Imagine if this were Relief Society

Just happened onto this at a blog of Church Women United. They had reblogged the text from another organization, the Children's Defense Fund. Learn more about Church Women United here.

Keeping a Close Watch on the Budget

Overall, in these tight economic times, the President’s FY 2013 budget proposes critical investments to support healthy child development and fight poverty while taking steps towards addressing inequities in the U.S. tax code. Priorities for increased funding in the President’s budget include education, early childhood development, health and vulnerable youth. Despite this overall good news for children, there is cause for concern. A number of important programs that serve vulnerable children and families face deep budget cuts at a time when the economy has greatly increased the need for safety net services. We must remain vigilant in the weeks, months and years ahead and speak and stand up for the voiceless, voteless children so they do not bear the brunt of budget assaults. Read a full analysis of the President's budget and what it means for children.

We must continue our call for Congress and state governments to choose babies over billionaires and children over corporations. Continue the drumbeat by contacting your Members of Congress and demand the rich and powerful interests pay their fair share rather than continue to receive huge and unfair government subsidies and tax cuts they neither deserve, earned, nor need.

Several possibilities to imagine here.

Imagine that the Relief Society were committed to this kind of social advocacy.

Imagine that the Relief Society maintained a lobbying presence in Washington DC to pursue such advocacy.

Imagine that the Relief Society were de-centralized in such a way that Relief Society units at the state and national level had the autonomy to engage in these kind of initiatives.

Or imagine that the Relief Society had the kind of interfaith-oriented mentality that would prompt it to become one of the denominational women's organizations that belong to Church Women United.

Now ask yourself why these things aren't in fact happening.