A Harmonic Convergence

The excellent economic guidepost blog The Distributist Review's John Médaille has a sparkling new post up on Pope Benedict and business, asking, in the immortal words of Tina Turner, "what's love got to do with it?".
Trust me, the harmonic convergence of Popes, Ms. Turner and Distributist economic and social theory make for a fascinating contemplation. This little nugget from the most recent Encyclical (which I must read in full) alone makes it worthwhile, although many more await: Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love.

Precisely.

Be sure and click on over and read it all.

DJY

QUOTE Now comes Pope Benedict XVI with a new social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, which exceeds all the other social encyclicals by insisting that a proper economics is based not only on the natural virtue of justice, but on the super-natural virtue of love! Justice is, of course, a part of love; you cannot be said to love someone and treat him unjustly. But no other encyclical has gone as far in asserting the primacy of love as a practical consideration of economics and social life. But Benedict goes even further: He insists on a principle of gratuitousness in business, on the idea of pure gift. At this point, many reasonable observers could conclude that the Pope is indulging a pure utopian fantasy, suitable perhaps for a world of angelic figures, but disastrous in a world of fallen men. UNQUOTE - John Médaille

QUOTE Alongside profit-oriented private enterprise and the various types of public enterprise, there must be room for commercial entities based on mutualist principles and pursuing social ends to take root and express themselves. It is from their reciprocal encounter in the marketplace that one may expect hybrid forms of commercial behaviour to emerge, and hence an attentiveness to ways of civilizing the economy. Charity in truth, in this case, requires that shape and structure be given to those types of economic initiative which, without rejecting profit, aim at a higher goal than the mere logic of the exchange of equivalents, of profit as an end in itself. (38)UNQUOTE
- Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Love in Truth)

A Distributist Feast

Paleocrat over at The Distributist Review has penned an essay on the liturgical aspect of the Catholic social theory-centered economic meme of distributism.

It is said that distributists work for a return to the past; however in the Divine Liturgy there is neither past nor present, but a timeless reality which transcends time and unites the creation with the Creator. There is not chronos, there is kairos. Nonetheless, a good post. Be sure and click over and read it all.

QUOTE This philosophy, unlike the myriad of others, embraces the mysteries of life, the awe of the liturgical nature of days and seasons, as well as the wonder that accompanies the realization that he has placed man here for the purpose of dominion and reconciling all things in King Christ. Distributism embraces nature and its limitations as both inevitable and good. It wishes to preserve the beauty of the arts and crafts, imploring men and women to utilize their gifts and talents for the common good of both those present and those yet to come. The senses are relished amongst distributists, emphasizing on traditional architecture, dance, and song. Distributism places society in an organic context, finding that golden mean between atomism and collectivism. Each person has a gift and talent, and they were strategically placed by God in various communities to better both themselves and their neighbor. UNQUOTE

A Straight Shooter

John Médaille over at The Distributist Review gets it right, with straight talk that defines both problem and plausible solution. It is a matter of long concern that the big-picture isn't better seen by the very men and women who attempt
to manuver the ship off the shoals, pushing as hard as they can towards the shore rather than the sea.

QUOTE The new president has hit the ground running and I wish him well. But I have my doubts. He is not at all like the stumble-bum he replaces, of course. Rather, he is a thoughtful and intelligent man. And on economic matters, “The audacity of hope” is backed up by an economic team of truly impressive credentials. Indeed, this may be the most highly qualified group of people ever to serve in government.
And that's the problem. All of them are super-competent to be sure, but they are competent in the very techniques that caused the problem in the first place. They will attempt to solve the problem at the level of thinking that created it. Their plan is for a massive stimulus, and it is easy to see why. They believe it will work for the simple reason that it has worked. Indeed, since at least the 30's, and certainly since the 40's, the economy has been dependent on massive government expenditures—a permanent stimulus economy. And in general, this approach worked for a long time; the economy was more or less stable and prosperous, and the periodic shocks were mild and short-lived by pre-war standards. Given that record, they may well be excused for believing that the Keynesian magic will work yet again. UNQUOTE
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Find a Farmer's Market or CSA Near You

Looking for that Farmer's Market nearest to you? Well, why not try this tool? Or more local foods here. Here's where I work ~ Open Harvest in Lincoln, Nebraska. And here is a wealth of information about science and environmental health, and how the web of life ties us all together.

Good health! Good eats!

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Capitalism, Socialism, Distributism

Here's a good article on distributism (link below) and a challenge to the lazy thinking that knows only two models(capitalism or socialism). The modernist epidemic of black and white thinking can usually only come up with two opposing views, whatever the topic.

The trouble with those seeking to defend capitalism is that they end up defending trance consumerism - a greedy, godless, amoral system of materialism 100% at odds with Catholic/Christian teaching. The notion of capitalism tempered by moral restraint is untenable. How can market forces act morally? Their fueling passion is greed. The point is that they concern themselves with supply, demand and price and nothing else, existing in a moral vacuum.

The core of capitalism is not about what society, or families or individuals need, but what will reward stockholders' investments and enrich the CEO's coffers.

From InsideCatholic.com

QUOTE Congress has promised over $1 trillion from our hands to "rescue" gargantuan businesses. When corporations demand the largest free ride in our history, it's time to rethink economies of scale. Socialism is a silly solution -- there, everything becomes one gargantuan business. We need a real solution: distributism. UNQUOTE

Médaille On Buffett

The Distributist economic viewpoint as articulated by John Médaille and others is one which I am just learning about but have much sympathy for. Basically, it is an economic "third way" between communism and capitalism, wisely understanding the truth of the wag's statement "Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's the other way around."

In a nutshell, distributism envisions an economic order modeled on the guild-dominated economies of medieval Europe. Advocates take Catholic social teaching seriously; indeed, they frequently insist that CST virtually obligates Catholics to support a distributist program. There is much of value in the distributist vision, including criticism of consumerist culture and an emphasis on wide ownership of property and communal cooperation.
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QUOTE As a matter of full disclosure, I am a stockholder in Berkshire Hathaway. But this old distributist will listen to the old capitalist. Pearl Harbor was a rather severe wake-up call. This melt-down is another. How will we respond? Trouble in life is inevitable; the real test, for a person or a nation, is how we deal with it. UNQUOTE
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