And it came to pass in the days of King Dubya, he is the same Dubya that reigned over fifty states from the distant islands of the great Western Sea to the peninsula of the frozen north, thence across the vast expanse to the great Eastern Sea, northeastward to the village founded by his ancestor Kenneth Bunkport, thence southward to the Land of the Hanging Chad, whence he was anointed, that he assembled his chieftains, advisors, and sages at Bayith Lavan.* The king addressed his courtiers in the following words: "The Lord spoke to me in a still, small voice saying, Go forth and rule over this vast land with a strong arm and an outstretched hand. Do not follow the ways of your predecessor, William the Tikvahite, called by some the man from Hope, who brought prosperity to the land and performed miracles, notably a budget surplus.

Yet, he sinned against Me.

"I swore to the Lord saying that I would not give cause to the ruling councils to do unto me what they did unto William the Tikvahite, that is to ...er, implum, ...er, impineapple..." Whereupon his most trusted advisor, Karl son of Rove whispered in the king's ear, saying, "My lord the king, thou art in the wrong orchard. The word for which thou gropest is 'imPEACH." The king nodded his head and said, "Verily, thou art the wisest among men, Pancho," and those assembled answered Amen.

* that is, White House

After hearing presentations by Professor Marc Stier, faculty member in the Department of Intellectual Heritage at Temple University and community activist and Dr. Walter Tsou, past president of the American Public Health Association and former health commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Board members endorsed current efforts in both houses of the Pennsylvania Legislature to enact legislation addressing this issue.

SB 1137, providing health coverage to about 270,000 uninsured Pennsylvanians, passed the state House of Representatives on March 17 and now goes to the Senate. It establishes the Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care program, covering legal residents ages 19 to 64 who meet income guidelines and who have gone six months without insurance. For those whose income is greater than specified, they are eligible to buy into the program at full cost.

The bill also provides help for smaller low-wage employers to offer workers health insurance. It would be funded with a combination of premiums, federal Medicaid dollars and tobacco settlement money, and by dipping into the medical malpractice insurance fund. Pennsylvania ABC, as the program would be known, would expand the health insurance now offered under the more limited adultBasic insurance program to include prescriptions, behavioral health, prevention and wellness, and chronic disease management.

The following resolution was unanimously adopted by the JSPAN Board:

It is the position of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network that it supports the immediate enactment by the Pennsylvania Legislature of SB 1137. At the national level, JSPAN supports the adoption of a fiscally responsible, affordable, universal single payer health care system for the United States.

JSPAN seeks a different approach to redistricting, drawing from experience elsewhere with citizen commissions and other steps to minimize partisan political abuse of the process. Ken Myers, a Vice President of JSPAN, provided testimony to a committee of the Pennsylvania House this month, urging action on the problem.

Since 1969 I have been practicing law in and around the Philadelphia area. In recent years I served as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer of a diversified financial services company and then as corporate counsel for its parent, the U.S. subsidiary of a multinational company with assorted business interests in the United States.

I just retired and so I now wish to give something back. I became a member of JSPAN in the summer of 2007 because of my interest in its mission. Philosophically I am liberal (progressive) and I am comfortable with JSPAN's views and with what I have seen of its activities. While my tenure at JSPAN has been short I am gratified to find members with such varied experience and achievement in a multitude of social causes. As a neophyte in this arena I hope and expect that my association with the members of JSPAN will allow me to make a meaningful contribution to the world in which I live. I think at some point in our lives each of us has a responsibility, if we are able, to lend our talents and our time to worthwhile causes that benefit others. JSPAN is a good place to start."

• Click here to view JSPAN's article from the April 27, 2007 newsletter on the Higher Education Reform Act.
• Click here to see our letter to Senators Specter and Casey.
• Click here to record your opinions about the Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty

The IJCIC statement, entitled "Seek Peace and Pursue It", addresses those voices speaking "from a stance of moderation, love of God and respect for the dignity of all people." The statement declares "(w)e recognize the great need in our time to allow religion to serve as an inroad between our communities rather than as a divisive wedge."

To read the full statement, click here.

Please remember that JSPAN welcomes your donations to help us continue our important and effective work in Tikkun Olam. You may send gifts via PayPal on www.jspan.org. or to JSPAN, 1735 Market Street, Suite #A417, Philadelphia, PA 19103