I think it would be useful in writing about these principles to describe what has occurred throughout history as a redistribution of wealth from the producers of wealth (and those who provide needed and desired services) to non-producing rentiers and those otherwise privileged under social norms and laws. Those who consider themselves to be conservatives consistently call for an end to wealth redistribution (i.e., the taxation of monetary assets from those who have the ability to pay to those who are statistically poor and for other reasons are in need to societal support). Conservatives seem to embrace a very selective story of human history. I have attempted to make the actual case in a new video on my Youtube channel titled, "How Henry George Tried to Save Us From Ourselves." Take a look and let me know if you think this effort is useful. Ed Dodson
Rerum Novarum was unfortunate as it was among other things a direct attack on the ideas of Henry George. There is a background to this. The Catholic journalist Wilfrid Meynell introduced Cardinal Manning to Henry George when he visited England around 1885. There is a signed and copy of Progress and Poverty in the Meynell family library at Pulborough in Sussex, with annotations. Manning, scion of an upper-middle class English family, was horrified. Manning is thought to have been the author of Rerum Novarum.
The Distributists attempted to recover the situation, but they seem never to have understood that the Georgist tax reforms were necessary to provide the fiscal and legal framework to achieve their aims.
Catholic Social Teaching has still not acknowledged the special nature of land and the natural universe, rolling it up into the vague category of "property". The present Pope has added a further layer of confusion.
I think it would be useful in writing about these principles to describe what has occurred throughout history as a redistribution of wealth from the producers of wealth (and those who provide needed and desired services) to non-producing rentiers and those otherwise privileged under social norms and laws. Those who consider themselves to be conservatives consistently call for an end to wealth redistribution (i.e., the taxation of monetary assets from those who have the ability to pay to those who are statistically poor and for other reasons are in need to societal support). Conservatives seem to embrace a very selective story of human history. I have attempted to make the actual case in a new video on my Youtube channel titled, "How Henry George Tried to Save Us From Ourselves." Take a look and let me know if you think this effort is useful. Ed Dodson
Rerum Novarum was unfortunate as it was among other things a direct attack on the ideas of Henry George. There is a background to this. The Catholic journalist Wilfrid Meynell introduced Cardinal Manning to Henry George when he visited England around 1885. There is a signed and copy of Progress and Poverty in the Meynell family library at Pulborough in Sussex, with annotations. Manning, scion of an upper-middle class English family, was horrified. Manning is thought to have been the author of Rerum Novarum.
The Distributists attempted to recover the situation, but they seem never to have understood that the Georgist tax reforms were necessary to provide the fiscal and legal framework to achieve their aims.
Catholic Social Teaching has still not acknowledged the special nature of land and the natural universe, rolling it up into the vague category of "property". The present Pope has added a further layer of confusion.