Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.” —Matthew 23:1-3 Recently your humble servant has been writing about how bishops should be elected by the people of the diocese. While it is an idea that has pleased some, it has been met with derision by others. That has to... Read more
$96,261.00 That’s what the annual salary of a homemaker would be if she was compensated in money for the work she does according to Investopedia in 2012. [1] Investopedia “examined some of the tasks that a homemaker might do to find out how much his or her services would net as individual professional careers,” taking into consideration only homemaker “tasks which have monetary values” using “the lowest value for each calculation.” The professions that went into the calculation were a... Read more
“The Church values the democratic system inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility both of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate,” said St. Pope John Paul II in Centesimus annus. “Thus she cannot encourage the formation of narrow ruling groups which usurp the power of the State for individual interests or for ideological ends.” (Ibid, no. 46) [1]... Read more
At the end of last month your humble servant wrote an article entitled “The People Should Elect the Bishop,” [1] which got a fair amount of attention, and some objections were raised that require a response. Even though it is an old idea, for those of us living in these times it is a new idea, and it is not surprising that some objections would be raised. People are accustomed to what they are accustomed to, and practices which precede... Read more
As of this writing President Trump just finished his televised speech, and the partial government shutdown is still in place, as President Trump stands firm on the southern border wall. He hasn’t asked for a northern border wall yet. Now Mr. Trump has had, until now, a completely Republican Congress, and accomplishing this sordid end should have been easier then. But it seems he couldn’t accomplish it then, so he has resorted to a kind of blackmail at a time... Read more
I’m going to have to step out of my comfort zone here. Christian Democracy is about the application of Catholic social teaching to civic life. That is its purpose. I leave theological questions, and issues regarding interior Church life to others more qualified. But the other day I read that a report from Illinois “Attorney General Lisa Madigan finds the number of Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse against children in Illinois is much higher than previously acknowledged. “The report... Read more
Here’s a trivia question for you. Has a statutory provision ever been successfully challenged on constitutional grounds after it was repealed? Answer: yes. It just happened in the Northern District of Texas, in the case Texas v. United States of America. [1] Congress, you will recall, has repealed the tax imposed under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for not purchasing health insurance. This is the provision that was upheld by the Supreme Court in National Federation of Independent Business v.... Read more
The United States simply won’t last forever. It is an idea with an expiration date, though we can’t read that date. As Americans, we cannot conceive of such a universe. Deny it as we may, it is the world we inhabit; the reality in which we live, and move, and have our being. It is as if the very structure of the universe includes it. But it too is subject to the law of entropy; it too is a Tower... Read more
Larry Kudlow, the “White House’s top economic adviser said” the other day “that he opposes the federal minimum wage, arguing that the decades-old law is a ‘terrible idea’ that drives up costs for small businesses across the country,” the Washington Post reports. [1] “’Idaho is different than New York. Alabama is different than Nebraska. That’s why the federal minimum wage doesn’t work for me,’ Kudlow said.” He also opposes a minimum wage at the state and local level as well,... Read more
The midterm elections are upon us, and once again we are hearing that we Catholics ought to be very careful about the way we cast our ballots, because we are, it is said, directly implicated in the actions of the candidates we vote for. That might make some of the more observant among us chary of voting at all, since the two political parties which have a reasonable prospect of winning both seem to favor some kind of evil. The... Read more
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