Photo Copyright 2011 John M. Kingery
On Thursday morning April 28, I went to a breakfast hosted by the Westside Economic Alliance. The topic was ‘Has the Economy Changed What Oregonians Value?’ Senator Ron Wyden, Jim Piro – PGE VP, Tim Hibbitts – Pollster, and Sandra McDonough – Portland Business Alliance were the featured speakers. Attendees were a cross section of political leaders, corporate executives (Intel, PGE, Nike, Frontier, etc.), plus numerous small business owners and investors. What was I doing there?
Well, I was there to listen, learn and be a voice for “Justice at the Table” – a faith perspective. I brought some business cards listing the challenges we all face –
- Just compensation including salaries, hourly wages and other benefit
- Health care
- Life/work balance
- Outsourcing
- Community commitment and responsibility.
Was I turned away or ignored? No, I was not. In reality, the perspective was welcomed and so were my questions. Senator Wyden focused upon taxes as they related to corporations and small businesses. I asked what about individuals. Sandra McDonough in her presentation relating to job creations invited a public/private partnership. I suggested bringing the faith community’s voice to the table. She was very open and interested in speaking and having the faith community involved in the dialogue. One broker even asked if I offered services for the items above. Yes, the concept of justice and faith are welcomed in the economic arena!
How do you fit in you might ask? Think of your life as prayer. As Brazilian Archbishop Dom Helder Camara said “Pray as you can and do not try to pray as you can’t. Take yourself as you find yourself; start from there”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers a possible “from there” starting point –
2432 – Those responsible for business enterprises are responsible to society for the economic and ecological effects of their operations. They have an obligation to consider the good of persons and not only the increase of profits. Profits are necessary, however. They make possible the investments that ensure the future of a business and they guarantee employment.
I am inviting you to be a voice for “Justice at the Table” in a concrete way. Here are four possible ways
- As an employer or employee, think of ways in which you could provide assistance those unemployed in your area. It is not easy to be out of work, I was for 13 months.
- Explore the possibility of providing the services the broker asked me about based upon our faith.
- Work with local universities on integrating justice into their business and engineering school core curriculum. We could be mentors and teachers to the next generation. There are many resource materials available.
At Easter my parish’s pastor spoke of the eyes of faith and the lens of the Resurrection. Let’s carry that new vision out into the marketplace! Transforming our lives and transforming our community.
In Christ and Peace.
John