Tough times are a testing ground for communities. Whether it is illness, death or disaster, we instinctively pull together or drift apart and in the process discover the strength of our bonds. For the State of California, the test sometimes comes to us during a recession and the ensuing budget crisis.

This year, California Legislators and the Governor are facing the resolution of a $15 billion deficit, the result of decreased tax revenue during the recent recession as well as large cuts in the vehicle license fees and other taxes. Recessions hit in cycles and the State faced similar challenges in the early 1970s and early 1990s. The biggest change today, however, is our response.

The Legislature is currently debating whether to cut funding for roads and railways, enrollment at our public universities and the safety net for the poor, or to raise taxes. During the recession 30 years ago, Governor Ronald Reagan embraced a temporary tax on the highest income earners and it was adopted without notable controversy. Thirteen years ago, Governor Pete Wilson adopted the same solution, but received tremendous criticism.

Now, facing a similar crisis, Governor Schwarzenegger is loathe even to consider such an option, because of the growing public hostility towards any sacrifice for the public good.

In the 1950s, California led the nation in its investments in its schools, universities, roads and other infrastructure. In contrast, today every expenditure is a struggle. Something has fundamentally changed and it is deeper than our economy or tax policy. Today individualism appears to have overshadowed the value of community.

In 1950 America saw itself as a nation of citizens, whereas today we refer to ourselves as "consumers" and "taxpayers." The language of the marketplace has displaced the language of community. People vote less today but flock before their televisions for "reality shows" featuring contestants conniving for money. The vision of our society has been transformed from a city on a hill to a free market where the winner takes all.

Although California is far richer today than it was in 1950, the affluence seems to have impoverished our life as a society. Today we travel in separate cars, amuse ourselves with private entertainment centers and shop more than any other people on earth; and we have less time for our families, schools and local communities. Civility --- our ability to get along with one another --- has reached a low point.

In Catholic tradition, we have a word for what is slipping away from us: solidarity. It is a belief that our lives are intimately bound up with one another, and that a diminishment of one is a diminishment of all. The Catholic vision of community stands in stark contrast to the amoral vision of the marketplace, where every transaction is predicated on self-interest.

At Catholic Charities, we see the victims of a belief system that places cheap goods and services above everything else. We see farm workers that can't afford sufficient food for their families, health industry workers that don't have medical insurance coverage, and construction workers that can't afford their own homes. In our vision they are children of God, but in the economy's vision they are expendable.

One way to at least soften the effects on the working poor is through our safety net, but it too is under assault. To look at the issue objectively, it is the lowest income households in California that pay the largest share of their income in State and local taxes. Furthermore, State taxes are no higher today then they were 30 years ago and federal taxes have declined as assistance to the poor has been steadily cut. In other words, the case for the upper two percent income tax brackets is stronger today than when Reagan was governor, even as there appears less public support for them.

The test of a civil society is during a crisis. Is there sufficient solidarity that the society pulls together or does it split into self-interested cliques? In the Hebrew scripture, the treatment of the widow, the orphan and the foreigner was considered a test of the character of the entire society, which as the prophets pointed out, Israel failed several times provoking disastrous consequences. Today, we are challenged with how we treat the very same groups of people.

In the next several weeks, the California Legislature and the Governor will debate solutions to the current budget crisis, offering us as a faith community the opportunity to raise our voices for community solidarity. Given the choice between our individual self-interest and support for the greater good, it is a chance for Catholics to affirm their bond to their brothers and sisters across the State.

Rick Mockler is the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of California. He can be reached at rmockler@cacatholic.org.