Call for a white paper on Progressive Christian Economic Policies
As the current leading political issue is, rightfully, the economy, I would like to assemble a team of writers, editors and reviewers to author a white paper on the topic of progressive Christain economic policy. With Kety's inside connections to the Obama campaign I would like us to develop a paper that places economic issues in a progressive Christian context.
Rev. Roger has graciously provided us with several good biblical references. With Bill Peltz' well established experience as a stock broker I invite others like these two to step forth and offer your thoughts and experiences.
I would base it in the premise that we, as divinely created creatures, have free will to choose and are bound by the consequences of our actions to provide mutual service one to another. The Golden Rule, AKA, the Ethic of Reciprocity, would be our guide. We would pursue policies that provide a level playing field for all persons.
So if we are a Christian nation, then what would a Progressive Christian Economic Policy encompass, how would it be implemented, what kind of legislation would be needed to put it into action?
What issues would it cover? Capitalism, economic parity, consumer rights, worker rights to organize, bans on predictory lending practices, just immigrant programs, carbon footprint reduction, and the like come to my mind. It would address both American domestic and foreign policy. Upon what biblical basis would we set forth each?
Come, let's have some fun and develop an economic policy paper, based fully on sound Christian principles. The time couldn't be better.
Formally this would be an IPC task force whose proposed policies would then be implemented by a CL task force. Membership between the 2 task forces could overlap and include others at a later date.
Anybody up for some fun and hard work? We'll need writers to create the text, editors to cohesively blend the various writers efforts together and reviewers to check to see if this all makes sense to the public and the politicians.
Let's do it shall we?
Rich
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okay, I confess
I was layin' low, knowing that the first person to agree what a great idea would be asked to help... and since I don't know how to say no very well, and since I thought it was a great idea and I couldn't wait to read the paper... well, you can see why I wuz layin' low.
But being the third, I think I'm off the hook. I'm on the hook for other things, and I'm shaky (at best) on economic principles, it's best I waited to be number three. :)
Unless... after the paper is written, I'm freely volunteering to be the project's poster child. I'll show ya all the places where I got lost and you need to "dumb it down" some for other economic fuzzheads.
I agree....
Sorry, Rich.
I've been very busy of late. I very much agree with the importance of such a paper. In fact I invited one of my friends from the AL Faith Council's economic justice workgroup to CrossLeft so that he might contribute.
re: Christian economic policy white paper
So, after 11 days there's no response. Well, as for me, I think it's a good idea.
I haven't commented until now because my health is so crummy and my energy level is so low that neither the prospect of fun nor of hard work can do much to stir me up. However, in the last week, I've detected some signs of life. For the first time in months, I went out in the evening (to a long community organization meeting, no less) -- and for the first time in much more than a year I did some hard physical work, extending one of the beds in the neighborhood vegetable garden in my back yard. My back aches but my energy hasn't flagged yet.
So. Is there anyone else who'd like to start in on this? I expect it will take a while. The inauguration of President Obama might be a reasonable target date: I think it's too late for trying to plug into the election campaign. But if someone's in a big hurry, I'm willing to push it.
For the next couple of months, I'll be taking an online course in Participatory Economics (Parecon) offered by Z Magazine/Z Net, building on my previous interests in "Economic Democracy", Worker Self-Management, and theories of post-capitalist economics and society. I expect it will be relevant to our discussions.
I like to start this kind of thing very simply with the most basic ideas. Economics is about how people make their livings -- producing and using food, water, shelter, clothing, tools, necessary services. It's not about abstract quantities like Gross Domestic Product. "People" means human beings, not the abstract entities called "corporations" that the law creates and recognizes as legal persons. Economics is about sustaining us, not them. They're just tools, to be used or discarded as seems most fit.
Economics is ecumenical, both in the derivation of the word and in application, since it starts with the household and encompasses every-broader levels of connectedness, from neighborhood and small community through municipality, region, nation, continent, world. Progressive Christian economics should value and seek sustainability at every level.
Part of the problem in defining our goals is first to describe and analyze where we're at now. We have to cut through a mess of misleading statistics about GDP, employment, and inflation. The statistical treatment of the data has been "progressively" tinkered with ever since JFK, reaching a peak of cosmetic re-jiggering under Clinton, with only a few "refinements" under GWB.
Kevin Phillips, an ex-Republican, former "senior strategist" for Nixon, and the author in 1969 of a forward-looking and very influential book The Emerging Republican Majority, has published a new book this year, Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism in which he details these statistical tamperings. A short version of his article in May's Harper's Magazine, "Numbers Racket", abridged for a newspaper, lays out his basic point that the official numbers hide the fact that the economy is a lot worse than we're told.
Phillips, while a strong critic of the Republican Party and of the Bush administration, isn't a "liberal". I think that's nice. I like to be able to quote someone other than another leftist.
In 2006, Phillips wrote another book that's within our CrossLeft scope: American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money. The last chapter of this book harkens back to his first book. He titled it "The Erring Republican Majority".
His style is measured and reasonable. I watched him on C-Span's Book TV recently, discussing Bad Money. He's also appeared on Bill Moyers' show, which I think is an excellent reference.
Bill
Economic white paper. A team is building.
Janet, Bill, and Rev. Roger,
Thanx for stepping up to the plate. Frank has volunteered to produce a draft by next week, if his health permits. Once he completes it, I trust he'll post it here, or make it available via e-mail. With that draft to focus our attention/intention, we can proceed. With 4 of us plus Frank, to date, expressing our willingness to participate maybe Frank's draft will inspire others to add their 2 cents.
Roger, that is very good news in deed. Tell us a bit about the individual who might join in our effort.
With Bill and Frank having good understanding of economic principles, plus the addition of Rev. Roger's person, it should be a heavy weight document. There's where Janet's down-to-earth plain speaking editing may make it readable to the average Jane/John Doe. I'll add the biblical aspects, as best I can. Maybe the Rev's Gary and Ian will chime in at that point. I'm sure Bo, Angelo and David may have some thoughts to add, as well. Anyone else up to the effort? Please do jump on board anytime.
Ready for "The Obama Inauguration"? Sounds good to me Bill.
So Frank de ball is yer court!
Rich
re:Economic White Paper
This sounds like a great team. I don't have anything to add, except to wish Bill and Frank good health. If something pops up in my head, I'll add my thoughts.