It was early on a cold Wednesday morning, and I was riding a near empty bus through Minneapolis. Bleary-eyed and sleepy—and still without my morning coffee—I gazed out into the blue grey morning, thinking of nothing in particular.

Then, close behind me, I heard a soft sound, something between a sigh and a laugh, a little stifled moan that came and went as quickly as it came. My ears perked up, tuned in to this noise so out of the ordinary on the city bus. Sure enough, it came again, and this time I became more certain. What I was hearing was the sound of someone crying in the seat behind me.

There is no lack of things to make us feel all alone in this world. As the seasons edge closer to the darkness of winter, we might even feel them a bit more acutely: memories of loved ones long passed; the knowledge of hungry children halfway around the world—or, right next door; the sound of a woman crying on a city bus; and our inability of knowing how to help her.

This time of year is often difficult for me, and in that fact I know I am not alone. The days grow colder and shorter with no end in sight. Sleep, though something of a refuge, seems not to help even when we have enough. And no matter how much I fill my days with candles, blankets and warm mugs filled with hot beverages, my body flatly rejects the heat. 

Instead, what warms me in this darkest month of the year is finding small acts of generosity to brighten up the days. As uncomfortable as it feels at first, chatting with a stranger--and seeing her smile--makes my step a little bit lighter. Though it may seem trite, after giving a donation to an organization I trust, or making a phone call to support an issue I believe in, I feel as if I have done a small thing to improve the world.

The list can go on: cook a meal for a friend or family who needs the help; create a silly mix-tape (okay, fine, or maybe just a playlist) of classic songs for an old friend; offer a hug to someone who needs it. These things are so small, but they can do so much to keep all of us afloat. 

Give it a try. How's that feel? Something akin to warm mug on a cold day, I hope. 

Alison Killeen
Statewide Organizer 

Last night I had the pleasure of moderating a conversation about divisive and polarizing rhetoric impacting our political discourse and subsequent policy outcomes in the past few years. Our "conversationalists", Rev. Rachel Morey, Elianne Farhat, and Aasim Shabazz, came from different sectors of our society including, the labor movement, religious communities and the private sector. They offered their personal perspectives on the topic and reflected on how they see public discourse influencing the communities they are a part of.

The intent of the event was not to host a panel of experts on rhetoric, messaging and marketing, but rather gather together a group of concerned citizens working through their own communities to change the conversation and enact positive social change. We wanted to draw out real voices and discuss how Minnesotans engage in political conversation and how we come to political solutions that benefit the common good. 

At the JRLC office, we are waging an ongoing campaign to reclaim the word "politics." In our cultural lexicon, the term has become tainted with negative connotation, but by its definition, politics is simply the process by which we make collective decisions. We engage in politics in our everyday lives, whether it be at work, in our faith communities, or in our homes. The conclusion that the panel seemed to come to was that the process and external influences that weigh on our political structure are to blame for many of the negative outcomes. 

We began the conversation by reflecting on the question, "how have political conversations in the past ten years or so changed." Panelists offered insights regarding the relationship between identity (whether it be religious, cultural, political, or unaffiliated) and political participation. They lamented a sense of disenchantment that exists in younger generations that causes people to resist engagement and turn to alternative forums to voice their opinions and concerns. 

With social media and other new platforms for generating discourse, the nature of how we have conversations has changed and it seems to be easier for people to posture themselves as experts. In our soundbite culture, it makes sense that rhetoric escalates quickly and leaves little room for authentic conversation. 

As a means to combat this, panelists suggested resisting the language and mindset that there are always winners and losers. Not every issue and social problem has clear sides and if we want to truly solve the root problems we face, we should approach solutions by looking to the specifics of the issue. 

In an increasingly diverse country and state we need policies that reflect the multiplicity of ideas that are available. We must work to break out of insulated "bubble conversations" that continually reinforce our own opinions and biases. Working to develop honest relationships that are not based on temporarily aligned interests is the key to working together. Mutual respect and an understanding of each others highest values could alleviate our tendency to dismiss opposing views as wrong and allow us to find real solutions. 

Thank you again to our great panelists, it was an illuminating evening and a great beginning to what should be an ongoing conversation. Check out more pictures on our Facebook Page, and read some reflections from one of our audience members!

Rachel Herzfeldt-Kamprath
Advocacy Associate 

Today I testified before a Joint Senate Committee on plans for a new Vikings football stadium. JRLC doesn’t have issue papers about stadiums or professional sports franchises per se, but we do have an abiding interest in budget priorities and gambling as a source of public revenue.

For today’s hearing, I limited my remarks to the effects of gambling — there will be plenty of time to raise the budget priority issues later when the most viable plan emerges and the state’s financial role becomes clear.

Looking out at the panel of legislators I tried to understand how several of them have been dismissive of the public health threat posed by an escalation of gambling. Policymakers should at least acknowledge that social costs are real and should be weighed against estimated social and economic benefits.

So I decided not to let the term “social costs” go by without careful explanation. It’s just too easy to gloss over an abstract concept like “social costs.”

I explained that an escalation of gambling comes with demonstrable social costs: addiction, family violence, divorce, embezzlement, theft, suicide, child neglect, police and court costs, lost productivity, just to give them the short list. The whole business model of a casino rests on 48 percent of revenues coming from customers who meet the definition of "problem gamblers" and push real and measurable social costs onto all of us. The best social scientists and public heath research tells us that these costs outweigh the benefits by a ratio of about 3 to 1.

Some legislators argue that the existing casinos and the lottery weren't stopped by public health and social concerns when they began their operations, so why should the issue be raised now?

So today I told the committee when the existence of gambling becomes a rationale for more gambling and we ignore the costs, we've acquired a public addiction, and the legislature is no longer governing for the common good. I hope some bit of this sunk in. JRLC will be providing much more thorough written testimony next week.

WATCH VIDEO OF THE TESTIMONY HERE!

(Photo Source)

Brian Rusche
Executive Director 

Guest post by Dr. Bernard Evans, professor at St John's University and former member of JRLC's Executive Board. Cross-posted courtesy of the St Cloud Visitor. You can find the original post here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Selfishness, collective greed, massive hoarding of goods! Injustices that lead to violence! Sounds like the refrain of Wall Street occupiers? Perhaps, but these statements are coming from the Vatican.

A recent document from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace addresses many of the economic issues that fuel the spread of the Occupy Wall Street movement across the United States and abroad. Protesters cry out against the greed and selfishness exhibited by many U.S. economic institutions like banks and oil companies. They decry the growing disparity between the very rich and everyone else in this society where the top 1 % control nearly 40 % of the wealth. They call for a return to representative democracy where elected officials respond to ordinary citizens rather than to the rich and powerful whose campaign contributions and high paid lobbyists determine what pieces of legislation become law.

The Pontifical Council’s visionary and challenging statement addresses many of these concerns in the context of the global economic crisis. One of its most interesting – and likely controversial – assertions is the need for government to exercise a greater role in regulating and guiding economies. It encourages the establishment of a world political authority, “a supranational Authority,” invested with sufficient power and resources to regulate the global economy in a way that serves the universal common good.

This Catholic document does not refer to the rich as ‘job creators.’ Nor does it anywhere suggest that people protesting economic injustices are promoting class warfare. What it does address is the morally unacceptable disparity that continues to grow between the very wealthy and everyone else. It also warns that this expanding economic divide is a cause of impending tension and conflict. “Today the modern means of communication make these great economic, social and cultural inequalities obvious to everyone, rich and poor alike, giving rise to tensions and to massive migratory movements.” This warning has been issued repeatedly in Catholic social teaching.

The 1971 World Synod of Bishops’ document, Justice in the World spoke of a new awareness among people throughout the world – an awareness that “shakes them out of any fatalistic resignation and which spurs them on to liberate themselves and to be responsible for their own destiny. Movements among men are seen which express hope in a better world and a will to change whatever has become intolerable.” (4) These social documents of the Catholic Church observe with approval the passionate desires of people everywhere to change economic and political structures that no longer serve the majority of citizens.

This is not a call for conflict, tension and violence among people. Rather, it is a summons to change the economic and political conditions and structures that hold people in economic poverty or political bondage. And, therein is a summons for all of us: to strive to bring about social structures that serve the needs of everyone, not just those at the top.

This is partly what drives the Occupiers to continue their campaign, and it is something around which our Church would do well to educate and organize. The message from the Vatican is here – to see in this economic crisis “an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future.”

Pope John Paul II once wrote that we can no longer tolerate “a world in which there live side by side the immensely rich and the miserably poor” (1998 World Day of Peace). Though we may not be among the “miserably poor”, many local individuals and families struggle with financial tensions and economic hardships. These are among the greatest threats to our basic institutions, like marriage and family life, and we in the Church should not sit idle. A good preparation for action would be to read this new Vatican document (www.zenit.org/article-33718?l=english) in conjunction with Bishop Kinney’s pastoral letter: As I Have Done for You . . . So you Also Should Do.

(Photo Source)