Fr Dwight Longenecker: Ryan's Catholic Financial Principles

By Fr Dwight Longenecker
8/14/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Let's hope Ryan represents a new generation of politicians on both sides of the divide who will think these things through and come up with a positive new approach for politics.

I am no economist and I have little patience with politics, but I do understand that my Catholic faith is opposed to both socialism and unrestrained capitalism. It is opposed to both because it is in favor of the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity.

Vice Presidential Nominee for the Republican Party, Congressman Paul Ryan

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GREENVILLE,SC (Catholic Online) - I am no economist and I have little patience with politics, but I do understand that my Catholic faith is opposed to both socialism and unrestrained capitalism. It is opposed to both because it is in favor of the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity. These principles are easily understood as the proper need for community and government being balanced by being "in favor of the little guy and the homegrown solution". The Catholic faith is therefore in favor of community, but sees community as founded on personal freedom and personal responsibility. Therefore we distrust both big government and big business.

Catholic social teaching is a largely undiscovered treasure. It provides a sensible way of balance in fiercely partisan politics. A Catholic politician should work according to the principles of this social teaching. To do so is not to bring religion into politics, but to allow his beliefs to influence his decisions. We would expect this to be the case for any politician-that his personal ideals and beliefs should positively motivate his political decisions. In a speech at Georgetown, Ryan has said,

"The work I do as a Catholic holding office conforms to the social doctrine as best I can make of it," Ryan said. "What I have to say about the social doctrine of the Church is from the viewpoint of a Catholic in politics applying my understanding of the problems of the day." This article explains how Paul Ryan's economic plans echo the Catholic principle of subsidiarity. What interests me most is why the principle of subsidiarity is a Catholic principle. It is Catholic because it is an outgrowth of the Catholic understanding of individual responsibility and freedom. These personal, social and political principles: (freedom and responsibility) are a direct outgrowth of Catholic theology and anthropology.

We believe that each human person is created in God's image and are therefore created with free will. They have power to act. They are able not only to make choices, but to follow through and take action. This personal freedom is one of humanity's greatest potentialities and strengths. Linked with personal freedom is personal responsibility. If I would have freedom I must exercise that freedom responsibly. I must be aware of the consequences of my decisions and actions. I must weight up the possible rewards and punishments that flow naturally from the exercise of my free will. I must weigh up how my decisions and actions influence other people and society in general.

The principle of freedom and responsibility are woven into the fabric of what it means to be human. Big Government and Big Business too often sap the individual of both freedom and responsibility. A big welfare state supports the individual-sapping him of personal freedom by making him reliant on a handout. As his personal freedom is drained, so is his need for personal responsibility. The entitlement culture prevails, and poverty is exacerbated rather than cured.

Similarly, big business too often saps personal freedom. As welfare recipients become dependent on big government, so the employee can become dependent on the employer to provide everything for him and the more he becomes dependent the more his own freedom is sapped, and as his freedom is drained, so his need to take responsibility for himself is drained. Big business can force financial decisions (lower wages-higher prices) which negatively impact the individual and therefore deprive him of freedom and responsibility.

The principle of subsidiarity moves us always (whether in government or business) to look for the small, local solution to the problem. Allow health care and insurance to be provided at the state or even the local level. Expect businesses to devolve decision making and responsibility to the lowest level possible. If we did this we would not only have cheaper solutions, but we would have a built in system of check and balances. It is much more difficult for graft, corruption and insider trading to go on at a local level than at a huge corporate or governmental level. It is much easier to encourage entrepreneurship, customer service and hard work when business is done at a local level.

The beauty of subsidiarity (as with every Catholic solution) is that it totally steers around the conventional models of 'left wing' or 'right wing' with their built in conflict laden Hegelian mentality of thesis-antithesis-synthesis. The idea that small is beautiful and the solution is local should play well with both Republicans and Democrats-left wing and right wing. The 'power to the people' folks on the left should be pleased because subsidiarity really does demand that power is devolved to the people, while the "less government is more" people on the right wing should also ...

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1 - 10 of 18 Comments

Judy Claar
10 months ago
Matthew W. I, Dunn: Nice post. Tremendous idea! You could post that on his Ryan Page? Just a thought. Blessings...
Y. Renner
10 months ago
Both left and right are often the unwitting stars in the slow but inevitable realization of what Mr. Hilaire Belloc has called the "Servile State." It is here, to the ruin of authentic freedom.

Belloc's prophetic thesis is simple: the economic system Western civilization currently finds itself is inherently unstable. Fundamentally, it consists of a spiritual decline into that ancient institution we call slavery, in which the pagan world was lifted over the Christian centuries. In Belloc's words, "There are but three social arrangements which can replace Capitalism: Slavery, Socialism, and Property." It is perhaps the single-most important issue facing the West today.

Thank you for this article.
Matthew W. I. Dunn
10 months ago
Catholic social teaching is a largely undiscovered treasure. It provides a sensible way of balance in fiercely partisan politics. A Catholic politician should work according to the principles of this social teaching

Let's hope that VP-candidate Ryan will be influenced by the following:

Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace, "Reform of the International Financial System with a View towards a General Public Authority" (https://www.zenit.org/article-33718?l=english)
Judy Claar
10 months ago
abey: I enjoyed your post very much. You speak of the separation of Church and State or Government. The Church having Love. The government not. This black and white is the prevalence of what is happening today. An Atheistic Socialist Secular Rule. And it is one that invited the HHS Mandate. BEFORE THIS, Freedom existed more commonly for both Church and State even though each was separate one from the other. I would venture to say, that there was more Love, Understanding and Compassion. It seems to be hanging by a thread now.
I always liked to think that everyone around me had all the Love etc., that I do. And if they did not, I must show them by my little ways what it was like...Like St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. I still think that way. But I am also aware of reason and reality. Living in the world but not of the world, I am in a particular shade of gray. Though she on the other hand, was in silken white. Blessings...
J. Bob
10 months ago
Great article!!
buster
10 months ago
wow, could someone inform me where Jesus instructed cesear to raise taxes forceably and then start programs for the underclass. Where did Jesus tell us that we needed to pay more to Rome so that the poor could eat. Where did Jesus tell us individually that as long as we gave "our fair share" to our rulers we were doing God's will. I missed those lessons
JoAnn
10 months ago
Jim: Amen!!!
Dennis
10 months ago
Rep. Paul Ryan is a good Catholic and an able representitive. He is pro-life, pro-marriage and morally consistant. Those of you waiting for the perfect candidate will be waiting forever. The rest of us are thrilled that we can vote for a candidate without holding our noses.

I will strongly support Paul Ryan.

I will never support his anti-life, anti-marriage, economic disaster opponent who is currently president.

We have only two choices and we will, whether we like it or not, have one or the other next year. Choose wisely!
Rob
10 months ago
I really enjoyed this article. And while I adamantly disagree with Ryan's platform, I do appreciate that he is at least trying to let his faith guide his political dealings. I do wish that we would examine and discuss more deeply "unrestrained capitalism." There is no doubt that socialism is harmful and we should not support it, but we have not adequately discussed the role of unrestrained capitalism, particularly on our current economic situation. I think here we will find a perversion of epic proportions that not only flies in the face of the common good, but in no way is supported in our Catholic teachings. It's good that we will have a discussion on our fiscal situation. But unless you discuss entitlements and the impact of unrestrained capitalism, you are no discussing the problem.

Personally, I think our failure to discuss this issue is bordering on a sin of ommission. I understand why we don't want to. Capitalism is at the heart of who we are as Americans. I have no beef with capitalism, but the perversion we have today is making slaves of people as surely as entitlement programs are puported to be. The human person has become less and less important in today's capitalism. If we are not brave enough to confront this, we will never solve our problems, for the benefit of the greater society.
Jim
10 months ago
Thank you Fr.Longenecker for this extremely well written article and my my hat off to Abey for writing with courage, boldness, and absolute truth. I believe most of the silent majority are sick and tired of the left twisting the 'separation of Church & State' true intentions of our founding fathers. What it is now, is time for the apathetic majority to wake up and get into the faces, telephones, email, mail of our legislators and tell them we are absolutely sick of their deceit and playing phony games for their own personal ego and self-importance. We need leaders that have moral fiber, call perversion what it is - perversion - and stop yielding to the vociferous minority that continue to push their perversion down the throats of those of us that believe the word of our God of the universe. It's time to kick out of office those politicians that endorse those issues and actions that have turned this country into a bunch of barbarians. Some day, I look forward to a song writer writing the song "God Forgive America". Only if we all get on our knees and turn from sin, deceit, perversion, etc. and repent can God truly bless America. The 100-year reign of satan allowed by God is about to come to an end. And if anyone reading this doesn't see the evil in this world and in this country, you are absolutely spiritually dead.

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