Open Letter To The Catholic Bishops Re: Medicaid

I see the New York State Catholic Conference has published a document (PDF, 70k ) titled, "Statement of Core Principles Regarding Medicaid Reform." (Henceforth known as the Manifesto) The document begins with "... it is only reasonable that one of the largest items in the state’s budget, Medicaid, be examined for savings and efficiencies," then spends the better part of three pages detailing the items that should not be cut and why.

Implicit and explicit in these arguments is that Medicaid be maintained (indeed even expanded according to the paper) for moral reasons. It seems to me to be a suspect moral calculus (particularly one claiming to be Roman Catholic) that defends and promotes the stealing of property. Medicaid is not charity. The money is confiscated from its rightful owners (taxpayers) with threat of force or imprisonment. By my count at least three of the Ten Commandments (7, 9, 10) decry theft in one form or another. Helping one's neighbors is certainly laudable and what we are called to do. But using the legislative process to forcibly take property from its rightful owners is in my view improper and immoral (in addition to being of very questionable economic efficacy). The fact that you can get a majority vote to enable it in a legislature makes it no less theft. Are we to believe the ends justify the means?

Christ implores us to "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" but for those Catholics who are comfortable letting the modern day Caesar take their property and distribute it in an (allegedly) just fashion, consider the following: At one point the Manifesto exclaims "More than $45 million in state and local taxpayer dollars are spent each year on induced abortions through the Medicaid program." Age old wisdom tells us that if you make a deal with the devil you should not be surprised when it does not go your way.

Amazingly, near the end of the document is this statement: "No person or institution should be compelled by law to participate in actions which violate fundamental religious and moral beliefs or mission statements."

I could not possibly have summed it up better; I only wish the previous three pages of the document followed this reasoning.