What Can Be Done

We may think times are bad now, but it comforts me a bit to remember other times when the political scene was grim. In the early 1970s we had the Sharpstown Scandal, which brought to light unsavory behavior of some of our state’s top officials.

In 1969 the Texas Conference of Churches had been formed from the ecumenical fervor growing out of Vatican II as the first ecumenical organization in the world to include both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Leaders of Texas’ major religious bodies, energized by their new partnership, saw the Sharpstown scandal with dismay and agreed that they could not stand aside and ignore the corruption that was coming to light in our state government. Their response in 1973 was to form the Interfaith Commission on Human Priorities as a means of addressing the political corruption and greed that ignored the needs of poor Texans. As a member of the TCC Division of Church and Society I represented my presbytery in developing that new organization.

At that same time at the national level, the ecumenical movement formed what they called National IMPACT to develop state-level networks to organize people of faith to address issues of social justice. The obvious possibility for Texas was to use the Interfaith Commission as the base for Texas Impact, including the TCC member organizations, and adding the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress.  In 1979 the TCC and Impact joined together to share a staff person to work for both organizations and I was chosen to do that work. I served as director of Texas Impact from 1979 to 1990.

One of my favorite memories as director of Texas Impact was another time when things were grim at the Legislature. In 1987 world oil prices tanked state revenue and Republican Governor Bill Clements instructed legislators to reduce the budget ten percent.  He had been elected on a pledge of “no new taxes,” and no one doubted the sincerity of his promise.

At that time, we had a group called the “Public Interest Lobby,” a network of people who represented all sorts of good causes.  We were all greatly concerned that the already inadequate budget for social services would be reduced. Some of the members of the group, such as doctors and hospitals and nursing homes had more influence than others.  But we collaborated in forming an alliance to stand together and not be picked off one at a time in the budget negotiations. We called our group effort “People First” and I was chosen to lead the group and be its spokesperson.  That was not because I was so cute, but because Impact was known as an organization that worked on behalf of others. I was not there to protect the budget of my organization but to advocate for the needs of families and children, ill and old and disabled people. That absence of self-interest is what gave us the credibility and strength to speak. And it is still an essential part of Impact’s influence and effectiveness.

It took a lot of organized effort by people all across the state, but at the end of the session health and human services spending not only wasn’t reduced but received an increase of ten percent! And the Legislature adopted the largest year-to-year tax increase ever adopted by a state legislature.  And Governor Clements not only allowed it to become law, he signed it!

That was a thrilling example of what can be done when we come together and work for the benefit of people in need. I am thrilled to see what Texas Impact is still doing after all these years.