Economic Pain is Long-Term: “The pain coursing through American families is all too real and no one seems to know what to do about it.  A rigorous new analysis for the Rockefeller Foundation shows that Americans are more economically insecure now than they have been in a quarter of a century, and the trend lines suggest that things will only get worse.  Rampant joblessness and skyrocketing medical costs are among the biggest factors tearing at the very fabric of American economic life so painstakingly put together in the early post-World War II decades. The analysis was done by a team of researchers led by Professor Jacob Hacker of Yale University. …The team’s findings were grim. … Economic insecurity has been increasing for at least a generation and perhaps longer, with very dangerous levels being reached in this latest recession….
“In 1985, at a time when the unemployment rate was 7.2 percent, the portion of American families that would be counted as economically insecure by the terms of this new index was 12 percent.  Professor Hacker explained that the percentage would naturally tend to rise or fall with improvements or a deterioration in the economy. But what has happened over the past few decades is that the percentage of insecure Americans relative to any given level of the economy has tended to steadily rise. So in 2002, coming out of a mild recession, there was a 5.8 percent unemployment rate, but the percentage of economically insecure families had jumped to 17 percent. All of the data for 2009 is not yet in, but the research team projects, conservatively, that more than 20 percent of Americans experienced a 25 percent or greater loss of household income (without a financial cushion) over the prior year – the highest in at least a quarter of a century. ….as the study points out, ‘The typical individual who experiences a decline of at least 25 percent in household income requires between six and eight years for income to return to its previous level.’”
 
(From The New York Times, July 26, 2010)

Companies Sit on a Pile of Cash: “Anyone wondering where all the economy’s jobs are might want to look into piggy banks of the world’s biggest companies. Cash is gushing into companies’ coffers as they report what’s shaping up to be the third consecutive quarter of sharp earnings increases.  But instead of spending on the typical things, such as expanding and hiring people, companies are mostly pocketing the money and stuffing it under their corporate mattresses.  Non-financial companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 have a record $837 billion in cash, S&P says. That’s enough to pay 2.4 million people $70,000–a-year salaries for five years.  For context, 2.2 million to 2.6 million jobs were saved or created by the $862 billion stimulus that President Obama signed into law in February 2009, according to a report released in April from the Council of Economic Advisers.
 
“Rather than investing in their future, companies are piling up cash and collecting practically zero interest on the money, hoping there will be a better time to invest later.  The stockpiling of cash is troubling to some, who say that if companies keep hoarding money instead of investing in new facilities and products, it will put a lid on what the economy really needs to get going: new jobs.  ‘Managers are being overly conservative until they’re positive the crisis is over,’ says Kathleen Kahle, professor of finance at the University of Arizona. …Meanwhile, there’s concern companies have starved expansion so long, and focused merely on cutting costs to boost short-term profit, many might have difficulty boosting their top lines. ‘Reducing costs is a one-trick pony,’ says George Christy, principal of financial advisory firm Oakdale Advisors and author of Free Cash Flow. ‘You can only hold down headcount so much without hurting the quality of your products.’”
 
(From USA Today, July 29, 2010)

A Plan for Sustainability: “Can all of the world’s energy be supplied by water, wind, and solar resources by 2020? An intriguing analysis by scientists Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi published in the November 2009 issue of Scientific American suggests that the answer could be yes.  They argue that these three sources, including geothermal, could generate plenty of power to meet worldwide demand.  A system designed for a combination of different power types can provide energy on demand, and at a lower total cost, than fossil fuel or other more carbon-intensive sources like ethanol, nuclear power, or coal with carbon capture and sequestration.
 
“They state, ‘Our plan calls for millions of wind turbines, water machines and solar installations.  The numbers are large, but the scale is not an insurmountable hurdle; society has achieved massive transformations before.’  The technology exists.  The question is how to overcome the political obstacles.  Getting off fossil fuel will not be easy. It will hurt some business sectors and cause unemployment in key energy-producing states. Given the magnitude of the problem the planet faces, isn’t it worth persuading our elected leaders to come up with a plan to address these problems and move the United States towards this kind of feasible clean energy economy?”
 
(From Washington Newsletter, FCNL, July/August 2010)      

The High Cost of Coal Power: “New research confirms that we cannot afford to continue relying on this dirty fuel source.  Our monthly electric bills do not reflect the staggering costs that coal mining, transport, and use exact on our health and environment.  A new study from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that air pollutants from U.S. coal-fired power plants caused $62 billion in damage in 2005 alone, with the biggest and dirtiest plants contributing more than $1 billion each to this total. 
 
“These costs are associated almost entirely with premature deaths – particularly from heart and lung disease – caused by sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and particulate (soot) emissions from smokestacks.  Other costs include damage to crops, timber, and buildings.The $62 billion figure does not include the global warming impact of coal plants – even though coal plants are the nation’s top source of heat-trapping emissions.  UCS analysis shows that unchecked global warming could saddle taxpayers, businesses, and governments nationwide with damage amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars.”
 
(From Catalyst, Union of Concerned Scientists, Summer 2010)

Indian Catholics Protest Biofuel Plan:  “More than 10,000 Catholics – including 30 international delegates – took part in a rally launching a global campaign against land-grabbing to produce biofuel.  As dancers performed Kerala’s traditional ethnic dances at the July 24 rally, elderly women could be seen holding colorful umbrellas with placards declaring, ‘Stop land-grabbing, this soil is our future.’  The campaign is spearheaded by the International Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth, which works with young people ages 12-30 on four continents.
 
“George Dixon Fernandez, president of the international rural youth movement, said in a statement from the movement’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium: ‘Agriculture has no more culture attached to it.  It has been reduced to agro-industry, and business houses are grabbing agricultural lands to promote their business.’  In the bid to develop biofuel, Dixon said, food crops are being replaced by commercial plantations in Africa and South America.”
 
(From National Catholic Reporter, Aug. 6, 2010)

Climate and Conflict: “While the United States is one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases, less-developed nations will feel the earliest and most dramatic effects of global warming. Many less-developed countries already struggle to overcome poverty, poor governance, and ongoing violent conflict.  Now, they will also be hard-hit by desertification, dramatic weather events, rising sea levels, and a reduction in agricultural production due to unpredictable weather.  Increased competition to secure resources and meet basic needs and the forced eviction of coastal communities by rising sea levels are likely to exacerbate societal and cross-border tensions.  In some cases, these tensions will lead to violent conflict.
 
“The Pentagon’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, which outlines long-term strategic plans for the military, identifies the effects of global warming as a ‘threat multiplier’ around the globe.  The report notes, ‘While climate change alone does not cause conflict, it may act as an accelerant of instability or conflict, placing a burden to respond on civilian institutions and militaries around the world.’…”
 
(From Washington Newsletter, FCNL, July/August 2010)

U.N. Declares Water a Human Right: “Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a ‘human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights,’ the General Assembly declared today, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water.  The resolution put forward by the Plurinational State of Bolivia calls on ‘states and international organizations to provide financial resources, capacity building and technology transfer, through international assistance and co-operation, in particular to developing countries, in order to scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.’ …The Assembly resolution received 122 votes in favour and zero votes against. 41 mainly developed countries including the US, UK, Netherlands, Japan, South Korea and Canada abstained.  France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Spain however voted in favour of the resolution.”  The countries that abstained did so out of concern that proper consultations were not done or that the language was not acceptable.
 
“The text of the resolution expresses deep concern that an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and a total of more than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation.  Studies also indicate about 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year and 443 million school days are lost because of water – and sanitation-related diseases….Satoko Kishimoto, joint coordinator of TNI and Corporate European Observatory’s Water Justice Project celebrated the accord but also said the bigger battle would be ensuring that water remains a public and common good. ‘The resolution is a very important new tool for forcing governments to improve water delivery, via funding for expanding clean water and sanitation as well as progressive reforms of public water management. However there is also a very important battle ahead to ensure that governments not only commit to the right to water but also recognize that improved publicly managed water systems is the only realistic option for implementing this right….in countless cases worldwide, we have seen that private water firms have proven ill-equipped to secure access to water for the poorest.”
 
(From Transnational Institute, July 28, 2010)

Record Number of Illinois Families on Food Stamps: “More Illinois families are receiving food stamps than ever before as a result of the deepest recession in decades …More than 780,000 Illinois families got food stamps in June, up 11.9 percent from a year earlier, the Illinois Department of Human services reported.  Nationally, 40 million Americans – 18.7 million households – use food stamps.  In Illinois, the number of people applying for the program has increased even faster than those enrolled, and state and national officials expect demand to keep growing.  Illinois applications were up by 27 percent in June, compared to a year ago.” While part of that is due to the recession, some of the increase is “likely due to the April elimination of an asset test people used to have to pass before becoming eligible.” People can apply without spending their entire savings first.
 
“Statewide unemployment was 10.4 percent in June, essentially unchanged from the 10.5 percent reported a year earlier and more than the national rate of 9.5 percent. The department of Human Services expects the number of Illinois food stamp recipients to increase again when July figures are available, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture – which oversees the program and distributes the money to states – projects that 43 million Americans will be using food stamps next year. The growing number of people relying on food stamps is just another sign the recession is likely the deepest and most painful since [the] downturn that followed World War II, University of Illinois Fred Giertz said. …”
 
(From The Chicago Tribune, Aug. 3, 2010)

Food Worker Injustice: “The women and men who harvest, pack, process and serve our food can’t afford to feed their own families healthy food.  Research conducted by the California Institute for Rural Studies (CIRS) (2007) in Fresno County, CA – the state’s breadbasket – found that 45% of farm workers surveyed were food insecure and 48% were on food stamps – more than double the national average. …In food retail, permanent, economically secure jobs are being replaced with temporary contract work.  Labor contractors provide large firms with short-term workers for low-wage, low-skill jobs.  Why? All personnel, insurance and labor issues relating to those employees automatically become the responsibility of the contract agent. In this way, big corporations can wash their hands of responsibility for inhumane or unfair job conditions – even as they profit from the exploited labor. …
 
“Jobs in the restaurant business have grown significantly faster than jobs in other sectors in the past decade, but the benefits of growth do not necessarily filter down to workers.  At $2.13 an hour, the federal minimum wage for tipped workers has not changed in 19 years, in fact it fell 37% in real terms since it was established in 1991. According to the National Employment Law Project, tipped workers have twice the poverty rate of other workers.”
 
(From Backgrounder, Food First, Summer 2010)

Ultrasound Requirement Making Progress: “Although Florida Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill that would have required women to have an ultrasound before a first-trimester abortion, similar legislation is having more success in other states.  In Louisiana, a bill requiring ultrasounds before all abortions is awaiting the signature of Gov. Bobby Jindal, who said he supports the legislation.  In Michigan, where an ultrasound already is required before an abortion, a Senate committee is considering a bill that would mandate high-quality images from the best ultrasound equipment available at the facility where the abortion is performed. …Currently in Florida, ultrasounds are required before all second-and third-trimester abortions in order to determine the gestational age and location of the fetus.  The Florida Catholic Conference estimated that more than 80 percent of abortion clinics in the state already perform ultrasounds before first-trimester abortions.” 

From The Catholic Telegraph, July 9, 2010)

Vatican Condemns Embryonic Cell Testing:  “The Vatican condemned the recent decision by U.S. regulators to begin using embryonic stem cells in clinical tests on human patients.  The destruction of human embryos involved in such research amounts to ‘the sacrifice of human beings’ and is to be condemned, said the president emeritus of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Bishop Elio Sgreccia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave final approval for a clinical trial of embryonic stem cells as a treatment for patients with spinal-cord injuries, making the United States the first country to allow the testing of such cells on human beings.” The company, Geron Corp., won approval last year but the trials were put on hold when mice treated with the cells developed spinal cysts.
 
“In a July 31 interview with Vatican Radio, Bishop Sgreccia said science itself recognizes the human embryo ‘is a human being in the making.’  Destroying embryos ‘receives a completely negative judgment’ from an ethical point of view, no matter what justifications are given for their use, he said.  The Italian bishop said embryonic stem cells have not been proven to be effective in therapies…even if there were positive results from the use of such cells, ‘morally it would still be a crime,’ he said. The church supports research and therapies that utilize adult stem cells and stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood.”
 
(From The Catholic Telegraph, Aug. 6, 2010)

Bishops Laud Block of Arizona Law: “Arizona’s Catholic bishops commended a July 28 ruling that blocked enforcement of the most controversial sections of the state’s contentious immigration law a day before it takes effect.  They also voiced a hope ‘that reaction to (the) ruling will be expressed only in peaceful and legal ways.’  Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney also praised the ruling. ‘This entire Arizona attempt to deal with various immigration issues outside federal law reveals once again the level of frustration across the country that the U.S. Congress will not deal with the pressing issue of needed immigration reform,’ he said. 
 
“U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton blocked provisions in that law, known as S.B. 1070, that would have: required law enforcement officers to verify the immigration status of anyone stopped; made it a crime for immigrants not to carry proof of their immigration status at all times; allowed police to make warrantless arrests over suspicion of someone being in the country illegally; and criminalized the act of looking for work without the proper paperwork or hiring someone who lacks a work permit.  Bolton’s injunction is preliminary, pending further judicial review of legal challenges.”
 
(From The Catholic Telegraph, Aug. 6, 2010)

Poverty Growing in Europe: “Social inequities are growing at an alarming rate in Europe, along with unemployment and other problems, the Holy See warned at the annual summit of religious leaders with institutions of the European Union.  The one-day meeting in Brussels gathered the presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council, together with 24 bishops, chief rabbis, muftis and leaders from the Hindu and Sikh communities.  Flaminia Giovanelli, undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, stated in her presentation that the difference between rich and poor is increasingly great and scandalous, while the growth of unemployment is ‘worrying.’  She expressed a concern at the trend that shows how ‘rich and poor live next to one another; persons who have nothing, who are even lacking the essential, and persons who waste without moderation what others need desperately.’ 
 
“According to the undersecretary for Justice and Peace, 85 million people in the European Union – 17% of the population – live under the threshold of poverty in the context of an economic crisis, ‘which is being revealed as a structural crisis of values, of trust.’ …Giovanelli asserted that 8% of European workers do not have an adequate salary to ensure a fitting life for themselves and their families, and warned that the inequality between the countries ‘does not cease to increase. The Catholic Church is on the side of the poor,’ she concluded, and ‘raises its voice in their favor and promotes initiatives to help them surmount their situation.’”
 
(From Zenit, July 19, 2010)

Pope Welcomes Cluster Munitions Ban: “It was with ‘great contentment’ that Benedict XVI observed the first day of the worldwide ban on cluster munitions, which took effect on Sunday. The Vatican participated in the talks that led to the international agreement, focusing upon the ‘logic of peace.’  A total of 107 states have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), adopting its ban May 2008.  The convention prohibits ‘all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Cluster Munitions.’  According to the CCM, the agreement also includes articles which address victim assistance, the clearance of contaminated areas and the elimination of stockpiles.
 
“On Aug. 1, the agreement became binding in international law.  However, countries such as the United States, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan did not sign it.  Both Iraq and Afghanistan, where wars are currently taking place, are signatories to the ban but have not yet ratified it. …the Holy Father welcomed the news, saying… ‘With the entry into force of the new Convention, to which I exhort all states to comply, the international community has demonstrated wisdom, foresight and the capacity to pursue a meaningful result in the field of disarmament and international human rights.’ He concluded by saying that it is his ‘hope and encouragement’ that States continue to work in this way ‘with ever greater vigor, for the defense of dignity and human life, for the promotion of integral human development, for the establishment of a peaceful international order and for the realization of the common good of all people and all nations.’”
 
(From Catholic News Agency, Aug. 1, 2010)

Catholic Church Urges Colombia-Venezuela Peace: “In the wake of last week’s decision by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to break off diplomatic ties with Colombia, bishops from both countries expressed their firm intentions to cooperate and improve bonds between the two nations.  According to the website of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Ruben Salazar Gomez said he hopes ‘to return to having peaceful and fraternal relations,’ and he called for solidarity with those suffering from the Venezuelan decision to break off ties. ‘It makes no sense that we are incapable of solving problems…our nations deserve to live in peace,’ said Archbishop Gomez, adding that ‘the climate of mutual mistrust’ between both governments must be overcome. 
 
“Colombia’s president-elect Juan Manuel Santos previously expressed the importance of having strong relations with neighboring countries. Archbishop Ubaldo Santana Sequera, president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, called the situation ‘worrisome’ and expressed hope that the bishops of both countries could ‘continue working together, bearing witness to fraternity. We hope that any military conflict between the nations will be avoided.  Solutions apart from war must be sought out together,’ he said.”
 
(From Catholic News Agency, July 26, 2010)

SJB Friars Commit to Refugees, Migrants and Victims of Human Trafficking: The Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province based in Cincinnati, Ohio, held their 2008 Chapter at St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana May 19-23. Of the many proposals passed, the Chapter delegates affirmed a resolution to learn more about the issues of migrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking in order to better be able to respond to their needs. The resolution says:
 “We, the Franciscans of St. John the Baptist Province, commit ourselves to increase our awareness of issues surrounding refugees, migrants and victims of human trafficking in order to develop more proactive Franciscan responses on the provincial, friary and personal level.”

SJB Friars Commit to Non-violence: The Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province based in Cincinnati, Ohio, held their 2005 Chapter at the University of Dayton, May 23-27. Among the many proposals that were passed, the Chapter delegates affirmed a resolution introduced by their JPIC Office in which they committed themselves to “continued conversion to a life of Franciscan non-violence in support of a consistent ethic of life.” The complete resolution follows.

“As Franciscans, we affirm the sacredness of all human life and the inherent value of all creation. In a world where violence is rampant, we wish to be a sign of hope, actively promoting the preservation of life, peace among people and nations, justice for all and reconciliation. We commit ourselves to continued conversion to a life of Franciscan non-violence in support of a consistent ethic of life.”