CASA CRY JULY, 2016
HOUSE NEEDS: computer and printer for Sister Pat’s House.
Distributist Economics 101 (Part 2) – Catholic Economics?
In the June newsletter, I contrasted capitalism, communism, and distributism. Distributism was the form of economy advocated by the founders of the Catholic Worker movement—Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Instead of massive ownership in the hands a few rich individuals (capitalism) or in the hands of the state (communism), they envisioned a society of small business owners or cooperative corporations that were employee-owned (distributism).
Though the Catholic Church does not endorse any economic system, distributism has often been viewed as a Catholic economic system. This is largely because distributism was endorsed in the early twentieth century by a number of prominent Catholic authors, including G. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and Fr. Vincent McNabb. Additionally distributist principles were promoted in papal social encyclicals. Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum (1891) stated that the evils of capitalism could be largely ameliorated if workers were paid enough for their families to live frugally and to purchase land. Purchasing land was of primary importance because it would permit workers to become economically independent from capitalist owners once they could produce their own food. Of course, raising one’s own food was more immediately realistic in the latter half of the nineteenth century when 75% of Americans were directly involved in agriculture. Today, less than 2% of Americans are directly involved in agriculture.
In a very real sense, a distributist economy harkens back to a pre-industrial and pre-capitalistic time period. The Catholic writers above saw distributism at its finest during the Middle Ages. Though they did not advocate a return to monarchies, they believed that distributism should be created anew in the present. For Peter Maurin, the French village of his youth, Oultet, served as a model. The family homestead had belonged to his ancestors for over 1,500 years. They lived simply in a village with a couple dozen families, but they had everything they needed.
Under a distributist system, farming would again become the most common way of earning a living. Particularly if we followed Peter’s vision of rejecting industrialism (which not all distributists adhere to), a number of steps would have to be taken to begin making this transition. For example, corporate farms have an unfair advantage because of the subsidies they receive. These subsidies keep food prices low, which is good for consumers, but hurts small family farms. Laws would also have to be passed to limit the wealth of individuals.
A primary concern or argument against distributism is that it would prevent the innovation we have witnessed under capitalism. Innovation is a natural part of the human condition. Humans have been bettering themselves via technological innovation since the beginning of our existence. The mill, plough, and printing press were all great inventions from the distributist era. In contrast, the innovative executives at Enron wreaked havoc on millions of Americans. Racism and sexism are ingrained at a level deeper than economics, though they are often felt and can be measured on an economic level. In its essence, distributism calls us to recognize the inherent dignity and the image of God in every single person from an economic perspective.
------Lincoln Rice, PhD
Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting.
JOKES
A Sign on a Shoe Repair store read: "We will heel you. We will save your sole. We will even dye for you." At an Optometrist's Office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.”
Instead of "the John," I call my toilet "the Jim." That way it sounds better when I say I go to the Jim first thing every morning.
At what age is it appropriate to tell a highway that it has been adopted?
My neighbor is in the Guinness World Book of Records. He has had 44 concussions. He lives only a stone’s throw from our house.
Karate: The ancient art of getting people to buy lots of belts. Did you hear of the new restaurant named Karma? There’s no menu. You get what you deserve.
INTERESTING FACTS
A new Senate report says the Red Cross lied to Congress about how money was used in wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It raised half a billion dollars in donations after the disaster, but 25% of this – about $125 million – was used on its fundraising and program costs rather than on aid in Haiti.
One of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Abu Zubayah, was waterboarded 83 times even though he agreed to talk before he was tortured. ----Democracy Now, 6/17/16
Julian Assange has been in tiny little office in the Ecuadorian embassy for the last 4 years. He, who brought to light a lot about some shameful things done by the U.S. government, has been held in captivity because if he returns to the U.S. he could be imprisoned, just as Manning was, for telling the truth. This is a shame. ----Michael Moore in Salon
Most Americans do not understand the 2nd amendment. If they did, they would admit that the average citizen was not to have a gun. Also, when it was written in 1791, the most powerful gun used was a muzzle loader where the owner had to drop a lead ball on top of gun powder into the barrel of the gun - not close to the 45 rounds a minute of the AR15. May be 1 per minute back then. I can't imagine they could envision the weapons of today. ------Full Frontal
.
Number of U.S. babies born prematurely each year due to air pollution : 16,000 Annual economic cost of U.S. traffic congestion : $160,000,000,000 Portion of U.S. workers who commute alone in a car : ¾
Percentage of the Great Barrier Reef that was bleached this year because of ocean warming : 93 Amount one Colorado county spent in January to arm school security with assault rifles : $12,000 Number of Attawapiskat First Nation tribe members in Canada who attempted suicide on a single day in April : 11 Total number of members in the tribe : 3,544
Percentage of young Iraqis who regard the United States as their enemy : 93% Rank of the United States among countries that Arabs aged 18 to 24 regard as the best in which to live : 2 ---Harper’s Index, July, 2016
Way over $1 billion a day was spent on the invasions by the U.S. military into other countries since 9/11. The invasions ate up 54% of all federal discretionary funds. The U.S. also sends weapons throughout the world, even to countries who commit atrocious human rights violations, -----Portside, 5/31/16
Physicians for Social Responsibility calculates the body count of the Iraq War between 1.3 million and 2 million. If you add the 1.7 million killed by the sanctions in the 1991 war on Iraq to those killed by the U.S. in Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and now Syria, the death toll since Operation Desert Storm is well over 4 million.
A New Hampshire car dealer, Hagan’s Motor Pool Auto Repair and Sales, is offering everyone who buys a car a free AR-15 assault rifle, a type of weapon similar to the one used in the Orlando LGBT nightclub massacre. Or the buyer may opt for a free 9mmm handgun. ----The Guardian, 6/17/16
After the Orlando killings, U.S. gun companies’ shares rose. Smith & Wesson shares closed up 6.9% while Sturm, Ruger and Co. saw its shares finish up 8.5%. If people worry about gun control laws there is usually a rise in gun sales. ---BBC
The five wealthiest countries — which make up half the global economy — are hosting less than 5 percent of the world’s refugees, while 86 percent of refugees are in poorer developing countries that are often struggling to meet the needs of their own people. The five countries that have taken the most refugees, on the other hand, are all developing nations. Together, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Pakistan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories host a staggering 50 percent of the world’s refugees, even though they make up less than 1.5 percent of the world’s economy.
Japan has taken by far the least, with China and the U.S. following behind. The tiny nations of Jordan and Lebanon have taken by far the most, with one refugee for every roughly three or four people in their countries.----Oxfam America
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NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: I was in the backyard early this morning. All was fresh and green before the heat of the sun dried the dew off the grass and flowers. A very gentle breeze blew against my cheek, like a caress. I felt blessed. Later I thought of the 49 people in Orlando who will never experience another summer morning or the children and teachers of Sandy Hook or the young man who died in a nearby alley. The National Riflemen Association and the members of Congress and Senate have blood on their hands. The people want to end the proliferation of guns and assault weapons, but the power of the N.R.A. brings our government to its knees. They bow to the power of money rather than to the sacredness of life. Love & truth will win out, but how many more lives will be lost? Peace, Roberta
HOUSE NEEDS: computer and printer for Sister Pat’s House.
Distributist Economics 101 (Part 2) – Catholic Economics?
In the June newsletter, I contrasted capitalism, communism, and distributism. Distributism was the form of economy advocated by the founders of the Catholic Worker movement—Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Instead of massive ownership in the hands a few rich individuals (capitalism) or in the hands of the state (communism), they envisioned a society of small business owners or cooperative corporations that were employee-owned (distributism).
Though the Catholic Church does not endorse any economic system, distributism has often been viewed as a Catholic economic system. This is largely because distributism was endorsed in the early twentieth century by a number of prominent Catholic authors, including G. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and Fr. Vincent McNabb. Additionally distributist principles were promoted in papal social encyclicals. Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum (1891) stated that the evils of capitalism could be largely ameliorated if workers were paid enough for their families to live frugally and to purchase land. Purchasing land was of primary importance because it would permit workers to become economically independent from capitalist owners once they could produce their own food. Of course, raising one’s own food was more immediately realistic in the latter half of the nineteenth century when 75% of Americans were directly involved in agriculture. Today, less than 2% of Americans are directly involved in agriculture.
In a very real sense, a distributist economy harkens back to a pre-industrial and pre-capitalistic time period. The Catholic writers above saw distributism at its finest during the Middle Ages. Though they did not advocate a return to monarchies, they believed that distributism should be created anew in the present. For Peter Maurin, the French village of his youth, Oultet, served as a model. The family homestead had belonged to his ancestors for over 1,500 years. They lived simply in a village with a couple dozen families, but they had everything they needed.
Under a distributist system, farming would again become the most common way of earning a living. Particularly if we followed Peter’s vision of rejecting industrialism (which not all distributists adhere to), a number of steps would have to be taken to begin making this transition. For example, corporate farms have an unfair advantage because of the subsidies they receive. These subsidies keep food prices low, which is good for consumers, but hurts small family farms. Laws would also have to be passed to limit the wealth of individuals.
A primary concern or argument against distributism is that it would prevent the innovation we have witnessed under capitalism. Innovation is a natural part of the human condition. Humans have been bettering themselves via technological innovation since the beginning of our existence. The mill, plough, and printing press were all great inventions from the distributist era. In contrast, the innovative executives at Enron wreaked havoc on millions of Americans. Racism and sexism are ingrained at a level deeper than economics, though they are often felt and can be measured on an economic level. In its essence, distributism calls us to recognize the inherent dignity and the image of God in every single person from an economic perspective.
------Lincoln Rice, PhD
Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and take without forgetting.
JOKES
A Sign on a Shoe Repair store read: "We will heel you. We will save your sole. We will even dye for you." At an Optometrist's Office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.”
Instead of "the John," I call my toilet "the Jim." That way it sounds better when I say I go to the Jim first thing every morning.
At what age is it appropriate to tell a highway that it has been adopted?
My neighbor is in the Guinness World Book of Records. He has had 44 concussions. He lives only a stone’s throw from our house.
Karate: The ancient art of getting people to buy lots of belts. Did you hear of the new restaurant named Karma? There’s no menu. You get what you deserve.
INTERESTING FACTS
A new Senate report says the Red Cross lied to Congress about how money was used in wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It raised half a billion dollars in donations after the disaster, but 25% of this – about $125 million – was used on its fundraising and program costs rather than on aid in Haiti.
One of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Abu Zubayah, was waterboarded 83 times even though he agreed to talk before he was tortured. ----Democracy Now, 6/17/16
Julian Assange has been in tiny little office in the Ecuadorian embassy for the last 4 years. He, who brought to light a lot about some shameful things done by the U.S. government, has been held in captivity because if he returns to the U.S. he could be imprisoned, just as Manning was, for telling the truth. This is a shame. ----Michael Moore in Salon
Most Americans do not understand the 2nd amendment. If they did, they would admit that the average citizen was not to have a gun. Also, when it was written in 1791, the most powerful gun used was a muzzle loader where the owner had to drop a lead ball on top of gun powder into the barrel of the gun - not close to the 45 rounds a minute of the AR15. May be 1 per minute back then. I can't imagine they could envision the weapons of today. ------Full Frontal
.
Number of U.S. babies born prematurely each year due to air pollution : 16,000 Annual economic cost of U.S. traffic congestion : $160,000,000,000 Portion of U.S. workers who commute alone in a car : ¾
Percentage of the Great Barrier Reef that was bleached this year because of ocean warming : 93 Amount one Colorado county spent in January to arm school security with assault rifles : $12,000 Number of Attawapiskat First Nation tribe members in Canada who attempted suicide on a single day in April : 11 Total number of members in the tribe : 3,544
Percentage of young Iraqis who regard the United States as their enemy : 93% Rank of the United States among countries that Arabs aged 18 to 24 regard as the best in which to live : 2 ---Harper’s Index, July, 2016
Way over $1 billion a day was spent on the invasions by the U.S. military into other countries since 9/11. The invasions ate up 54% of all federal discretionary funds. The U.S. also sends weapons throughout the world, even to countries who commit atrocious human rights violations, -----Portside, 5/31/16
Physicians for Social Responsibility calculates the body count of the Iraq War between 1.3 million and 2 million. If you add the 1.7 million killed by the sanctions in the 1991 war on Iraq to those killed by the U.S. in Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and now Syria, the death toll since Operation Desert Storm is well over 4 million.
A New Hampshire car dealer, Hagan’s Motor Pool Auto Repair and Sales, is offering everyone who buys a car a free AR-15 assault rifle, a type of weapon similar to the one used in the Orlando LGBT nightclub massacre. Or the buyer may opt for a free 9mmm handgun. ----The Guardian, 6/17/16
After the Orlando killings, U.S. gun companies’ shares rose. Smith & Wesson shares closed up 6.9% while Sturm, Ruger and Co. saw its shares finish up 8.5%. If people worry about gun control laws there is usually a rise in gun sales. ---BBC
The five wealthiest countries — which make up half the global economy — are hosting less than 5 percent of the world’s refugees, while 86 percent of refugees are in poorer developing countries that are often struggling to meet the needs of their own people. The five countries that have taken the most refugees, on the other hand, are all developing nations. Together, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Pakistan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories host a staggering 50 percent of the world’s refugees, even though they make up less than 1.5 percent of the world’s economy.
Japan has taken by far the least, with China and the U.S. following behind. The tiny nations of Jordan and Lebanon have taken by far the most, with one refugee for every roughly three or four people in their countries.----Oxfam America
**************
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: I was in the backyard early this morning. All was fresh and green before the heat of the sun dried the dew off the grass and flowers. A very gentle breeze blew against my cheek, like a caress. I felt blessed. Later I thought of the 49 people in Orlando who will never experience another summer morning or the children and teachers of Sandy Hook or the young man who died in a nearby alley. The National Riflemen Association and the members of Congress and Senate have blood on their hands. The people want to end the proliferation of guns and assault weapons, but the power of the N.R.A. brings our government to its knees. They bow to the power of money rather than to the sacredness of life. Love & truth will win out, but how many more lives will be lost? Peace, Roberta