Them Quakers

In researching the World Council of Churches, and being disappointed with their quite superficial programs, I checked out Religions for Peace. While much better, I then recalled the American Friends Service Committee of the Quakers. "From our experience, we know that peacemaking requires more than merely advocating against one war or another. Real peace is more than the absence of war. Rather, we need to change the culture, situations, and systems that lead to violence. AFSC knows that miracles can happen when we build the capacity for peace person-by-person, community-by-community. When people understand the terrible consequences of violence and witness realistic alternatives, they come together as a powerful force to address the underlying causes and lay the foundation for lasting peace....

Inequality, Socioeconomic Style

Socioeconomic inequality is the result of business policies which created such concentrated wealth that corporate executives influenced politicians. Edith Rasell, minister in the United Church of Christ, wrote for Thanksgiving, 2014: "....This trend is not the inevitable consequence of globalization, technological change, an aging population, or anything else. Growing inequality – the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, and the middle disappearing – is the direct result of policy decisions made by policymakers in Washington, DC, and state legislatures. Starting around 1980, changes in public policies have brought about these results. High levels of unemployment, attacks on unions, the failure to raise the minimum wage, “free trade” agreements that harm workers around the world and benefit multinational corporations, deregulation, privatization, a reduced role for government, tax cuts on corporations and very wealthy households, the erosion of the social safety net, and – maybe most of all – the influence of money on politics have all played a role. These policies first reversed the post-World War II era of shrinking inequality then they plunged the nation into a chasm of widening inequality where a very few have spectacular wealth while the rest of us live in the midst of insecurity and even misery. It does not have to be this way. May our thanks-giving be a first step toward reversing this trend. We are grateful for all we have, even a meager amount. But we know that our society will be strong only when every person is thriving economically, when each one has what they need. Let us summon our courage, claim our power, and get involved in one or several of the many efforts seeking to bring change. Hopefully it is not too late." http://www.ucc.org/commentary-first-give-thanks-11202014 On a separate page, Rasell gets more serious and clear, talking about the problem of corporations, "....Corporate money in politics influences policy and regulatory decisions. The Center for Responsive Politics on their OpenSecrets.org page has extensively investigated the impact of money in politics, the revolving door between lobbying and public service, and the influence purchased with campaign dollars....." Her or their proposed solutions are intelligent and important, but not the most immediate in application... "- Raise the minimum wage - Support workers in their struggles for unions, higher pay, and better benefits. - Oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the “Fast Track” authority that lets this bill go through Congress with scant debate and oversight. - Oppose reductions in taxes paid by corporations. Any reduction in the corporate tax rate must be more than offset by closing loopholes, ending the use of tax havens, and eliminating the deferral of taxation on foreign earnings. Taxes paid by corporations must rise." http://www.ucc.org/justice_economic-justice_corporate-power There is a project with more immediate application: "The UCC Fair Trade Project (formally the UCC Coffee Project) allows your congregation to partner with the UCC and Equal Exchange in building fair trade for small farming communities by serving fairly traded coffee, tea and cocoa, and chocolate, snacks, and olive oil for justice at fellowship hour on Sundays....." There's an additional domestic US benefit: "Equal Exchange contributes $0.15 to the UCC Justice & Witness Ministries Small Farmer Fund for every pound of fairly traded products sold through the UCC Coffee Project. Since the Coffee Project began in 2004, Equal Exchange has nearly $100,000 to the UCC Justice & Witness Ministries Small Farmers' Fund. Small Farmer Fund contributions totaled $7,309.32 in 2014. This money is used to support the Small Farm Project at the UCC Franklinton Center at Bricks. This is one component of the Just Food Project which supports a farmers' market held at FCAB where local small farmers sell their produce and local residents purchase affordable fresh vegetables and fruits. FCAB is located in eastern North Carolina in an area where many people are in poor health, experience food insecurity, and have poor access to healthy foods. The Small Farm Project is part of a comprehensive approach to comm unity economic development, environmental education, social justice, and health....." They explain something about Equal Exchange: "Equal Exchange is a worker-owned fair trade company, founded in 1986, that offers consumers fairly traded gourmet coffee direct from small-scale farmer co-ops in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Equal Exchange seeks to establish an alternative model of trade, one that benefits small farmers directly through the following fair trade standards that apply to all Equal Exchange products: Always pay a guaranteed minimum price to the farmer. Work directly with democratic cooperatives of small scale farmers. Provide vital advance credit to farmers. Encourage ecologically sustainable farming practices. Develop long-term trade relations based on trust and respect. Offer consumers the finest gourmet, certified organic, shade-grown coffees." http://www.ucc.org/fair-trade-project It's good as far as it goes. However, the problem of the corporate executives in control of the US national government means that the centers of power are in corporate boardrooms, not Washington, DC. One thing I noticed was that by finding products produced by better businesses, I could make a choice with every purchase. Whether I bought organic food, food made by a co-op like Cabot farms, from a co-op/pseudo-co-op like Ace Hardware (not food), or ESOP like Publix Supermarkets, or a food co-op itself, there were a number of choices I had. For example, Clintonville Community Marketcoop 200 Crestview Road Columbus, Ohio 43202 Phone: (614) 261-3663 FAX: (614) 261-0474 info@communitymarket.org http://www.communitymarket.org and http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm#Ohio Then there is Hyvee ESOP Supermarket in the Midwest, Publix in the Southeast, and WinCo in the West.