Conservatives ignore some issues

To the editor:

In recent years, I've noticed that conservatives have focused mostly on two moral issues: abortion and gay marriage. Practically everything else has been defined as non-moral in nature. But aren't moral concerns larger than just these two issues?

As a domestic violence counselor, I see a lot of moral issues that require policy change. I see women who return to their abusive husbands, in part, because on low-wage jobs they cannot afford housing, transportation and food for their children. Raising the minimum wage or creating policies that would provide better jobs is a highly moral decision. Failing to do so is also a moral decision.

Isn't having 13 million children in poverty a highly moral issue? By definition, these children do not have adequate nutrition for development.

How about 44 million people without health insurance? Now we have proposed Medicaid cuts, which will hurt the most vulnerable. Aren't these moral issues too? More and more, we have a two-tier educational system with the monied using private schools while the rest are left with poorly funded education. Isn't this a moral issue? My list could go on.

I think there are a lot of highly moral issues that aren't on the conservatives' current list of policy concerns. Many are as compelling as either abortion or gay rights. How and why did children without enough food (even in Cape Girardeau) get omitted from conservative morals? Given all of this, on what basis do they claim moral superiority over liberals?

JOY BELL, Cape Girardeau