Over the last couple of years, toys made overseas – especially from Red China – were found to have lead, which is a threat to young children. Congress passed a new law recently to force businesses to test all 12-and-under children's products for both lead and a chemical that makes plastics bendable. The products listed also includes children's clothing.
But this law has been written too broadly, and threatens the economic health of many stores and domestic toy and clothing makers. And many, if not most of them, are small stores and manufacturers.
Why are they affected by this badly written law? They can't afford to test their clothing for lead and other chemicals. Large manufacturers will be able to bear the costs of this new regulation. But as is sadly typical, small businesses and cooperatives won't and so they go out of business.
Furthermore, thrift shops and consignment stores who sell children's clothing won't be able to do so after February 10th. That is when the law comes into effect. Also under the law, any untested toys or clothings will be considered “hazardous” and must be destroyed. Even if the clothing has no lead at all.
This means many poor and middle-class families, under this law, would be forced to buy their children's clothes at the national chain stores. The same chain stores that imported the toxic toys from Red China and other countries in the first place.
This law would even threaten the ability to legally buy used children's things from yard sales, or even on Amazon and Ebay. Work-at-home mothers making children's clothes for extra money would also be forced to shut down. It would even be illegal to donate used children's clothing to emergency shelters and crisis pregnancy centers.
To call this law anti-Distributist would be an understatement!
This horrid law – called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act – can be modified for the better. But only if Congress acts now before the law takes effect on February 10th. We at the Voice urge you to call your Congressman and Senator, and demand this law be changed NOW!
As a poster on the Traditional Catholic forum Fisheaters summed it up:
“There are so many problems with this: It hurts American business, it goes against the rights of consumers and small business owners, it's oppressive to the poor, it's dangerous for children, it's wasteful and bad for the environment, it's going to put people out of work, it's amazingly heavy-handed, it puts us even more in China's pocket.”
To get more detailed info on this bill, as well as how to demand it be changed for the better, please click HERE. Please do it now!!!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Cobbett Classic Reprinted
William Cobbett (1763-1835) was an English writer, politician and author, much like Belloc was. He was one of the many who would lay the foundation for what, a century later, would be known as Distributism.
Chesterton wrote a book about him in tribute to this pioneer of economic and political decentralization, which can be found HERE.
A heretofore little-known work of Cobbett's, called THE EMIGRANT'S GUIDE, is now being reprinted by Economic Justice Media, publishing arm of the Virginia-based Center for Economic and Social Justice. More info on this book and where to buy it can be found HERE.
We at the Voice encourage you to buy and read this book. And then act on what you read.
Chesterton wrote a book about him in tribute to this pioneer of economic and political decentralization, which can be found HERE.
A heretofore little-known work of Cobbett's, called THE EMIGRANT'S GUIDE, is now being reprinted by Economic Justice Media, publishing arm of the Virginia-based Center for Economic and Social Justice. More info on this book and where to buy it can be found HERE.
We at the Voice encourage you to buy and read this book. And then act on what you read.
Where Does American Conservatism Go Now?
With the Republican's defeat in America's 2008 national elections, many on the American Right are asking themselves "What do we do now? Where do we go from here? What happens next?"
Thanks to our colleague at The Western Confucian, there is a good answer to all three...towards Distributism.
He refers to a talk by Allan C. Carlson, author and friend of Distributism within the branch of the American Right called "paleoconservatism". Originally given at Yale University in November of 2008, the talk is deep and thorough and deserves to be read. And then acted upon.
Known as "Learning From Conservative History: Main Trails . . . and Less-Traveled Paths", it can be accessed HERE.
Thanks to our colleague at The Western Confucian, there is a good answer to all three...towards Distributism.
He refers to a talk by Allan C. Carlson, author and friend of Distributism within the branch of the American Right called "paleoconservatism". Originally given at Yale University in November of 2008, the talk is deep and thorough and deserves to be read. And then acted upon.
Known as "Learning From Conservative History: Main Trails . . . and Less-Traveled Paths", it can be accessed HERE.
Three Way Debate Set for April
From our friends at The Society For Distributism comes this great announcement:
Garden City, NY, USA. A conference hosted and sponsored by the Nassau Community College for Catholic Studies in Long Island, New York, is confirmed for April 4th, 2009 at the College Center Building. The debate will present and contrast the Capitalist, Socialist, and Distributist positions in economics. The Conference, Catholicism and Economics, will present and compare the intellectual arguments about the compatibility of Catholicism with, respectively, democratic socialism, democratic capitalism, and distributism.
Thomas Storck will speak for the distributist position. Dr. Charles Clark will be the speaker on democratic socialism. Michael Novak will be the main speaker for the democratic capitalist position.
From 11:30am until 12:30pm there will be a luncheon for all in attendance (speakers and audience) including sandwiches, salads, cake, coffee/tea/cold beverages. Following lunch, there will be a brief tribute to the recently deceased Catholic scholars, Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., and Msgr. Michael Wrenn. The debate will begin at 1pm with a half hour presentation by each participant. Subsequently, there will be an opportunity for the participants to respond critically to one another, with a brief summary statement made by each main speaker. Dr. Stephen M. Krason, President of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, will close the event with a short reflection on the conference from the perspective of Heinrich Pesch and Solidarism. The event will conclude by 4:30pm.
Thomas Storck is an author, a member of the Editorial Board of the Chesterton Review and of The Society for Distributism.
Dr. Charles M.A. Clark is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance, Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John's University, Jamaica, Queens, New York.
Michael Novak is the George Frederick Jewett Chair in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute of Washington, D.C.
Stephen M. Krason is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
All conference attendees must register. In order to register for the conference, contact:
Nassau Community College
Office of Life Long Learning
One Education Drive
Garden City, New York, 11530
1-516-572-7472.
The Office of Life Long Learning will send you registration material and a mandatory parking permit through the mail. Parking on campus without a valid permit could result in being issued a parking ticket. Those lost on campus and in need of directions to the College Center Building can contact the Office of Public Safety, 1-516-572-7100.
For more information, contact:
Richard Aleman
The Society for Distributism
P.O. Box 37
Hicksville, NY 11802
1-516-508-1871
societyfordistributism@gmail.com
Garden City, NY, USA. A conference hosted and sponsored by the Nassau Community College for Catholic Studies in Long Island, New York, is confirmed for April 4th, 2009 at the College Center Building. The debate will present and contrast the Capitalist, Socialist, and Distributist positions in economics. The Conference, Catholicism and Economics, will present and compare the intellectual arguments about the compatibility of Catholicism with, respectively, democratic socialism, democratic capitalism, and distributism.
Thomas Storck will speak for the distributist position. Dr. Charles Clark will be the speaker on democratic socialism. Michael Novak will be the main speaker for the democratic capitalist position.
From 11:30am until 12:30pm there will be a luncheon for all in attendance (speakers and audience) including sandwiches, salads, cake, coffee/tea/cold beverages. Following lunch, there will be a brief tribute to the recently deceased Catholic scholars, Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., and Msgr. Michael Wrenn. The debate will begin at 1pm with a half hour presentation by each participant. Subsequently, there will be an opportunity for the participants to respond critically to one another, with a brief summary statement made by each main speaker. Dr. Stephen M. Krason, President of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, will close the event with a short reflection on the conference from the perspective of Heinrich Pesch and Solidarism. The event will conclude by 4:30pm.
Thomas Storck is an author, a member of the Editorial Board of the Chesterton Review and of The Society for Distributism.
Dr. Charles M.A. Clark is a Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance, Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John's University, Jamaica, Queens, New York.
Michael Novak is the George Frederick Jewett Chair in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute of Washington, D.C.
Stephen M. Krason is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
All conference attendees must register. In order to register for the conference, contact:
Nassau Community College
Office of Life Long Learning
One Education Drive
Garden City, New York, 11530
1-516-572-7472.
The Office of Life Long Learning will send you registration material and a mandatory parking permit through the mail. Parking on campus without a valid permit could result in being issued a parking ticket. Those lost on campus and in need of directions to the College Center Building can contact the Office of Public Safety, 1-516-572-7100.
For more information, contact:
Richard Aleman
The Society for Distributism
P.O. Box 37
Hicksville, NY 11802
1-516-508-1871
societyfordistributism@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
On behalf of Jovan and myself, we at the Voice wish you all a Merry Christmas!
May the Holy Family keep you safe and well all the New Year!
May the Holy Family keep you safe and well all the New Year!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Cry For Madagascar
As I wrote in The Distributist Review slightly over two years ago, Madagascar had the potential to become a Distributist state and still does. Recent events have put that possibility farther away than it should.
Daewoo Industries, one of South Korea's largest and most influential, has signed a deal with the island's government that appalls. The multinational conglomerate signed a 99 year lease with the Tananarive government for millions of acres of arable land. How many millions? They're equal to half – literally half – of all the arable land in the country. The size of which is equal to the entire nation of Belgium! The BBC reports on it HERE. And the influential South Korean blog The Marmot's Hole goes into further detail on it HERE.
Why? Thanks to the idiotic rush to speculate on world food prices – and the disaster it inflicted on world food supplies – nations like South Korea want to protect itself from any similar calamity. So it has turned to Africa to use it's largely untapped mineral and agricultural wealth to feed it's people. The Communist Chinese are doing similar projects regarding the Dark Continent's mineral wealth, especially with its fellow Marxist counterparts in Zimbabwe.
This is neo-colonialism returning to Africa, albeit under a more economic-oriented disguise. And such things must not be allowed to continue. Like all the other nations of the world, the people of Madagascar must be taught of Distributism. The God-given insights of Belloc, Chesterton, Schumacher and Solzhenitsyn and those who come after them have a desperate need to be applied.
South Korea and Madagascar could have a better economic relationship than what they've settled upon now. And that would under Distributism, not neo-colonialism.
Daewoo Industries, one of South Korea's largest and most influential, has signed a deal with the island's government that appalls. The multinational conglomerate signed a 99 year lease with the Tananarive government for millions of acres of arable land. How many millions? They're equal to half – literally half – of all the arable land in the country. The size of which is equal to the entire nation of Belgium! The BBC reports on it HERE. And the influential South Korean blog The Marmot's Hole goes into further detail on it HERE.
Why? Thanks to the idiotic rush to speculate on world food prices – and the disaster it inflicted on world food supplies – nations like South Korea want to protect itself from any similar calamity. So it has turned to Africa to use it's largely untapped mineral and agricultural wealth to feed it's people. The Communist Chinese are doing similar projects regarding the Dark Continent's mineral wealth, especially with its fellow Marxist counterparts in Zimbabwe.
This is neo-colonialism returning to Africa, albeit under a more economic-oriented disguise. And such things must not be allowed to continue. Like all the other nations of the world, the people of Madagascar must be taught of Distributism. The God-given insights of Belloc, Chesterton, Schumacher and Solzhenitsyn and those who come after them have a desperate need to be applied.
South Korea and Madagascar could have a better economic relationship than what they've settled upon now. And that would under Distributism, not neo-colonialism.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
DEFEND LIFE IN LUXEMBOURG!
According to this report HERE from the BBC, the Parliament of Luxembourg is planning to cut power from the sovereign, His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri. The London Times also reports on this horrid bill HERE. And why?
Because he won't sign a law that allows the evils of euthanasia to rum rampant in that tiny country.
An alliance of Socialist, Liberal and Green deputies pushed through this bill by a 30 to 26 margin. And the Christian Social party, though it opposes this evil bill, will not do anything to stand in the way of this bill's implementation. So they will “trim” the power of the Grand Duke instead.
His Royal Highness, who's family is descended from St. Louis IX – the greatest of all French kings, opposed the euthanasia bill for "reasons of conscience". Then the Grand Duke's conscience is well-formed indeed on this issue. For euthanasia is part of the typical eugenics agenda that both Globalists and Sexual Revolutionaries demand for every country. And so-called “mercy killing” is anything but merciful, for it treats the life of the elderly, mentally ill and sick as less than human.
Belloc and Chesterton, in the early days of the Distributist League, fought similar measures brewing in the British Parliament. Chesterton in his work Eugenics and Other Evils thundered against this revival of the crimes of Herod the Great in the Twentieth Century.
Protecting the traditional family and the sanctity of life is a key tenet of Distributist Thought. And like subsidiarity, it is non-negotiable.
What can we do to push this back? Along with prayer, which is the necessary beginning of all good action, contact the Luxembourg Parliament by e-mail, postcard and letter. Be brief and polite. But demand they leave the Grand Duke and the Constitution alone. And don't put the euthanasia bill into law...ever! And spread the word to pro-lifers worldwide and get them to do the same!
Don't let the Socialists and their allies triumph in Luxembourg. Defend the defenseless and defend the Grand Duke!
Because he won't sign a law that allows the evils of euthanasia to rum rampant in that tiny country.
An alliance of Socialist, Liberal and Green deputies pushed through this bill by a 30 to 26 margin. And the Christian Social party, though it opposes this evil bill, will not do anything to stand in the way of this bill's implementation. So they will “trim” the power of the Grand Duke instead.
His Royal Highness, who's family is descended from St. Louis IX – the greatest of all French kings, opposed the euthanasia bill for "reasons of conscience". Then the Grand Duke's conscience is well-formed indeed on this issue. For euthanasia is part of the typical eugenics agenda that both Globalists and Sexual Revolutionaries demand for every country. And so-called “mercy killing” is anything but merciful, for it treats the life of the elderly, mentally ill and sick as less than human.
Belloc and Chesterton, in the early days of the Distributist League, fought similar measures brewing in the British Parliament. Chesterton in his work Eugenics and Other Evils thundered against this revival of the crimes of Herod the Great in the Twentieth Century.
Protecting the traditional family and the sanctity of life is a key tenet of Distributist Thought. And like subsidiarity, it is non-negotiable.
What can we do to push this back? Along with prayer, which is the necessary beginning of all good action, contact the Luxembourg Parliament by e-mail, postcard and letter. Be brief and polite. But demand they leave the Grand Duke and the Constitution alone. And don't put the euthanasia bill into law...ever! And spread the word to pro-lifers worldwide and get them to do the same!
Don't let the Socialists and their allies triumph in Luxembourg. Defend the defenseless and defend the Grand Duke!
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