Issues on Religion

Historically, religion has always been associated with government and politics. Much of the history of the Western world involves the influence of Catholicism and, subsequently, the Protestantschisms. The first settlers to the U.S. arrived primarily because of religious motivations. In reality, religion has been less influential during the past half century. Modern governments, especially in the developed world, have been profoundly influenced by Democratic principles which emphasize the importance of the common man and a sharing of the world's resources. Recently, though, the United States has been profoundly affected by two important religious-based political phenomena. As the military leader of the Western world, the U.S. has been targeted by Muslim extremists who are bitterly opposed to many Western values – perhaps the most important being the open displays of sexual imagery which dominate Western films, television programming and advertising. George W. Bush has been very receptive to what he describes as "faith based" initiatives and at least some of his political success can be attributed to his religious beliefs. Christian vote was significantly in support of Bush while those professing no religion voted overwhelmingly for Kerry. Generally, the more advanced the economy, the less importance the public gives to religion. The concept of separation of church and state does not mean that churches should not have influence in public affairs. Rather, it is associated with the idea that governments should not favor one particular religion over other belief systems. In the modern world, the concept of religious freedom has broad international support. Beginning with the 1948 adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and continuing with the nearly global ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the nations of the world have affirmed the principle that governments have a fundamental responsibility to protect freedom of religion. The absence of institutional integration between church and state does not mean that religions are unconcerned about state matters. In most countries, marriage is recognized as both a religious and civil concept. In many, including the U.S., civil marriage registration is incorporated into the religious ceremony. Religious considerations affect many issues which confront modern governments such as the death penalty, stem cell research, same sex marriage, divorce policy, and abortion. Religion in the modern world is dominated by Christianity and Islam, both of which share an ancestry with Middle East Judaism. It is indeed fascinating that these religions, which began in such a small and remote area, could have so quickly and universally spread throughout most of the world. The U.S. remains overwhelmingly Christian although the percentage of the population indicating this preference has dropped from over 90% to 75% over the last 20 years.

Budget and Tax Policy Issues

Our government responsibility is divided between the federal government, the states, and local government; taxes are collected by all of these branches. Income tax is the principal tax collected by the federal government. Federal tax level ranged between 17% and 20% during recent decades until it precipitously dropped under the 17% level because of the Bush Administration tax cuts. Defense expenditures have gone down while Social Security, Medicare and interest expenses have gone up. When the state and local government sector of the economy is added, the total government portion of the GDP is between 25% and 30%. This rate of government spending and revenue is approximately equivalent to Japan and far less than Canada and other European countries. a budget deficit occurs when taxes do not generate enough income to cover the costs of government programs. When there is high unemployment, tax revenues will decrease but government spending will not correspondingly decrease unless Congress cuts spending programs. Congress accepted much of President Bush's proposal for tax relief and passed a major tax reduction package in 2001. Now there is no longer a budget surplus and the budget deficit is growing faster than projected. The income tax is a progressive tax which means that individuals with larger incomes bear a larger tax burden. The estate tax has been a permanent part of the federal taxation system since 1916. The current estate tax consists of the traditional estate tax, plus two additional components designed to close loopholes. There is a wide difference between the two parties. Republicans favor lower taxes and low marginal rates for the wealthy. Republicans overwhelmingly supported the tax package passed by Congress in 2001. Democrats supported the 1993 legislation which raised the maximum tax rate.