I read the the Iowa Catholic Conference’s “Labor and the Common Good.” The statement quotes from Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens (#20), which states that workers should consider “the limitations imposed by the general economic situation of the country.”
That is the point: public sector unions frequently do not consider economic circumstances. Heck, all of us would like to receive health care without premiums, a guaranteed pension without contributions, and retirement at age 55. But that is not the real world.
Courageous governors like Wisconsin’s Walker and Ohio’s Kasich are bringing sanity to public budgets. Do not be surprised when they receive support from Catholic voters.
Look, many people struggle to deal with the new realities imposed by the global debt crisis. If we hope to avoid the austerity measures facing Greece and Italy, we need to get our public finances, particularly unfunded liabilities, in order. Is the Iowa Catholic Conference helping in that regard, or hurting?
Mike Streb
Iowa City
