Mennonite Weekly Review

My brother-in-law is a terrific guy. He is just the kind of person you would want to marry your only sister — smart, kind, generous, funny.

Tammy Alexander is legislative associate for domestic affairs in the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office.

But, like many families these days, he and my sister have been struggling to make ends meet. He lost his job as manager of a hardware store when the store went out of business.

For the past several months he has only been able to find part-time work, which was not enough to pay the bills. So, after much consideration, he decided to join the National Guard.

I think he and my sister were reluctant to tell me at first, knowing that I’m a pacifist. But, in these tough economic times, I find it difficult to judge his decision. The Guard will not only be an immediate source of income, but will also provide training, which he hopes will be the path to a better job.

My brother-in-law used to tease me about my choice to move to Washington, calling it “ground zero.” At Christmas he told me that if terrorists or nature strike Washington, I just might see him here, lending a hand. That is certainly a noble duty.

But he knows that joining the Guard also leaves open the possibility of being sent to war in Iraq or Afghanistan. And he knows that, should he be wounded or killed, the Guard would help to pay for his four young girls to go to college someday.

In tough economic times, these are the kinds of hard choices facing many families. When the full-time job you had is now part time. When the plant you worked at for years is shutting down. When you wonder how you will continue to feed your family when even the local food bank is running out of food. When your medical bills are piling up because you lost your health insurance along with your job.

The Book of Acts describes an early Christian community sharing resources and providing for those in need. They understood that following Christ’s teachings meant creat-ing a different kind of society: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:34-35).

As the 2010 federal budget process begins and as additional economic stimulus packages look likely, it is important that we press our elected officials to enact policies that move our society closer to this ideal. We can do this by urging policymakers to craft job-creation programs that provide opportunities for both women and men, for people of color, and for those in rural as well as urban areas.

It is vitally important that federal budget priorities reflect the increased need for basic assistance in areas such as hunger and housing. Ask your legislators to fully fund child nutrition programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, as well as affordable housing programs and home heating assistance.

Additionally, in a society where 50 percent of bankruptcies result from medical bills, and where the cost of insurance puts pressure on both families and businesses, urge Congress to tackle health care reform sooner rather than later.

As we each face new personal struggles and seek to help those who have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis, let’s also continue to work to reshape our society in ways that will better share our abundant resources so that all people can live lives of fullness and dignity.