The good and the bad, emphasis on Trib and Sun-Times
SPRINGFIELD – A reporter once asked the 20th Century’s most influential labor leader, John L. Lewis, what does organized labor want?
His response: “More.”
It’s a great rejoinder, but it’s a lousy premise to go into all negotiations
Sometimes there isn’t “more” to give.
For example, Illinois is the fiscal basket case of the nation.
It’s $111 billion-plus in pension debt, is spending what it doesn’t have and cutting basic services and is 13 weeks without a budget.
Other than that, no problem.
. . . in latest WSJ/NBC poll. (As above in blog’s super headline)
In the prior Journal/NBC News poll, conducted in mid-July, Mr. Carson had only 10% support, compared with 19% for Mr. Trump.
The retired neurosurgeon overtakes Mr. Trump in the new survey, conducted Sept. 20-24, when voters’ first choice is combined with their second.
No candidate in the race has enjoyed a swifter ascent than Mrs. Fiorina, who barely registered in the July survey. She has since taken the spotlight in the GOP race after a strong performance in a televised Sept. 16 candidate debate.
Is this a horse race I behold?
Peggy Noonan fills out the papal profile:
The pope I love embraces the hideously deformed man. He sees the modern world for what it is, “a field hospital after battle.” We’re in triage: “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds.” This pope calls the woman who wrote him that her lover had left but she was having the baby. He tracked her down on her cellphone. “It’s Francis!” She said he told her he’d baptize the baby. This pope fills my eyes with tears.
Then the other Pope Francis:
The less lovable pope is—well, and I say this still with love, Uncle Frank in the attic. This is the one who endorses secular political agendas, who castigates capitalism in language that is both imprecise and heavily loaded. He doesn’t, actually, seem to know a lot about capitalism or markets, or even what economic freedom has given—and is giving—his own church.
Do this better if you can.
Sweet Jesus! Out of Argentina God has called his son.
Start with this from Cafe Hayek’s Don Boudreaux:
No institution in history comes close to capitalism’s success at inspiring multitudes of strangers, from different countries and with different talents, to cooperate for the betterment of humanity and of the natural environment.
Add this:
The production and distribution of the very encyclicals in which Francis criticizes capitalism are capitalist achievements. They require the efforts of tree farmers (perhaps in Germany), of paper-mill workers (perhaps in Slovenia), of ink producers (perhaps in Canada), and of printers (perhaps in Italy).
And this:
And each of these suppliers relies upon countless delivery vehicles (perhaps made in Japan), investors (perhaps in New York), insurers (perhaps in London) and designers of computer hardware (perhaps in China) and software (perhaps in Seattle).
Sum it up with this:
A true marvel of capitalism is its continual weaving together of the efforts of billions of individuals from around the world into a unified global economy, with each person — as producer and as consumer — more free than under any other economic system to choose just how to participate.
And this:
This process is peaceful, stupendously productive and requires no commands issued by any overseeing strongman or politburo.
To which, being a fervent Catholic, I say let us pray he comes to know this and other nuggets about how the world works.
The nation’s biggest abortion millers do not play beanbag.
CHICAGO – Planned Parenthood supporters in positions of government power are looking to jail and financially destroy the producer of the undercover sting videos that have brought attention to the abortion giant’s illegal practices, a pro-life lawyer claims.
Every diocese could have one, even if not a full-time job. New Liturgical Movement strikes an encouraging note here.
Some prelates fear diversity in this arena, however, have bigger fish to fry, etc.
Same for programs geared explicitly to help LGBT people to do the right thing. Courage comes to mind.
Prelates are often not so sure about this operation either. Low profiles are preferred. But this Courage site has a raft of video presentations, including a July 30 sermon by Archbishop Cupich of Chicago at the opening of the 2015 Courage Conference at Mundelein Seminary, and a moving one at that. His predecessor Cardinal George also welcomed the Courage group to the seminary on one or more occasions.
If I were the pope, I’d object to a headline like the one above on grounds the copy editor is making me look like a nitwit.
As to the story, it opens like this:
ROME/BUENOS AIRES — As Pope Francis prepares to visit the United States, it’s telling that many Americans are still trying to get a political read on him. Some are convinced he’s a leftist reformer, some see him as a conservative in sheep’s clothing, and many are just a little bit confused.
Actually, for some who consider it muy dangerous to separate thinking from loving one’s neighbor, it seems the Holy Father is confused.
Blithe Spirit 