
We await their replies.

Inspired by a meeting with Wahu Kaara.
Last month we wrote about going beyond charity and acting to see that justice is done. This requires understanding of the root causes of poverty and injustice, and then acting to address those root causes. I recently had the privilege of hearing Wahu Kaara speak. Wahu Kaara is an extremely dynamic, knowledgeable Kenyan woman. Since retiring as a teacher she has been a Kenyan presidential candidate, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, a spokesperson for Jubilee and ecumenical coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals among many other things. She speaks all around the world on global social justice issues, but more than that she “walks the talk”. This lady who is called on for her knowledge and expertise around the world chooses to live modestly with her family in her home village in a home without electricity and without running water.

I was fortunate enough to have a few minutes to speak with her and asked her what she felt Americans could best do in response to extreme poverty. Her answer was not surprising to me as it reflected the answers of most people from the global south I have met. She told me; “We do not want your charity or your sympathy. We want you to speak out for us, and with us, to learn about us and from us.” She pointed out that those in poverty in the global south have much to give us, in terms of spiritual depth and trust in God. We have much to give them because of the material and political power and stability we enjoy. In other words she would like us to enter into relationship with her and her people; a partnership of mutual respect not of donor and dependent. She emphasized that climate change was a significant root cause of poverty and had to be addressed.

Ways that we can speak out are varied but include writing and visiting our representatives in support of development aid, and in support of fulfilling our obligations to the Millennium Development Goals that address the root causes of poverty, this would include fairer trade policies (such as farm subsidies included in the farm bill,) supporting the Education for all Act and relief of crippling international debt.

We can tell our friends and acquaintances at church about the desires and goals of this humble yet very wise Kenyan lady. We are to speak out about poverty, inequality and climate change. This was perhaps the most surprising impression from her talk: climate change and poverty are inextricably linked and must be addressed as a root cause of poverty.

may we suggest you get to know someone from the global south or someone who is or has lived in poverty. Perhaps you might even be able to visit the global south and build a relationship with a community there. Not as someone going to hand out resources, and solve other people’s problems before you even get to know them, but as a friend willing to learn about them, their dreams and goals and the resources they have to work with. Then work together to reach the goals you set together.
So, wake up to poverty, speak up about poverty and join hands with those living in poverty as equal partners in the battle to overcome poverty.