Pope Francis denounces trickle down economics

[Julius Skrrvin]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ope-francis-denounces-trickle-down-economics/


Pope Francis denounces ‘trickle-down’ economics

• By Aaron Blake
• November 26 at 11:00 am

Pope Francis delivers a speech March 15, 2013, during a meeting of the world’s cardinals. (Osservatore Romano/EPA)

Pope Francis has released a sharply worded take on capitalism and the world's treatment of its poor, criticizing "trickle-down" economic policies in no uncertain terms.

In the first lengthy writing of his papacy — also known as an "apostolic exhortation" — Francis says such economic theories naively rely on the goodness of those in charge and create a "tyranny" of the markets.


"In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world," the pope wrote. "This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting."


While popes have often warned against the negative impact of the markets, Francis's verbiage is note-worthy because of its use of the phrase "trickle-down" -- a term that came into popular usage as a description for former president Ronald Reagan's economic policies. While the term is often used pejoratively, it describes an economic theory that remains popular with conservatives in the United States today.

The theory holds that policies benefiting the wealthiest segment of society will also help the poor, by allowing money to “trickle down” from the top income levels into the lower ones. Critics, including President Obama, say the policies, usually focused on tax cuts and credits that primarily benefit upper-income Americans, concentrate wealth in the highest income levels and that the benefits rarely trickle down to the extent proponents suggest.

In his exhortation, the pope also attacked economic inequality, suggesting Christians have a duty to combat it to comply with the Ten Commandments — specifically the prohibition on killing.

"Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality," the pope wrote. "Such an economy kills."

The pope also likened the worship of money to the biblical golden calf.


"We have created new idols," Francis wrote. "The worship of the ancient golden calf ... has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose."


The pope also attacks "consumerism": "It is evident that unbridled consumerism combined with inequality proves doubly damaging to the social fabric."

 

[Blackking]

Why is this dude like this?

Why has he been doing and saying shyt since he got in?.... I don't get it.

I like most of the shyt he says, like this, but still. ... It all seems so strange to me.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Pope Swagcis da gawd. Good to see a Christian leader actually promote Jesus' moral philosophy.

 

[unit321]

I'm not Catholic, but he's keeping it a hundred.
Trickle-down theory is fallacy. Yes, money does trickles down but it doesn't necessarily make it all the way down to the poverty stricken..

 

[unit321]

Why is this dude like this?
Why has he been doing and saying shyt since he got in?.... I don't get it.
I like most of the shyt he says, like this, but still. ... It all seems so strange to me.

He has served among the poor in modern society in modern countries and has the personality to want to speak up about it rather than keeping quiet.

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

Why is this dude like this?

Why has he been doing and saying shyt since he got in?.... I don't get it.

I like most of the shyt he says, like this, but still. ... It all seems so strange to me.

I've been confused by this shyt recently. The catholic church hasnt been getting much respect for a couple years now; the way the papal/cardinal/bishop establishment conduct themselves has been a point of humor and derision for a minute. Maybe they're trying to finally shape the fukk up. I'm not buying it until they stop protecting the disgusting pedophile members of their faith tho... maybe the jesuits are trying to...

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

His statement in full

I. SOME CHALLENGES OF TODAY’S WORLD

52. In our time humanity is experiencing a turning-point in its history, as we can see from the advances being made in so many fields. We can only praise the steps being taken to improve people’s welfare in areas such as health care, education and communications. At the same time we have to remember that the majority of our contemporaries are barely living from day to day, with dire consequences. A number of diseases are spreading. The hearts of many people are gripped by fear and desperation, even in the so-called rich countries. The joy of living frequently fades, lack of respect for others and violence are on the rise, and inequality is increasingly evident. It is a struggle to live and, often, to live with precious little dignity. This epochal change has been set in motion by the enormous qualitative, quantitative, rapid and cumulative advances occuring in the sciences and in technology, and by their instant application in different areas of nature and of life. We are in an age of knowledge and information, which has led to new and often anonymous kinds of power.

No to an economy of exclusion

53. Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality. Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.

Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a “disposable” culture which is now spreading. It is no longer simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new. Exclusion ultimately has to do with what it means to be a part of the society in which we live; those excluded are no longer society’s underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised – they are no longer even a part of it. The excluded are not the “exploited” but the outcast, the “leftovers”.

54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.

No to the new idolatry of money

55. One cause of this situation is found in our relationship with money, since we calmly accept its dominion over ourselves and our societies. The current financial crisis can make us overlook the fact that it originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human person! We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption.

56. While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control. A new tyranny is thus born, invisible and often virtual, which unilaterally and relentlessly imposes its own laws and rules. Debt and the accumulation of interest also make it difficult for countries to realize the potential of their own economies and keep citizens from enjoying their real purchasing power. To all this we can add widespread corruption and self-serving tax evasion, which have taken on worldwide dimensions. The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits. In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.

No to a financial system which rules rather than serves

57. Behind this attitude lurks a rejection of ethics and a rejection of God. Ethics has come to be viewed with a certain scornful derision. It is seen as counterproductive, too human, because it makes money and power relative. It is felt to be a threat, since it condemns the manipulation and debasement of the person. In effect, ethics leads to a God who calls for a committed response which is outside of the categories of the marketplace. When these latter are absolutized, God can only be seen as uncontrollable, unmanageable, even dangerous, since he calls human beings to their full realization and to freedom from all forms of enslavement. Ethics – a non-ideological ethics – would make it possible to bring about balance and a more humane social order. With this in mind, I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs”.[55]

58. A financial reform open to such ethical considerations would require a vigorous change of approach on the part of political leaders. I urge them to face this challenge with determination and an eye to the future, while not ignoring, of course, the specifics of each case. Money must serve, not rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor. I exhort you to generous solidarity and a return of economics and finance to an ethical approach which favours human beings.

No to the inequality which spawns violence

59. Today in many places we hear a call for greater security. But until exclusion and inequality in society and between peoples is reversed, it will be impossible to eliminate violence. The poor and the poorer peoples are accused of violence, yet without equal opportunities the different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode. When a society – whether local, national or global – is willing to leave a part of itself on the fringes, no political programmes or resources spent on law enforcement or surveillance systems can indefinitely guarantee tranquility. This is not the case simply because inequality provokes a violent reaction from those excluded from the system, but because the socioeconomic system is unjust at its root. Just as goodness tends to spread, the toleration of evil, which is injustice, tends to expand its baneful influence and quietly to undermine any political and social system, no matter how solid it may appear. If every action has its consequences, an evil embedded in the structures of a society has a constant potential for disintegration and death. It is evil crystallized in unjust social structures, which cannot be the basis of hope for a better future. We are far from the so-called “end of history”, since the conditions for a sustainable and peaceful development have not yet been adequately articulated and realized.

60. Today’s economic mechanisms promote inordinate consumption, yet it is evident that unbridled consumerism combined with inequality proves doubly damaging to the social fabric. Inequality eventually engenders a violence which recourse to arms cannot and never will be able to resolve. This serves only to offer false hopes to those clamouring for heightened security, even though nowadays we know that weapons and violence, rather than providing solutions, create new and more serious conflicts. Some simply content themselves with blaming the poor and the poorer countries themselves for their troubles; indulging in unwarranted generalizations, they claim that the solution is an “education” that would tranquilize them, making them tame and harmless. All this becomes even more exasperating for the marginalized in the light of the widespread and deeply rooted corruption found in many countries – in their governments, businesses and institutions – whatever the political ideology of their leaders.

 

[Type Username Here]

He says all the right things for sure, but I need to see more action. Some of the actions he has taken have been good, but the Vatican also sits on a lot of money in forms of gold, art, and so on. Maybe he should start spreading some of that around.

That being said, from a purely message standpoint, the man was spot on.

"In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world," the pope wrote. "This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting."

 

[Brown_Pride]

I'm not even Catholic but dude has me wanting to get back in lol.
What's sad is it really is a MAJOR THING for a pope to say, "Protect the poor"...

I swear it's like people don't even read the bible...

This point, assuming he doesn't get got, is gonna change things...

Like I said before, the rethugs should be shaking. I gotta find out from some catholics how much of his ideals are reaching the masses. Could you imagine if the rethugs lost the catholic vote?

 

[Type Username Here]

I'm not even Catholic but dude has me wanting to get back in lol.
What's sad is it really is a MAJOR THING for a pope to say, "Protect the poor"...

I swear it's like people don't even read the bible...

This point, assuming he doesn't get got, is gonna change things...

Like I said before, the rethugs should be shaking. I gotta find out from some catholics how much of his ideals are reaching the masses. Could you imagine if the rethugs lost the catholic vote?

Democrats believe in trickle down economics too sir. Some of them just believe in a different ratio.

Pope is talking about capitalism in general as a whole.

 

[No1]

I've been confused by this shyt recently. The catholic church hasnt been getting much respect for a couple years now; the way the papal/cardinal/bishop establishment conduct themselves has been a point of humor and derision for a minute. Maybe they're trying to finally shape the fukk up. I'm not buying it until they stop protecting the disgusting pedophile members of their faith tho... maybe the jesuits are trying to...

You know, the reactions you guys have to stuff like this always intrigues me (the general issue of why the pope is like this). Even though I don't really post in HL (literally can't), or that much anymore in general , I still sit back to watch how people react to things just from a messaging standpoint. To me, as someone who was raised in a pretty liberal denomination, and whose friends (Christian and not) are all pretty liberal, none of this stuff is controversial to me. If you follow the views of people who are theists in our generation, he's merely pivoting towards where the future of his Church is at. I say all this because, what I've found is that regardless of how educated people are, their anecdotal experiences are the thoughts that are most accessible to them and it informs their emotions and how they interpret situations. I can only imagine that the experiences a lot of you have had are why you're all like to this, but take people like me or Ed G (who is a believer) who have come up in New England, Ann Arbor, Seattle (and some other undisclosed locations ) between us and this is like . But I guess it's because the struggle has been quiet.

More than 200 Presbyterian congregations nationwide have been torn asunder over the Presbyterian Church USA's new rules and the ordination of its first gay minister.

The rift has resulted in lawsuits, sold churches, broken friendships and scattered congregations.

The Presbyterian Church, with roughly 3 million congregants across the country, has attracted independent thinkers dating back to 16th-century followers of John Calvin, a leader of the Protestant Reformation, Wilkins said. Five Presbyterians signed the Declaration of Independence.

But the church split during the Civil War over how the Bible was interpreted. Many Southerners felt the Bible provided justifications for slavery, and Northerners said there was no justification. That battle was laid to rest in 1983 with the unification of the two churches.

Last year, a new schism began when the Presbyterian USA church instituted new rules permitting gay clergy. More conservative congregations split from the church as a result.

Even before that, there had been churches who separated over attitudes toward homosexuality. The consequences for some splintered congregations have in some cases been harsh.

"Many of them are doing it at incredible cost: They've lost their buildings, the Presbytery's locked their doors and closed their bank account. But they're willing to pay that price for what they believe," said the Rev. Don Baird, a traditionalist who has been pastor since 1995 of Fremont Fremont Presbyterian Church in California.

In a historic vote in October 2011, 427 Fremont Presbyterian congregants voted to leave the national denomination while 164 voted to stay. At the time, the 128-year-old congregation had about 1,200 members.


Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/ne...s-lawsuits-sold-churches-abound#ixzz2lmICL2V8

The Louisville-based Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) incurred its largest membership loss in decades in 2012, when more than 100 congregations left amid controversies over sexuality and theology.

Newly released statistics say the denomination lost 5 percent of members in 2012 — its largest one-year percentage loss in nearly a half century of consecutive annual losses. The denomination’s loss of 102,791 members was also the largest net loss since the early 1970s. That leaves the denomination with 1.8 million members.

In recent years, mainline Protestant denominations — which are different from evangelical Christian churches that read the Bible as literal truth and emphasize a personal relationship with Jesus — have one by one changed rules that had prohibited marriage and ordination of gays and lesbians. The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ at one time all barred same-sex wedding ceremonies and ordination of gay clergy members, but they have changed those rules over time.

The last holdout among major mainline Protestant groups has been the United Methodist Church, which had 7.7 million members in the United States as of January 2009. Its doctrine still declares homosexuality “incompatible with Christian teaching,” prohibits ordination of openly homosexual men and women, and bans same-sex weddings, while urging churches not to reject gay parishioners.

This type of inter-church split as been going on for all of the last decade on the aforementioned and many other issues. All of my pastors growing up were like this. The Catholic Church is late to the party, but it happens to have the largest voice.

 

[Brown_Pride]

Democrats believe in trickle down economics too sir. Some of them just believe in a different ratio.

Pope is talking about capitalism in general as a whole.

Nah not really, he's talking about what we've let capitalism become namely devoid of compassion.

57. Behind this attitude lurks a rejection of ethics and a rejection of God. Ethics has come to be viewed with a certain scornful derision. It is seen as counterproductive, too human, because it makes money and power relative. It is felt to be a threat, since it condemns the manipulation and debasement of the person. In effect, ethics leads to a God who calls for a committed response which is outside of the categories of the marketplace. When these latter are absolutized, God can only be seen as uncontrollable, unmanageable, even dangerous, since he calls human beings to their full realization and to freedom from all forms of enslavement. Ethics – a non-ideological ethics – would make it possible to bring about balance and a more humane social order. With this in mind, I encourage financial experts and political leaders to ponder the words of one of the sages of antiquity: “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs”

gotta admit his whole paper is some of the realist shyt i've read from a powerful figure in a long, long, long, long time.

He's not saying capitalism is bad, he's saying a life devoid of compassion is bad. He's saying unfettered greed is bad.

 

[ThaRealness]

Damn this dude is the real deal. I was hoping he'd pull a Nate Silver and really elaborate on the theories though. shyt would be hilarious

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

You know, the reactions you guys have to stuff like this always intrigues me (the general issue of why the pope is like this). Even though I don't really post in HL (literally can't), or that much anymore in general , I still sit back to watch how people react to things just from a messaging standpoint. To me, as someone who was raised in a pretty liberal denomination, and whose friends (Christian and not) are all pretty liberal, none of this stuff is controversial to me. If you follow the views of people who are theists in our generation, he's merely pivoting towards where the future of his Church is at. I say all this because, what I've found is that regardless of how educated people are, their anecdotal experiences are the thoughts that are most accessible to them and it informs their emotions and how they interpret situations. I can only imagine that the experiences a lot of you have had are why you're all like to this, but take people like me or Ed G (who is a believer) who have come up in New England, Ann Arbor, Seattle (and some other undisclosed locations ) between us and this is like . But I guess it's because the struggle has been quiet.







This type of inter-church split as been going on for all of the last decade on the aforementioned and many other issues. All of my pastors growing up were like this. The Catholic Church is late to the party, but it happens to have the largest voice.

There's a lot of liberal Catholics...no shyt. I don't think anyone's unaware of that. People are pleasantly surprised at the Pope's words because for years, despite the views of parishioners, what we've heard from the Vatican is mostly just been abortion is bad, don't use birth control, condoms are bad, don't have sex before marriage, etc.

 

[Type Username Here]

Nah not really, he's talking about what we've let capitalism become namely devoid of compassion.


gotta admit his whole paper is some of the realist shyt i've read from a powerful figure in a long, long, long, long time.

He's not saying capitalism is bad, he's saying a life devoid of compassion is bad. He's saying unfettered greed is bad.

greed created capitalism.

You can't have capitalism and this:

“Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them and to take away their livelihood. It is not our own goods which we hold, but theirs”

That is the exact opposite of not only capitalism, but objectivism as well.