The big news last week was the fact that Herm Edwards lost his job as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by the buzz and excitement that he will be replaced by Mike Shannahan, who was fired as coach of the Denver Broncos. Last year, the Kansas City School District fired Anthony Amato, who had served as superintendant for just one year, after having been fired from holding the same position in New Orleans. In that same time Sprint fired its CEO, and he later became chancellor of the University of Missouri. And finally, in the news today we see that a gentlemen who was fired from H&R Block for overseeing their subprime loan division is now working for the IRS.
Do you see a pattern here? In the world of the rich, you can be as incompetent as you want to be, and you'll still be able to find a high paying job. These sorts of professions do a pretty good job of recycling the trash and rewarding failure. However, if you are in a lower income bracket, you are afforded no such grace. When a lower class person is fired, they are in serious trouble. They are likely to lose their home to foreclosure. They are likely to lose their health insurance for themselves and their family. They are likely to require assistance from the government or other agencies. In short, when the poor lose their jobs it is a more permanent reality for them.
All of what is said above is to call attention to another layer of inequality in our society. I'm not calling for accepting failure across the board, nor am I saying that we not give people a second chance. What I am saying is that the opportunity for a second chance should apply to all fairly. I am also saying that there are different degrees of failure. If a poor person makes a mistake at their job, the economic result for the company or customer is relatively small. However, when CEO's, superintendants of school districts, and the like fail, it results in catastrophic economic consequences that affect the lives of many people and sometimes the economy of the entire country.
Large corporations have argued for many years that the compensation packages for CEO's need to be high in order to attract talent and reward performance. That argument is fine as long as the idea is applied evenly to failure. What ramifications are there for CEO's who destroy a company and affect the economy of many people? Being fired and finding another cushy job just doesn't seem to be proportionate when the poor person who is fired for failure has no such recourse very often.
In ancient Israel, God demanded more of the king who was a son of God and protector of his people. When punishment came, the prophets addressed God's wrath to the king who was responsible for the calamity of the people. Jesus said, "It is inevitable that scandals should come, but woe to him who has caused such scandal." May we be good stewards of the people entrusted to us, and may be work toward correcting the injustice of unequal expectations and rewards.
Musings and dialogue for pilgrims seeking the reign of God.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Justice for Immigrants
Yesterday we held our first meeting of a new diocesan initiative called Justice for Immigrants. Several people from around the diocese attended, eager to do more on this important issue. We talked about the various ways to help immigrants in our parishes and how to form Justice for Immigrants parish groups. For more information on Justice for Immigrants, visit the following website: www.justiceforimmigrants.org
Below is an editorial from this week's Catholic Key written by Bishop Robert Finn on the issue of immigration. Bishop Finn will celebrate Mass this Sunday January 11th at St. Sabina's Parish in Belton, MO at 12:15 with the immigrant community there. Please feel free to pass along this editorial to your elected representatives:
Welcoming the Stranger: the Human Rights of Migrants
Bishop Robert Finn
A central principle of Catholic social teaching is the right to emigrate. Although there is little written on the right to immigrate – that is, enter a country – clearly the right to leave a person’s country without undue restraint implies that there be places that allow and provide good people meaningful opportunities to pursue their legitimate well-being and that of their families. In his several messages for World Migration Day and the Vatican’s addresses to the United Nations, the Popes have urged such openness to those who legitimately seek relief.
Specifically the Church bases the right to migrate on three other very important human rights: the right of a family to sustenance, the priority of the family over the state, and the right of economic initiative. These three rights have their origin in the principle of the universal common good, which is defined as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church #164, cf. also Catholic Social Teaching on the Economics of Immigration, and similar articles by Andrew M. Yuengert)
As we mark the Church’s observance of Migration Week, it is important to pray and work for just federal initiatives that will accomplish worthy ends for both immigrants and the sovereignty of nations. A sound national immigration policy will help to minimize reactionary state and local solutions that sometimes grow out of political posturing and simple prejudice, and that in turn facilitate exploitation of foreign nationals.
Pope Pius XII taught that a sovereign state has a vital right to control its borders, but it is not absolute. The needs of the immigrant should be measured against the needs of receiving countries. We, as a more powerful nation, have an obligation to promote the universal good, accommodating migration flow in accord with just human principles, while not recklessly eroding the rule of law.
- Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland.
- Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families.
- Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders.
- True refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection.
- The inalienable human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should always be respected the same as those of every human person.
Pope John Paul II pointed to the elimination of global underdevelopment as the antidote to illegal immigration. Particularly meaningful – and helpful to a global economy - would be certain long-term efforts that adjust economic inequalities between nations in such a way as to better provide workers with employment opportunities that allow them to remain at home and support themselves and their families. The creation of employment opportunities in these nations would help reduce poverty and mitigate the incentive for many migrants to look for employment in the United States.
The increasingly widespread adoption of free markets is beginning to address such global imbalances. As countries open themselves up to the world trading system, there is evidence that they will begin to catch up to the developed world. (cf. Economic Reform and the Process of Global Integration. Jeffrey Sachs and Andrew Warner) Implementing economic policies that create living-wage jobs is vital, especially for foreign citizens without advanced skills.
The Church proposes several solutions, including creating a “path to citizenship” that offer some opportunities for the large number of undocumented workers to remain as legal workers, or eventually to earn citizenship. This would provide some benefit to labor markets in the United States, preserve family unity, and improve the standard of living in immigrant communities. There is appreciable evidence that migrant workers have and will continue to contribute to the U.S. economy. (cf. The Economic Benefits of Immigration, and other similar articles by George J. Borjas)
What might be some other elements of a just immigration policy? A new temporary worker program should enforce worker protections with wage levels and employment benefits that are sufficient to support a family. Serious consideration ought to be given to provisions that would include worker protections and job portability, protecting their basic rights and giving them the option to become lawful permanent residents after a specific amount of time.
A new policy will have to treat issues of border enforcement that do not intensify human trafficking and migrant deaths rather than reduce illegal crossings. There is no demonstrable evidence to suggest that the large influx of immigrants from Mexico and the Americas has compromised homeland security. The right to life and family, and even economic benefits to the Universal Common Good, must be considered alongside deliberations about appropriate border integrity.
Our nation continues to believe newcomers to be a source of energy, hope, and cultural diversity. More than that, however, we have a common faith in Jesus Christ that transcends borders, discrimination, and violence, resulting in a spirit of solidarity. We must respond in just and creative ways so that we may strengthen the faith, hope, and charity of migrants and all the People of God. May we entrust immigration reform to the prayers of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an immigrant to America herself, the patron saint of immigrants, and the first American citizen to be canonized. In her own time, she experienced racism, discrimination, and prejudice in seeking better conditions for immigrants. May her example and prayers lead us to enact just and humane laws for all God’s people.
Below is an editorial from this week's Catholic Key written by Bishop Robert Finn on the issue of immigration. Bishop Finn will celebrate Mass this Sunday January 11th at St. Sabina's Parish in Belton, MO at 12:15 with the immigrant community there. Please feel free to pass along this editorial to your elected representatives:
Welcoming the Stranger: the Human Rights of Migrants
Bishop Robert Finn
A central principle of Catholic social teaching is the right to emigrate. Although there is little written on the right to immigrate – that is, enter a country – clearly the right to leave a person’s country without undue restraint implies that there be places that allow and provide good people meaningful opportunities to pursue their legitimate well-being and that of their families. In his several messages for World Migration Day and the Vatican’s addresses to the United Nations, the Popes have urged such openness to those who legitimately seek relief.
Specifically the Church bases the right to migrate on three other very important human rights: the right of a family to sustenance, the priority of the family over the state, and the right of economic initiative. These three rights have their origin in the principle of the universal common good, which is defined as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church #164, cf. also Catholic Social Teaching on the Economics of Immigration, and similar articles by Andrew M. Yuengert)
As we mark the Church’s observance of Migration Week, it is important to pray and work for just federal initiatives that will accomplish worthy ends for both immigrants and the sovereignty of nations. A sound national immigration policy will help to minimize reactionary state and local solutions that sometimes grow out of political posturing and simple prejudice, and that in turn facilitate exploitation of foreign nationals.
Pope Pius XII taught that a sovereign state has a vital right to control its borders, but it is not absolute. The needs of the immigrant should be measured against the needs of receiving countries. We, as a more powerful nation, have an obligation to promote the universal good, accommodating migration flow in accord with just human principles, while not recklessly eroding the rule of law.
- Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland.
- Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families.
- Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders.
- True refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection.
- The inalienable human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should always be respected the same as those of every human person.
Pope John Paul II pointed to the elimination of global underdevelopment as the antidote to illegal immigration. Particularly meaningful – and helpful to a global economy - would be certain long-term efforts that adjust economic inequalities between nations in such a way as to better provide workers with employment opportunities that allow them to remain at home and support themselves and their families. The creation of employment opportunities in these nations would help reduce poverty and mitigate the incentive for many migrants to look for employment in the United States.
The increasingly widespread adoption of free markets is beginning to address such global imbalances. As countries open themselves up to the world trading system, there is evidence that they will begin to catch up to the developed world. (cf. Economic Reform and the Process of Global Integration. Jeffrey Sachs and Andrew Warner) Implementing economic policies that create living-wage jobs is vital, especially for foreign citizens without advanced skills.
The Church proposes several solutions, including creating a “path to citizenship” that offer some opportunities for the large number of undocumented workers to remain as legal workers, or eventually to earn citizenship. This would provide some benefit to labor markets in the United States, preserve family unity, and improve the standard of living in immigrant communities. There is appreciable evidence that migrant workers have and will continue to contribute to the U.S. economy. (cf. The Economic Benefits of Immigration, and other similar articles by George J. Borjas)
What might be some other elements of a just immigration policy? A new temporary worker program should enforce worker protections with wage levels and employment benefits that are sufficient to support a family. Serious consideration ought to be given to provisions that would include worker protections and job portability, protecting their basic rights and giving them the option to become lawful permanent residents after a specific amount of time.
A new policy will have to treat issues of border enforcement that do not intensify human trafficking and migrant deaths rather than reduce illegal crossings. There is no demonstrable evidence to suggest that the large influx of immigrants from Mexico and the Americas has compromised homeland security. The right to life and family, and even economic benefits to the Universal Common Good, must be considered alongside deliberations about appropriate border integrity.
Our nation continues to believe newcomers to be a source of energy, hope, and cultural diversity. More than that, however, we have a common faith in Jesus Christ that transcends borders, discrimination, and violence, resulting in a spirit of solidarity. We must respond in just and creative ways so that we may strengthen the faith, hope, and charity of migrants and all the People of God. May we entrust immigration reform to the prayers of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an immigrant to America herself, the patron saint of immigrants, and the first American citizen to be canonized. In her own time, she experienced racism, discrimination, and prejudice in seeking better conditions for immigrants. May her example and prayers lead us to enact just and humane laws for all God’s people.
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