The Committee recommends concurrence as amended as follows:
Delete the word "Whereas" at the beginning of the first four paragraphs and substitute a period for ; in the body of the paragraph and for the words "; and" at the end of the paragraphs.
In the second paragraph, third sentence, delete "a whole range of such" and insert "such" between "issues" and "as".
In the fourth paragraph, remove the periods in the sentences and the word "The" and replace them with ", but these", delete "nonetheless" and delete "in the coming national welfare debate."
Rewrite and add to the sentence which begins with "Therefore," so that it now reads:
We call upon the 1996 General Conference of the United Methodist Church to
adopt that the following statement, "Principles of Welfare
Reform," and have it be sent to the President of the United States,
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the United States
Senate Majority Leader.:In addition, Annual
Conferences are asked to send this statement to appropriate state
officials.
The statement itself was not changed.
The amended introduction now reads:
Whereas, aAs people of faith and religious commitment,
we are called to stand with and seek justice for people who are
poor.; cCentral to our religious traditions,
sacred texts, and teachings is a divine mandate to side with and protect the
poor.; wWe share a conviction, therefore, that
welfare reforms must not focus on eliminating programs but on eliminating
poverty and the damage it inflicts on children (who are 2/3 of all welfare
recipients), on their parents, and on the rest of society.;
and
Whereas, wWe recognize the benefit to the entire
community of helping people move from welfare into the job market when possible
and appropriate.; wWe fear, however, that reform
will fail if it ignores labor market issues such as unemployment and an
inadequate minimum wage and important family issues such as the affordability
of child care and the economic value of care-giving in the
home.; sSuccessful welfare reform will depend on
addressing these concerns as well as a whole range of such
related issues such as pay equity, affordable housing, and the
access to health care.; and
Whereas, wWe believe that people are more important
than the sum of their economic activities.;
sSuccessful welfare reform demands more than economic
incentives and dis-incentives; it depends on overcoming both biased assumptions
about race, gender, and class that feed hostile social stereotypes about people
living in poverty and suspicions that people with perspectives other than our
own are either indifferent or insincere.;
sSuccessful welfare reform will depend ultimately upon finding
not only a common ground of policies but a common spirit about the need to
pursue them for all.; and
Whereas, tThe following principles do not exhaust our
concerns nor resolve all issues raised,. Thebut
these principles will serve nonetheless as our guide in
assessing proposed legislation. in the coming national welfare
debate; wWe hope they may also serve as a rallying point for a
common effort with others throughout the nation.
Therefore, be it resolved, We call upon the 1996 General
Conference of the United Methodist Church to adopt that
the following statement, "Principles of Welfare Reform," and have it be
sent to the President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, and the United States Senate Majority
Leader.:In addition, Annual Conferences are asked to
send this statement to appropriate state officials.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Calendar Item Text: 2143-NonDis1996 United Methodist General Conference