This morning’s visit with Representative Bost’s District Director, David Tanzyus, was mixed.  When we walked into the office, he very concerned as he told us about the death of the receptionist’s daughter. He continued by sharing that he was a social worker.  It gave me some hope that he was a man of compassion.

Sister Mary Ellen Lacy, Sister Gwen Hennessey, Sister Quincy Howard, and myself joined with two constituents, Larry Evans and Cheryl Sommer, as they shared their stories of health care issues and pain because of losing health care insurance.

Larry’s son was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and nearly bled to death. At the time of the second incident, he was laid off with decreased pension and no health insurance.  Cheryl had five children and is now raising her granddaughter while relying on the Affordable Care Act.

David’s response shifted. The questions raised by Larry and Cheryl about the ACA were not answered and in fact, dismissed. The statements from Mary Ellen and Quincy, from Network about the House Farm Bill and the tax policy were also denied and dismissed.

The most heard phrase heard as we left the office was that the encounter was a display of “indifference.”

After the visit, we headed outside to rally for accountability, and a small crowd had gathered. Rev. Norma Patterson spoke powerfully about the needs of local communities. We told the crowd about our lobby visit, and Larry and Cheryl shared their personal stories of how this tax law is hurting and will continue to hurt their families. We look forward to hearing more stories as we journey on!

View more pictures from the event here.

Excitement always mounts inside ‘The Bus’ as we pull up for a town hall, rally, press conference or lobby visit. Hospitality always awaits us. Parishioners at St. Joseph University Parish in Buffalo, NY invited us to come early for a delicious, amazing supper. After supper we arrived at the church to be warmly welcomed by 400 strong who came out on a work night to participate in the town hall. Representative Brian Higgins, the congressman for the Buffalo area, welcomed the Sisters and affirmed the parish for their justice work.

The goal of the Nuns on the Bus town halls is to demonstrate who receives benefits from the Republican-passed 2017 Tax Law, and who loses the most if the programs Republicans propose cutting (to pay for the tax law) materializes. At the town hall, we visualized for the audience who benefits and who loses starkly: revealing that wealthy individuals and corporations overwhelmingly benefit, while the lowest income bracket would fall even farther behind. Participants were then invited to engage in conversation on two questions: 1) how do the tax cuts impact Buffalo, and 2) what are some solutions?

Buffalo is among the poorest cities in the country. Among the problems identified here were segregation and growing isolation, lack of affordable housing, education especially for poor children, transportation, increase in crime and hunger.  The solutions included the need to become politically involved, build relationships across neighborhoods, support legislators that are working on behalf of the people, and use the media to communicate priorities.

So many expressed an appreciation for the quality of the conversations they engaged in at the town hall. The evening culminated in the much-anticipated opportunity to sign the bus. The stories we hear and the people we meet at each stop figuratively join us on the bus for the remainder of the tour.

Day 15 was a busy one! We began with a lobby visit at the office of Keith Rothfus in Beaver, PA. Representative Rothfus’s Field Director, Patty Hoover, met with a contingency of the Nuns on the Bus including Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS; Sr. Richelle Fuiedman, PBVM; and myself. But the most important members of the group were Representative Rothfus’s four local constituents. They were disappointed not to be meeting with Rep. Rothfus himself, but Patty explained that that he was an extreme introvert and didn’t meet with his constituents because he was so shy.

Erin Gabriel is a young mother with four children who all have autism. Her youngest daughter, Abby, was with her today. Abbey has multiple complex medical challenges in addition to her autism. She is both nonverbal and non-ambulatory. Erin expressed the fear and extreme anxiety she experiences around the proposed cuts to Medicaid/Medicare and what they would mean for Abby’s quality of life. Erin said her biggest fear is that Abby might beat the odds and outlive her mother, wondering what will happen to her daughter and who would provide for her needs.

Erin challenged Rep. Rothfus’s professed pro-life stance, saying that it isn’t pro-life to not protect the people who are so vulnerable that they depend on the social support services for their very survival. Erin believes those kind of policies actually encourage abortion because people are afraid they can’t afford to support a child with special needs.

 Barbara Yorns lives in public senior housing and said that the 100 or so people she lives with are all dependent on their Medicaid. They are all very worried because they are barely surviving as it is, and any cuts would be catastrophic for them.

Don Crutchman is an organic farmer who shared how concerned he is about the lack of support for the immigrants that come to our country. He said what a benefit they are to our economy and is distressed that Representative Rothfus doesn’t take a stronger stand in opposition to party line rhetoric on immigration and the rest of the party line itself. He challenged Rep. Rothfus to offer new solutions to divisive issues, and to represent the wishes of his constituents over those of the Republican Party. 

Ms. Hoover defended Rep. Rothfus’s position on the tax policy and the reasons he supported its passing. We asked her to communicate to him that the deficit created by tax breaks benefiting corporations and the 1% should not be made up at the expense of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

After leaving Beaver, we grabbed lunch-to-go and headed for a rally in Erie, PA. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Mayor Joe Schember, Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper, and NAACP President, Gary Horton. Sisters from local communities led all gathered in prayer and song, singing, “Justice Will Roll.”

Ms. Dahlkemper talked about the historic poverty of the region and how strongly the proposed cuts to basic services will affect people already really struggling to get by. Mr. Horton told us that Erie County is the worst county in the country, in economic terms, for a black person to live. A young member of NAACP explained how difficult it is to manage school debt, and challenged the audience to vote for policies that help young adults pursue education and career aspirations, and to recognize the investment that is our shared future.

Terri Hulihan is a constituent who shared her story of going from a successful career with a healthy salary and benefits to being dependent on Medicaid/Medicare to cover a series of unexpected and serious surgeries. She was unable to continue working or to find insurance for her now “pre-existing condition.” She said she would not be alive today if it weren’t for the support she got from Medicaid and Medicare, and asked the audience to remember that for many people, these benefits are literally a matter of life or death.

The crowd responded enthusiastically to the chant led by Mr. Horton: “When we vote, we win!” We left with a stack of signed cards on which people pledged to support reasonable revenue for responsible programs and many more signatures on the bus!

My one-week journey from Omaha to Cleveland as one of the Nuns on the Bus was inspiring and exhausting. Yet if invited to join my Sisters on the bus, I would do it again. Why, I ask myself, would I put myself through 15-hour days of travel on a bus, rallies, town halls and attempts to talk with congressional representatives? What comes to me is the people we met and the stories of their struggles to survive, let alone to thrive, in our current trickle-down economy.

People all over the country told their stories at rallies and then went with us to the offices of their representatives to tell their stories again. And then we visited the programs and service providers with wraparound services to ensure care of the whole person: for people who are experiencing homelessness, without health insurance, struggling with trauma, or incarcerated.

These responsible programs, which stretch and leverage every government dollar they receive with private donations and philanthropy, are facing an unknown economic future now that step two – cutting social programs to offset the 2017 Tax Law – is being raised in the halls of Congress.  This journey on the bus has deepened my conviction that “We the People” are at a critical decision point in our democracy in how we “promote the general welfare” promised to one another in our Constitution.

The journey of Nuns on the Bus is all about lifting the stories of real lives, concrete challenges, responsible programs and policies that support them.  What we heard at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) in Cleveland broke our hearts but lifted them up to the abundant possibilities for good.  This is Tricia’s story:

“I have lived a pretty normal life. Two active children and a house with the white picket fence.  My son is a soccer star.  My daughter is involved in cheerleading.  You could say I was the typical soccer mom.  I had a good job with benefits.  Then the fateful day came when the sheriff came to the door.  Our house was being foreclosed on.  I was frantic.  After I got myself together I went into the boxes in the basement that contained our financial papers only to discover that my husband had not been paying anything.  I couldn’t believe it.  What I discovered was that he had a gambling addiction and had emptied our banking account.  How could I not have known about this?  Then I made a very bad decision — I embezzled funds from the company I worked for.  This landed me in federal prison. But with the help of Lutheran Metro Ministry (LMM)I have possibilities for my future!”

Tricia’s story is only one of many that Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry has transformed through its incredible programming.  Through its innovative Chopping for Change Program, LMM collaborates with the Ohio prison system to prepare motivated female inmates to enter the workforce after they have served their time.  While only two years old, Chopping for Change has served 100 women and had a 90% graduation rate and a 95 % non-recidivism rate.

Chopping for Change not only gives participants an intensive training and certification in food services, but also provides job readiness skills such as resume writing and interviewing.  Perhaps its most essential component is the 3-month therapeutic phase which includes a creative element.  In addition to Chopping for Change (a workforce development initiative) LMM also operates a large shelter for men and helps coordinate available shelter space, an adult guardianship program, youth services, and a health and wellness program.

Not only does Chopping for Change impact the women in the training program, it also impacts others in the Cleveland community.  Through its culinary arts program, the women help feed over 2,000 a day for the homeless and in the summer an additional approximately 7,500 lunches for kids.

The success of this program has garnered the attention of an independent film production company who is working on a documentary that will feature some of the women we met.  It will air next year.

Not only were tears shed by those of us on the tour, but we were encouraged by the dedication and commitment of everyone involved.  It is programs such as these that propel Nuns on the Bus to get on the road as such programs depend on federal, state and local funding.  Most importantly, they are effective!

Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry is an example of the responsible programs that need responsible revenue to continue.  These very programs are most at risk of being defunded by the GOP tax bill.  Who We Elect Matters!

The third leg of the Nuns on the Bus journey began in Cleveland with an orientation for myself and the other newly arrived Sisters. Together we traveled to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron.  This church community has a rich history with the memory of Sojourner Truth’s great speech “Ain’t I A Woman?” which she delivered in Akron during the Women’s Convention of 1851. The gathered community reflected this kind of energy, commitment, and a vision for change.

Rev. Tim Temerson gave us a warm welcome as he introduced Sister Simone and the Nuns.  To set the stage, Joe Sanberg, a well-known entrepreneur who worked to pass a state Earned Income Tax Credit in California spoke out of his experience of growing up as child in a low income family.  He remembers how hard his mother worked and how they barely had enough to make ends meet.  He asked us to close our eyes and remember a time when we weren’t sure how we would pay a bill. He said that this is the way half the families in our country live which provoked the question, “Why is this happening?” He asked, “Who is in the heart of our politicians?”

Sister Simone unpacked the truth about the recently passed Republican tax law and the way it shifts money to those at the top of the economic ladder, increases the national deficit and threatens funding for life-giving programs.  We broke into small groups and there was animated discussion on how this is impacting Ohio. Some of the issues raised were: inadequate housing, limited resources for schools in low income neighborhoods and concerns about healthcare coverage.  One elderly woman spoke of the difficulty of living on social security and the various senior citizens who are strapped for money and preyed upon to sell their homes for cash, because buyers can get a low price.  Another person shared concern about the increase infant mortality rate, especially in the black community.

There was general agreement that a major solution to these issues is to get out the vote in our midterm elections in order to elect legislators who work for the common good, and end the gerrymandering and control of dark money from outside sources. At this point, Betsy Rader, Congressional candidate for Ohio’s 14th district, stepped forward and shared her experience of growing up in poverty, becoming a civil rights lawyer and being absolutely convinced that government should represent “We the People.”

In the spirit of Sojourner Truth’s work for liberation and care for the most vulnerable, we continue our Tax Justice Truth Tour to expose the injustice of the tax law and the truth that the just distribution of resources is a moral obligation.

We woke up at St. Theresa’s convent where five Passionist Sisters serving the Hispanic people of Lansing had welcomed us to stay the night. Our first destination for the day was Cass Community Social Services in Detroit.

The visit was all that we could have hoped for and more. 24 years ago Rev. Faith Fowler and the Cass Community Methodist Church began what has become an amazing array of services to people who are experiencing homelessness. Now, Cass Community Social Services provides services that allow persons to have access to food, recovery, physical and mental health, employment, recycling and even homes in the form of tiny houses! Rev. Fowler stressed that tiny houses are a tool, a tool to provide persons who are “renters then owners” with dignity, economic mobility, sustainable energy, and community.We were privileged to tour and speak with residents who beamed with pride in their homes and the support they give and receive to their neighbors. We left Detroit for Cleveland enlivened and filled with hope on seeing how a vision of home ownership and economic mobility can be a sustainable reality.

In Cleveland we visited Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) where Drew Genszler and the staff of LMM opened our eyes and our hearts to how their services impact people who are homeless, youth at risk; older adults who are vulnerable, people impacted by the criminal justice system and individuals with behavioral health needs. LMM’s unwavering commitment to helping people as they journey towards self-sufficiency was so movingly witnessed by five women in their “Chopping for Change” program. These women shared their stories as well as serving food they had cooked with their newly acquired culinary skills. This innovative re-entry partnership between LMM, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry provide pre-release workforce training and behavioral health services for people who are in the criminal justice system. Since beginning in 2016, 40 women have been released from prison and gained employment through this program.And there has been 0% recidivism!

The women’s stories so powerfully demonstrated that life is about change and, when given the tools, they embraced a second chance. While nationally the recidivism rate is 49.5% in Ohio, because of the policies they’ve put in place, it is 27.5%! Hurrah for such creative private/public partnerships. LMM’s programs are indeed responsible programs that maximize the federal, state, and county revenues raised through taxation. May Chopping for Change not be on the chopping block to pay for the 2017 tax law. What an end to this the second leg for the Nuns on the Bus Tax Justice Truth Tour.