February 2009

	The U.S. Bishops' Program of Social Reconstruction (1919) Pregnant Women Support Act Legal Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women Included in State Children Health Insurance Program Canadian Religious Conference Brings the Fight against Human Trafficking to High School Students Catholics Confront Global Poverty The Situation in Orissa

J/P Alert is the newsletter of the Justice and Peace office of CMSM. It is intended to inform and stimulate discussion and involvement among the members. Its contents do not necessarily represent official positions of CMSM.

The U.S. Bishops' Program of Social Reconstruction (1919)

At a January 29, 2009, symposium, The Obama Administration and the Catholic Social Agenda," sponsored by the Life Cycle Institute of Catholic University, Catholic University history professor Leslie Tentler pointed out that in 1919 the National Catholic War Council, a forerunner to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, proposed a wide-ranging social agenda.

The Program of Social Reconstruction called on the American Congress and the Wilson Administration to adopt publicly-subsidized health care, a living wage for male workers so they could support their families, public housing, an insurance program similar to today's Social Security system, workplace safety rules, protection for the rights of workers to organize and an end to child labor.  In the light of the present economic crisis, its recommendations seem presciently relevant.  Although dated in its lack of inclusive language and its assumption about the need for gender equality in pay, it is in many ways quite a radical document. 

Here are some excerpts:

The several states should enact laws providing for the establishment of wage rates that will be at least sufficient for the decent maintenance of a family, in the case of all male adults, and adequate to the decent individual support of female workers. In the beginning the minimum wages for male workers should suffice only for the present needs of the family, but they should be gradually raised until they are adequate to meet future needs as well. That is, they should be ultimately high enough to make possible that amount of saving which is necessary to protect the worker and his family against sickness, accidents, invalidity and old age.

The state should make comprehensive provision for insurance against illness, invalidity, unemployment and old age. So far as possible, the insurance fund should be raised by a levy on industry, as is now done in the case of accident compensation. The industry in which a man is employed should provide with all that is necessary to meet all the needs of his entire life. Therefore, any contribution to the insurance fund from the general revenues of the state should be only slight and temporary. For the same reason no contribution should be exacted from any worker who is not getting a higher wage than is required to meet the present needs of himself and family. Those who are below that level can make such a contribution only at the expense of their present welfare. Finally, the administration of the insurance laws should be such as to interfere as little as possible with the individual freedom of the worker and his family. Any insurance scheme, or any administrative method, that tends to separate the workers into a distinct and dependent class, that offends against their domestic privacy and independence, or that threatens individual self-reliance and self-respect, should not be tolerated. The ideal to be kept in mind is a condition in which all the workers would themselves have the income and the responsibility of providing for all the needs and contingencies of life, both present and future. Hence, all forms of state insurance should be regarded as merely a lesser evil, and should be so organized and administered as to hasten the coming of the normal condition.

Municipal clinics where the poorer classes could obtain the advantage of medical treatment by specialists at a reasonable cost would likewise seem to have become a necessity. A vast amount of unnecessary sickness and suffering exists among the poor and the lower middle classes because they cannot afford the advantages of any other treatment except that provided by the general practitioner. Every effort should be made to supply wage earners and their families with specialized medical care through development of group medicine. Free medical care should be given only to those who cannot afford to pay.

The right of labor to organize and to deal with employers through representatives has been asserted above in connection with the discussion of the War Labor Board. It is to be hoped that this right will never again be called in question by any considerable number of employers. In addition to this, labor ought gradually to receive greater representation in what the English group of Quaker employers have called the industrial" part of business management:  the control of processes and machinery; nature of product; engagement and dismissal of employees; hours of work, rates of pay, bonuses, etc.; welfare work; shop discipline; relations with trade unions." The establishment of shop committees, working wherever possible with the trade union, is the method suggested by this group of employers for giving the employees the proper share of industrial management.

There can be no doubt that a frank adoption of these means and ends by employers would not only promote the welfare of the workers, but vastly improve the relations between them and their employers, and increase the efficiency and productiveness of each establishment.

There is no need here to emphasize the importance of safety and sanitation in work places, as this is pretty generally recognized by legislation. What is required is an extension and strengthening of many of the existing statutes, and a better administration and enforcement of such laws everywhere.

[T]he present system stands in grievous need of considerable modifications and improvement. Its main defects are three: enormous inefficiency and waste in the production and distribution of commodities; insufficient incomes for the great majority of wage earners; and unnecessarily large incomes for a small minority of privileged capitalists. Inefficiency in production and distribution of goods would be in great measure abolished by the reforms that have been outlined in the foregoing pages. Production would be greatly increased by universal living wages, by adequate industrial education, and by harmonious relations between labor and capital on the basis of adequate participation by the former in all the industrial aspects of business management. The wastes of commodity distribution could be practically all eliminated by cooperative mercantile establishments, and cooperative selling and marketing associations.

The second great evil, that of insufficient income for the majority, can be removed only by providing the workers with more income. This means not only universal living wages, but the opportunity of obtaining something more than that amount for all who are willing to work hard and faithfully. All the other measures for labor betterment recommended in the preceding pages would likewise contribute directly or indirectly to a more just distribution of wealth in the interest of the laborer.

For the third evil mentioned above, excessive gains by a small minority of privileged capitalists, the main remedies are prevention of monopolistic control of commodities, adequate government regulation of such public service monopolies as will remain under private operation, and heavy taxation of incomes, excess profits, and inheritances....[T]he principle is clear that human beings cannot be trusted with the immense opportunities for oppression and extortion that go with the possession of monopoly power. That the owners of public service monopolies should be restricted by law to a fair or average return on their actual investment, has long been a recognized principle of the courts, the legislatures, and public opinion. It is a principle which should be applied to competitive enterprises likewise, with the qualification that something more than the average rate of return should be allowed to men who exhibit exceptional efficiency. However, good public policy, as well as equity, demands that these exceptional businessmen share the fruits of their efficiency with the consumer in the form of lower prices. The man who utilizes his ability to produce cheaper than his competitors for the purpose of exacting from the public as high a price for his product as is necessary for the least efficient businessman is a menace rather than a benefit to industry and society.

Our immense war debt constitutes a particular reason why incomes and excess profits should continue to be heavily taxed. In this way two important ends will be attained: the poor will be relieved of injurious tax burdens, and the small class of privileged capitalists will be compelled to return a part of their unearned gains to society.

[The complete document is available on the web at www.osjspm.org/majordoc_us_bishops_statements_program_
of_social_reconstruction.aspx . 
A video of the symposium can be found at digitalmedia.cua.edu//calendar/event_dsp.cfm?event=4587.]

Legal Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women Included in State Children Health Insurance Program

On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed H.R. 2, a reauthorization of the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which included provisions that give states the option to cover legal immigrant children and legal immigrant pregnant women. 

SCHIP is a federal matching-funds program that allows states to provide health insurance to children from low-income families.  Since 1996, legal immigrants have had to wait five years after entering the United States to participate in the program.  H.R. 2 would remove this restriction and allow states to offer SCHIP and Medicaid health coverage to children of legal permanent residents (LPR's) without a waiting period provided that they meet the programs' income eligibility requirements.   

Experts estimate that there are between 275,000 and 400,000 legal permanent resident children who would become eligible for coverage under H.R. 2.  The numbers who actually enroll may be lower because some LPR children already have private health insurance and because enrollment rates never reach 100%.  In an effort to increase immigrant participation, the Senate bill includes 75% federal match-funding for limited English proficient outreach to potential enrollees.      

The inclusion of LPR children in the Senate-passed SCHIP bill is in keeping with one central request of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  Writing as Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Bishop William Murphy issued a January 14th letter to both houses of Congress calling adoption of immigrant health coverage the right thing to do." 
           
To see how your Senator or Representative voted, you can go to http://www.thomas.gov/.

Justice for Immigrants:  A Journey of Hope

Canadian Religious Conference Brings the Fight against Human Trafficking to High School Students

Ottawa, January 13 2009 - With the approaching Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010, the Canadian Religious Conference (CRC) is launching an educational kit entitled: "We are a Global Village – Human Trafficking and the 2010 Olympics." Designed for high school students, this kit aims to educate young people about the reality of human trafficking in all its forms and its many causes. Statistics indicate that between 700,000 to 4 million women and children are victims of human trafficking every year around the world, making it a global issue. As highly profitable businesses, the Olympics and all major sporting events provide a good opportunity to smuggle persons into a country illegally for purposes of prostitution. Canada is not immune to human trafficking.

The "We are a Global Village" kit includes a DVD, a user guide and teacher notes. The provided material will allow for a minimum of two class periods. The kit can also be easily adapted to other groups of people willing to become informed and involved in combating the trafficking in women and children. The Canadian Religious Conference, active in this fight since 2004 following an appeal from the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), hopes this educational and awareness-raising kit will motivate young people and their teachers to take on the fight against this global scourge. The more the public is made aware, the more it will be possible to counter human trafficking and those who seek it. This will also result in more pressure being placed on governments to introduce measures to protect the victims of trafficking.

Statistics indicate that the average entry age for women into the murky world of prostitution is between 14 and 16 years of age, and that Canada is no exception. By making young people aware of this and through understanding the root causes that create a climate for human trafficking, it is hoped that students will become actively committed to the battle against this modern day form of slavery that is the second largest form of organized crime in the world.

Contact information

Louise Stafford, FSP, Communications Portfolio Director, lstafford@crc-canada.org

Bill Kokesch, Communications Associate billkokesch@hotmail.com

Catholics Confront Global Poverty

In response to the Pope Benedict XVI's 2009 World Day of Peace Message "To fight poverty to build peace," the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will reinvigorate the Catholic Campaign Against Global Poverty.  The Catholics Confront Global Poverty initiative will be launched on February 23, 2009, at the Catholic Social Ministries Gathering.  

The goal of Catholics Confront Global Poverty is to educate and mobilize Catholics in the U.S. to:

• defend the life and dignity of people living in poverty throughout the world; and
• urge our nation to act in response to the many faces of poverty.

Policy Objectives:

• Increase poverty-focused foreign assistance to meet urgent humanitarian needs and invest in long-term development, moving toward .7% of national income;
• Promote foreign assistance reform that makes development a priority and emphasizes poverty reduction, government transparency, and civil society participation;
• Finish the agenda of debt relief so poor nations can invest in the needs of their people;
• Address global climate change and help poor countries mitigate and adapt to it;
• Promote reform of trade and agriculture policies to stimulate sustainable development in poorer nations and protect smaller scale farmers in the U.S.;
• Support transparency, participation and consent of local communities in natural resource development so that these activities lead to human development;
• Support U.N. peacekeeping operations to reduce violence that impoverishes many nations;
• Employ significant resources in peace building initiatives and diplomacy to address conflicts before they become violent; and
• Address the root causes of migration and promote comprehensive immigration reform.

The Situation in Orissa

By PD John, The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA)

Extremist Hindu groups in the state of Orissa, India, have been orchestrating anti-Christian hate campaigns for several decades. These acts have grown from mere sporadic violence to well-coordinated efforts now aimed at total cleansing of Christians from Orissa.

Last August, violence broke out again for the second time within a year, in the district of Kandhamal. Hindu radical groups used the killing of a virulent Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) leader as a cover for their violence.   Hindu radical groups went on a rampage against Christians and Christian Institutions though Maoist insurgents took responsibility for the killing of the Hindu leader.

Attack on Christians, destruction of their properties and Christian institutions, and desecration of religious places were well-coordinated. Hindu leaders called the violence as a spontaneous retaliation to the killing of their leader." The Hindutva groups blamed Christians for the assassination and used it to carry out a house-to-house search for Christians to kill them.

A number of churches and convents were attacked by Hindu extremists during the 2007 Christmas season. Over 50,000 Christians took refuge in jungles, fearing for their lives.

But the violence in Orissa against Christians this time continued unabated for four long months. The State government seemed to be deliberately silent to allow Hindu extremists freely to kill and loot Christians. The Prime Minister was also largely silent until he was questioned by European leaders in public during one of his official visits to France.

Hindu leaders allege that forced or enticed" conversions to Christianity is the reason for Hindus resorting to violence. They demand that the church stop evangelizing, arguing that at this rate of conversions the Hindu population would disappear from India.  To discourage people from embracing Christianity, the government has enacted laws in over 6 states that make it almost impossible for any Hindu to convert. Church officials point out that the government could not prove even a single case of forced" or enticed" conversion until now.

Currently, in the total population of over 1.2 billion people, Hindus constitute 80.5% of the population (including 25% of outcasts and Tribals), while Muslims are 13.4%, and Christians are 2.3%.

Church leaders also ask why, if people are converting to Christianity in such alarming rates, the Christian population remains less than 2.3% even after 2000 years? (Christianity was first brought to India by Apostle Thomas in AD 52 and has been continuously present without any break. The Apostle died as a martyr in South India near a place now called Chennai.)  Scholars and Christian leaders argue that the Hindu nationalist movement simply wants to polarize the population on religious grounds for establishing a Hindu nation-state.

The state government in Orissa, which is responsible for maintaining the law and order, stood by silently while, in August 2008, hundreds of Christian villages were ransacked and burnt by the Hindu radicals. Homes of Christians were identified and destroyed systematically. Over 54,000 Christians ran into jungles fearing for their lives. A nun was gang raped. 1,800 were injured, over 5,000 homes and 151 churches were destroyed  along with educational institutions, boarding schools and orphanages. Over 70 people were killed, including a Catholic Priest.  Numerous vehicles were burned or stolen.

By last count there are over 8,000 men, women and children still in relief camps. Thousands who left relief camps have moved out to other regions as threats on their lives continue in the Kandhamal district.

Christian refugees in these camps, who have no place to go, face two-fold dilemma. First, most of their properties have been destroyed in their villages and so there is nothing for them to go back to. Second, Hindu leaders have made it very clear that any Christian wishing to return to their village must renounce Christianity and convert to Hinduism. Hence, most Christians would rather not return to their villages but rather keep their Christian faith and identity.

To make the current appalling situation worse, in February the government decided to close the remaining relief camps, pushing the refugees into further uncertainty. The government has also strictly prohibited church organizations from opening or operating relief camps. The immediate future of more than 8,000 refugees in relief camps now is a major concern for the church.

Unlike the attack on Christians in December of 2007, when only the institutions were attacked, the leadership of the Christian community in Orissa was the prime target in August 2008. Priests and nuns were singled out. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath points out that the connivance of local security forces and sections of the Orissa bureaucracy was evident from their refusal to even assist the victims small things like filing of the First Information Report" by the victims.

But, Archbishop Cheenath says, the Church in Orissa, particularly in Kandhamal, will rise up from the debris and ashes stronger than ever before.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
How can the Justice and Peace Office help you get involved?

T. Michael McNulty, SJ, editor
mmcnulty@cmsm.org

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