Choice Matching

Choice Matching

Dear Rep. Terri Sewell, and Sen. Richard Shelby,

I write to you as a citizen of your district who has operated a business in Tuscaloosa, AL for 45 years, first known as Cooper Cabinets. I passed the business along a few years ago to a younger person and am now in private practice as a Spiritual Director, promoting Ignatian Spirituality. Although I have participated in many community organizations and faith based groups, and helped found some of them, I have all my life tried to be apolitical until last year when I registered to vote and voted for President Biden as a matter of conscience, believing he would better bring unity to our country than the main alternative, Ex-President Trump, and believing our nation is in serious decline and moral failure. I write to make a suggestion:

In view of the clear and present division in our country, I suggest that we attempt a program as a part of the 1.9 Trillion Dollar proposal President Biden is putting forth that may help heal our nation. One of the main dividing points of our political conundrum is the issue of abortion. I suggest this program be called “Choice Matching.” I regret that the previous administration has allowed so much national debt to pile up to the tune of 27 Trillion Dollars from the previous 19 Trillion Dollars of all other administrations combined in U.S. history. If I were to be seriously political, I believe my personal leanings would be somewhat Libertarian in nature. I personally believe in a small national government and a non-interventionist policy, although I try to be free to see the good in all types of governance’s including those of other nations.

To this end, I suggest that this program be promoted as a matching funds program whereas our government matches the funds “put up where their mouth is” of certain faith based groups, like the Catholic Church, Evangelical Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues, and in addition, Planned Parenthood, and other non-profit groups who would actually administer the program on a local level AND maintain a low percentage administration budget.

The goal would be to give young mothers a choice by having the host organization become a host family to see after their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, not the United States Government. As to the spiritual needs part, I could suggest some ideas in more detail at another time. I feel many young mothers feel they do not have a choice regarding abortion and have nowhere to turn for physical, emotional, and spiritual companionship.

Making this a part of the new assistance program with President Biden, a Roman Catholic who should not believe in abortion as a solution, promoting the idea himself and our Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle joining together on this particular matter should bring healing and unity to our nation as never before. One might say this is an interreligious proposal and an interpolitical proposal. This is already too long, but I think both of you can see the vision behind this seed I am trying to plant and get this to President Biden and VP Harris and others more qualified to develop the idea than I.

Respectfully,

John Cooper

Tuscaloosa, AL