Have you ever received the benefit of federal government social policies.? Your initial answer might reveal your political persuasion – but the either way, the most likely answer is “yes.” Read more at We Are the 96 Percent – NYTimes.com.
An op-ed piece from David Brooks: The Conservative Mind – NYTimes.com.
An interesting, if somewhat rambling, reflection on the “sanity” of the political process. http://ow.ly/dPwbT
“A developed country is not one where the poor have cars. It is one where the rich take public transportation.” Mayor of Bogota, Columbia
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) posted this today on the role and responsibility of the “in-the-pew” Catholic to become morally engaged in the political milieu: “The duty of the politically-engaged Catholic isn’t just to take sides in the political debate, but to transform it.”
Catholics Vote: Political Engagement is Every Catholic’s Duty.
One of the “offices” (role, duty, responsibility) of a Catholic bishop is the teaching office. The Bishop of St. Petersburg (FL), Most Reverend Robert Lynch – the first episcopal blogger as it happens – has well exercised that office on his blog. I recommend it as a starting point on one’s own reflection on the upcoming election. You can find his blog “Promises, Promises” here.
“….what I have attempted to do above is to take the issues which the body of bishops in the United States have lifted up as constitutive for conscience formation today and apply them for myself. I only ask you to do the same in forming your conscience and decisions. I do not wish to tell you for whom to vote or how to vote, but rather, in an area of human reasoning and judgment, only explain how I see these issues when I consider how to cast my vote.”
A sense of humor goes a long way these days. It is good to see that Cardinal Dolan possesses a certain sense of improv
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “… forgive, and you will be forgiven; give” And more…. This is our story as Christians…and it turns out it’s true. We knew this, of course, but it is not the dominant story of our age. We are surrounded by an alternative story, the dominant story, that insists that the path to happiness comes from buying things, getting things, having things for ourselves. Perhaps this video can shed a bit of nuance on the question:
Dept of Agriculture released info today 1-in-6 people in the United States struggle with food insecurity. Learn more: http://ow.ly/dupyc
