WCAT Radio The Open Door (October 27, 2017)

Health and Welfare. In recognizing all persons’ equal right to life, we call for the government’s assurance of a robust safety net to stop preventable deaths and reduce affronts to human dignity due to inadequate nutrition, clothing, shelter, safety or health care. We also recognize that meaningful work according to a person’s abilities is essential to human dignity, whether or not this work is remunerated by a market economy.We, therefore, support:Diverse efforts across this country to secure universal health care access, affordability and outcomes, including single-payer health initiatives, healthcare cooperatives, and hybrid systems at the state and national level.Maintenance of crucial federal programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or “food stamps”), housing initiatives, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Regular reform of these programs is essential, provided that they are not reduced without another adequate safety net being in place.Allowing states to experiment with alternative income support approaches, such as Universal Basic Income, as a replacement for the myriad means-tested programs currently in place.A health and welfare system that includes conscience protections for employers and charities that do not wish to participate in activities that contradict their sincerely held moral convictions.Assurance of a living minimum wage, calculated by the cost of raising a family on a single income in each given municipality, for all full-time workers.Retirement security for seniors through adequately-funded Social Security and other public pension systems.