8/9/2019 January 2008 Resolutions to Action Leadership Conference of Women Religious

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/january-2008-resolutions-to-action-leadership-conference-of-women-religious 1/2

Resolutions LCWR Global Concerns Committee

Volume 17, Number 1  January 2008

To Action 

LCWR8808 Cameron StreetSilver Spring, MD 20910301-588-4955fax: 301-587-4575mlucey@lcwr.org

NETWORK Education Coordinator Sara Dwyer, ASC,assisted by NETWORK lobbyists Catherine Pinkerton, CSJ and Marge Clark, BVM

www.lcwr.org

EXPERIENCE

Resolutions to Action is an occasional publica-tion of the Global Concerns Committee of the

Leadership Conference of Women Religious(LCWR). Members of the committee are:Carol Descoteaux, CSC; Jacquelyn Doepker,OSF; Andrea Nenzel, CSJP; Joy Peterson,PBVM; Susan Schorsten, HM; KathleenStorms, SSND; and Marie Lucey, OSF, staff.Please address correspondence to:

2008 Elections: From ‘YOYO’ to ‘WITT’ Economics

Sia AnaysisDomestic economic justiceis essentially a vision anda mission for all people ofgood will who are concerned

for the common good.

Our experience reflects the reality thatthere is widespread economic inse-curity in the United States. Even inthe campaign debates, little energy orcritical analysis is given to determin-ing and addressing the root causes ofour domestic economic disarray.

In the US Constitution, we set forththe responsibility of the governmentto “promote the general welfare,”not just “provide for the commondefense.” However, the option ofsplitting the difference between fund-ing levels in the President’s budgetrequest and what Congress passedwas flatly refused by the Administra-tion. The impact of an omnibus basedon the President’s proposed budgetwill be: families eliminated from theWIC program (even as waiting listsgrow), more Section 8 housing vouch-ers lost, more children in unsafesituations as parents are denied childcare assistance for appropriate child

care, support services denied to specialneeds children, and continued danger tothe resources of our planet.

Non-profits, faith-based groups,private and public sector need towork and lobby together to create

a more just and equitable economy. Wemust seek the root causes of the economicand social problems and move to enactpolicies that will have long-term impacton creating a new and sustainable reality.

Catholic Social Tradition maintains thatcivil authority ultimately exists to achievethe common good (Gaudium et Spes, #26and Pacem in Terris, #11). When the pub-lic sector fails or is unable to meet the hu-man needs of people, then people mustwork through the government to meetthem. The degree to which a governmentaccepts this responsibility becomes thelitmus test for what constitutes a goodsociety. We need to focus our politicalwill to make domestic economic justice apriority.

In All Together Now, Jared Bernsteinpromotes the urgency to shift from YOYO(you’re-on-your-own) economics to WITT(we-are-in-this-together) economics.

A significant segment of the Americanpopulation, including members ofCongress and the President, supportand defend the YOYO, radical indi-vidualistic approach. By not favoringgovernment intervention, the marketis allowed to operate virtually withoutrestraint. This approach endorses themarket’s ability to maximize growthand accepts economic inequalities as asituation created by unfortunate choicesand not a result of unfair policies.

The YOYO approach underminesCatholic Social Tradition (CST). Thevalue and strengths of a free market arerecognized by CST but it also recog-nizes the limitations of the market. Theeconomic hardships endured by many

8/9/2019 January 2008 Resolutions to Action Leadership Conference of Women Religious

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/january-2008-resolutions-to-action-leadership-conference-of-women-religious 2/2

Atin

Refetin

over the last years reflect the impact ofthe YOYO approach.

WITT is not free of costs, limits, andpotential flaws, but it seeks the best of

 both the free market and good govern-ment involvement for all and by all. B

y this time next year, we will

have elected a new President aswell as some new members to

Congress. So, as we enter more deeplyinto this election year, we need to takethe needed time to educate, lobby, andadvocate for domestic economic justiceand enter into the process of formulat-ing a new vision for this nation basedon the principle of the common good.

In 2004, only 55% of eligible votersresponsibly exercised their right to vote.As faithful disciples and responsible cit-

izens, we are challenged to exercise ourpolitical responsibilities and encourageothers to do so, too. For the sake of our

In Economic Justice for All, the bish-ops’ clearly state: “Decisions must

 be judged in light of what they dofor the poor, what they do to the poor,and what they enable the poor to dofor themselves. The fundamental moral

criterion for all economic decisions,policies, and institutions is this: Theymust be at the service of all people,especially the poor.” #24

Are we actively involved in clearly de-fining and articulating what constitutesa new direction that serves the commongood? Can we articulate the criterion

 by which we can constantly measure itsvalidity? Finally, will we who defineauthentic politics as a ministry of justicehave the courage to maintain oversight

of our political leaders and hold themresponsible for the implementation ofthis new direction?

Our Scriptures abound with storieswhere the purpose of the message isto “afflict the comfortable and comfortthe afflicted.” We cannot afford to becomplacent; our complicity is of moralconcern.

Virtues of democracy, freedom, solidar-ity, and love require that we encounter

one another as sister and brother — asone with one another and the universe.We need to understand justice spiri-tuality as being in right relationshipsas members of a global communityand the universe. We must right theecological dilemma which our currentnational leadership fails to acknowl-edge or address. Then, perhaps it will

 be said of us: “…See how they love oneanother.”

“living democracy” and our crediblewitness as a nation, we must voice ourvalues with a vote and then work withthe new leadership to achieve a just andequitable society.

Therefore, it is imperative that we selectpolitical leaders who will:

Support the creation of jobs offer-ing a living wageInvest in education and skill train-ingEnsure universal access to afford-able health careProvide adequate child-care as-sistanceImprove Temporary Assistancefor Needy Families (TANF) andEarned Income Tax Credits (EITC)

•

•

•

•

•

W w dfin ut os s  stry juc 

hv t curag t t vrig ur oc leadrs 

n hol t pbl  fr t lmti  ts rei? 

Address the growing wealthdisparitySupport progressive tax policies for

those in the top % of incomeEndorse affordable housing initia-tivesRecognize our global citizenshipAddress the root causes of immi-gration issuesSustain pressure to sign tradeagreements that respect theenvironment and promote mutualdevelopment of both parties to theagreement

A few other possibilities are:

Volunteer with the Election Com-mission as a poll watcher, driver orregistration table assistantHost a voter registration fairParticipate in a caucus, town hallmeeting or other legislative action,Write an Op-Ed or letter to theEditorRe-read the 10th AnniversaryEdition of Economic Justice ForAll, and/or Forming Consciencesfor Faithful Citizenship: A Call toPolitical Responsibility from the

USCCBSponsor a book club to discuss AllTogether Now by Jared Bernstein;The End of Poverty by JefferySachs; Living Democracy byFrances Moore Lappe or a book ofyour choosing on economic justiceand the state of democracy in theUnited States.Visit a new web site or a favoriteone for resources:

www.usccb.org/cchd/pover-tyusa; and all related sites;

www.catholiccharitiesUSA.org;www.americanprogress.orgwww.networklobby.orgwww.educationforjustice.orgwww.bread.org/; Bread for theWorldwww.cbpp.org; Center onBudget and Policy Prioritieswww.epinet.org ; EconomicPolicy Institute

 

•

•

•

••

•

•

••

•

•

•

•

•

•

••••

•

•