About Justice – Page 27

by Roxanne - June 1, 2011June 22, 2011

Secret of Wealth From Ancient Babylon

AncientCoinsUsMint.gov — Photo USMint.gov

What does it mean to “live within your means”? A SNL skit with Steve Martin, Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford, is based on this idea.

This skit takes a new look at ancient wisdom. In ancient Babylon people had already learned how to steward resources. And we do steward them. The resources we have are not ours. We don’t take anything with us when we leave this earth.

Here’s the secret Babylonian wisdom that will provide you with wealth and prosperity as long as you live:

1. Give 10% away

2. Save 10% for emergencies and retirement

3. Live on the remainder

Give first. Give back in gratefulness some of what the universe has generously given to you. You will care for others. This is necessary for the benefit of living within a society or living with others. Our society creates systemic poverty because we haven’t yet figured out how to meet every one’s basic needs equitably. Situational poverty will continue to exist because accidents happen, people get sick and people are born with health problems and disabilities. Those who can earn need to contribute to the social safety net for those who struggle.

Next, pay yourself. You will be providing for yourself in old age and you will have resources should you encounter hard times. It is enough to save 10%. Notice that it isn’t even necessary to invest in real estate or the stock or bond markets. It is enough that you simply and consistently save 10% of what you earn.

Finally, live on the remainder. You will be living comfortably within your means. Being an adult means learning that we can’t have everything we want. Being an adult means having the maturity to plan for the future and the discipline to deal with what actually is, today.

Foster a sense of contentment within yourself. How best to do this? When we stop comparing we are more likely to be content. Turn off the TV. TV is junk food for the mind. Without TV you will have less opportunities to make comparisons.

Learn to use what you have in unexpected ways.

Don’t purchase something if you can borrow it or substitute it with something else that will work just as well.

Learn to not cling to material things. After all we are not our homes, cars, clothes, jobs or successful children. Develop a sense of detachment. This is not indifference – but rather, it is not allowing external things or circumstances to determine our self worth and happiness in life.

In the end, what we have is all we need.

by Roxanne - May 30, 2011June 13, 2011

Does Everyone Have a Voice?

This article in the New York Times reminds me this Memorial Day that the point of living in a democracy or a democratic republic is to make sure that everyone has a voice. In this article both Republicans and Democrats have missed the point regarding voting regulations.

Currently too many don’t have a voice in our country. Both parties have failed in making sure that every voice is heard. If we really wanted to hear every voice we would change the way voting is carried out.

For example, voting on a Tuesday is very convenient for those working in white collar jobs, those with cars and those who have the luxury set their own working hours. However limiting voting to one day during the week means that the working poor may not be able to leave their jobs to vote. Even though the law allows it, the reality is that day laborers can’t afford to lose any pay, and if employers replace them what actual legal recourse do they have?

For those who rely on public transportation, there may not be enough time after work to get to a polling place. The same is true for single parents or those who care for the disabled or elderly.

Why not vote over 3 or 4 days so the the working poor would have a chance to vote on their day off? Voting over several days, including weekend days, would allow the elderly and others more opportunity to arrange a ride to their polling place.

We should think critically about the voices that aren’t represented in our democratic republic. Who speaks for children? Who speaks for those with disabilities? Who speaks for the elderly? Who speaks for those who are sick? Who speaks for new immigrants? How does our democratic republic allow their voices to be heard?

In the end, as the ancient Greeks knew, any society is only as good as the weakest among us. How are the voiceless faring in our nation?

Check here to see what constitutes “note faring well” or living in poverty.

Then go here to learn more.

You may also like Budget Policy Choices, Cinco de Mayo and New Books.

by Roxanne - May 13, 2011May 13, 2011

Budget Policy Choices

Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we had used the trillions given to the financial industry to fund hunger, education and medicine, not only in our own country but around the globe?

Then do you ask, what would our quality of life be today if we had used the money that went to fighting two wars in Iraq, to build a light-rail public transportation system?

Every day, every year, we are making choices. What kind of choices are we making? What kind of world are we creating?

The New York Times today reported that 75 Catholic professors publicly criticized house speaker John Boehner for promoting budget cuts that most impact the poor and vulnerable and therefore, are inherently anti-life and against Catholic teaching. Boehner claims to be Roman Catholic. The article states:

“House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican who grew up in a devout Roman Catholic family in Ohio, is scheduled to give the commencement address Saturday at the Catholic University of America in Washington, a prestigious venue in church circles for its affiliation with the nation’s bishops.

But now Boehner is coming in for a dose of the same kind of criticism previously leveled at some Democrats – including President Barack Obama – who have been honored by Catholic universities: the accusation that his policies violate basic teachings of the Catholic Church.

More than 75 professors at Catholic University and other prominent Catholic colleges have written a pointed letter to Boehner saying that the Republican-supported budget he shepherded through the House will hurt the poor, the elderly and the vulnerable, and that he therefore has failed to uphold basic Catholic moral teachings.

‘Mr. Speaker, your voting record is at variance from one of the church’s most ancient moral teachings,’ the letter says. ‘From the apostles to the present, the magisterium of the church has insisted that those in power are morally obliged to preference the needs of the poor. Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress. This fundamental concern should have great urgency for Catholic policymakers. Yet, even now, you work in opposition to it.’

The letter writers go on to criticize Boehner’s support for a budget that cut financing for Medicare, Medicaid and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, while granting tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations. They call such policies ‘anti-life,’ a particularly biting reference because the phrase is usually applied to politicians and others who support the right to abortion.”

You can read the full article here.

by Roxanne - May 10, 2011March 15, 2011

Root Problem: U.S. Oil Addiction

Many of our country’s problems stem from our addiction to oil: our pre-emptive strikes leading to war in Iraq, debt from our wars, pollution – including oil spills world wide, our lack of political will to develop mass transit, cost inflation for almost everything (plastics, packaging, transportation costs) due to increased prices of oil, continued use of oil for unsustainable agri-business’ fertilizers and our agricultural tax subsidies that support this, taxpayer bail outs of oil, gas & automotive companies or those who supply and finance them and finally our reluctance to switch our tax subsidies to green industries of all types.

Below is a recent commentary on the stupidity of clinging to our oil addiction from Roland Martin. You can read the complete article published on CNN here.

“Gas prices are skyrocketing nationwide and Americans are angry that they have to spend more of their hard earned money at the pump each week.

The crisis in northern Africa, specifically in Libya, has led the dramatic rise in the cost of oil, which now tops $101 a barrel, over the past month. And with summer approaching, Americans are fretting over whether to hit the highway for vacation because the price of gas, averaging $3.52 a gallon nationwide, is expected to go even higher.

Our political leaders? Some Democrats and Republicans are leaning on President Barack Obama to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and use some of the millions of barrels of oil we have on tap to provide some relief as a result of the price increase.

In a news conference Friday, President Obama said he’ll release the oil if needed.

“All options are on the table when it comes to any supply disruption,” he said.

Is this Groundhog Day or what?

Three years ago this nation went through convulsions when gas prices skyrocketed. Folks were sharing rides and pushing elected officials to broaden public transportation plans. Hybrids and electric cars started getting a second look from gas conscious drivers, and all the talk was about alternative energy and not being dependent on Arab leaders in the Middle East.

And when those gas prices went back down? We yelled, screamed and cheered, and then pulled the SUVs out of the garage, filled them up with gasoline and forgot all about the pain we endured.

This is the American story: Alleviate our pain so we can go back to business as usual. And when the crisis comes back, we’ll fret, scream and go bonkers.

Please, stop the madness!

When are we simply going to reach the conclusion that as long as this nation has a Charlie Sheen-like addiction to gas, our chains can be yanked at any time, which will send our economy into a tailspin?

The U.S. Energy Department predicts that with the dramatic rise in gas prices, the average American family will spend an additional $700 annually on gas. And with money already tight, that is a huge hit.

Unfortunately, our crack-like dependence on oil continues to lead us down the road of agony and despair, and our political leaders have no courage to own up to the special interests and gas lovin’ Americans and say, “Dammit, enough! We can’t move forward like this!”

Democrats and Republicans are now saying President Obama needs to allow for more drilling off the shores of the United States. Really? So that’s the only answer? Everyone knows there isn’t enough oil to satisfy America’s thirst. But oh no, we keep this charade up.

America will never be able to transition our system from an oil-dependent economy to an alternative plan unless we show the courage to make the tough choices today and get the payoff later.

. . . Until the nation accepts this reality, we will continue to be at the mercy of oil-possessing countries.

Embracing non-oil energy alternatives — wind, natural gas, electric and solar — can absolutely create jobs in this country, and we should require Americans to make their homes more energy efficient with products built by Americans. What’s wrong with that? How can the United States create solar technology and then allow the Chinese to become the leading manufacturer of wind turbines and solar panels?

No one alternative energy source can replace oil. It has to be a comprehensive plan that addresses our long-term needs. And it is going to mean we will have to spend money. Yes, we will be affected in the short-term, but if someone told me we could spend $500 billion today, and that would create millions of jobs over the next several years and lead to a transition to an alternative-energy economy, I would ask where I should sign up.

But if we have no courage, we will lose every time.

So, if the only thing you know is “drill, baby, drill,” and that gasoline is our only option, great. Have a wonderful time. And every time gas skyrockets, just smack yourself upside the head with that gas pump, because you’re the reason we remain stuck on stupid when it comes to energy in this country.”

by Roxanne - May 5, 2011May 2, 2011

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo! While not Mexico’s Day of Independance, it is a day to celebrate Mexican heritage.

Food, of course, comes into play here. Do you like spicy food? We most definitely do. Here’s a picture of the grilled, stuffed, chili rellenos we made.

Take a little time today and explore Mexican culture. Try a Mexican restaurant. Read about Mexican history. Volunteer to teach English as a second language in a Spanish speaking community. Learn Spanish at the same time. Watch a film to learn more about conditions immigrants face, such as Amexicano (play instantly on Netflix). Read my post on Juarez. Visit Ciudad Juarez, Mexico just across the border from El Paso, Texas and stretch out of your comfort zone.

Become aware of the severe poverty in which most of the world lives. Become aware of our role in creating or maintaining that poverty.

Take time to learn about another culture. Remember, to know only one culture is to know no culture at all. We need another culture to compare and contrast our own. That’s how we begin to have enough information to critique our own culture.

This is the reason schools actively promote study abroad programs. Getting students immersed (not just a visit or vacation) in another culture gives them a basis from which to view their own culture. By being present to another way of viewing the world we are transformed. In fact, this is the reason the ability to speak another language is a requirement for most masters and doctoral programs in theology.

Go deeper. Entering into another culture is a way to learn more about others and also more about who we are, why we think the way we do and what impact our own culture has on us. For Catholics this is “mission.”

Go deeper still. Learn about immigration reform. Consider how U.S. farm subsidy policies bankrupt farmers in Mexico and elsewhere, causing them to come north looking for work.

For authentic Chili Rellenos here’s what we did. Roast poblano peppers.