Justice and Advocacy Resource Links

Economic Divide:
The Shrinking Middle Class

CONTENTS:

Economic Inequality

• inequality.org:
  Income Inequality,
  Wealth Inequality
• Poverty in the 50 years since the Other America in five charts, (Washington Post, 7/11/2012).
• Five Facts About Richest Americans, (yahoo.com, 10/11/2011).
• Rise of the Super-Rich Hits a Sobering Wall, (New York Times, August 20, 2010). Comparison or income of U.S. rich and poor
  • Economic Charts: comparison or income of U.S. rich and poor.
• Top One Percent of Americans Reaped Two-Thirds of Income Gains in Last Economic Expansion, by Avi Feller and Chad Stone
  [PDF Version]
  (September 9, 2009; Center on Budget & Policy Priorities).
• Income Gaps Between Very Rich and Everyone Else More Than Tripled In Last Three Decades, by Arloc Sherman and Chad Stone [PDF Version]
  (June 25, 2010; Center on Budget & Policy Priorities).
• Our Banana Republic, by Nicholas D. Kristof (New York Times, Nov. 6, 2010)
  1% of Americans now take home 24% of income.
• Dollars & Sense has many articles on economic issues and inequality.
  See, for example,
  • Same Output + Fewer Hours = Economic Crisis? by Alejandro Reuss. (Sept-Oct, 2010)
    Today’s economic crisis is less about the quantity of output than the distribution of income and leisure.
  • Economy Thirty-Five Years of Economic Indicators by Katherine Faherty and Alejandro Reuss (Nov-Dec, 2009).
  • Top 1% Control 42% of Financial Wealth, (mybudget350.com, Dec. 2009)
• America’s New Gilded Age, by Dave Cohen (Oct. 25, 2010)
  with charts of U.S. wealth distribution.
• The Equality Trust (UK) – Publications, multimedia, and other resources that document the effects of inequality, and supplement the book:
  • The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.
    Book and website document research that stronly correlates income and wealth equality (or inequality) with many quality of life indicators.
• United for a Fair Economy has many resources for popular education on economic issues and inequality. UFE also offers training sessions for people who want to be able to lead workshops on economic issues. For example:
  • The Growing Divide: Inequality and the Roots of Economic Insecurity, a workshop which provides a basic introduction to the economic divide in America.
  • State of the Dream 2011: Austerity for Whom?, surveys the impacts of a tax-cutting, government-shrinking economic agenda on communities of color.
  • Undocumented Workers Pay More in Taxes than GE (General Electric), (May 11, 2011).
• Wealth for the Common Good and the The Agenda Project are co-sponsors of the Patriotic Millionaires Campaign, to increase millionaire tax rates.
• Wealth, Income, and Power, by G. William Domhoff. Discussion of U.S. wealth and income disparity, with many charts and tables.
• 50 Richest Members of Congress – with assets of $6 million or more
• Under Attack: Pennsylvania’s Middle Class and the Jobs Crisis, from DEMOS and the Keystone Research Center (July 2011).
• Sustained, High Joblessness Causes Lasting Damage to Wages, Benefits, Income, and Wealth, by Heidi Shierholz and Lawrence Mishel (Economic Policy Institute, August 2011)
• Household Income Inequality 1979 to 2007, (Congressional Budget Office, Oct. 25, 2011)
  Between 1979 and 2007, the top 1% of American households with the highest incomes have seen their incomes grow by an average of 275%.
• Can the Middel Class Be Saved?, by Don Peck (the Atlantic, Sept. 2011).

Economic Inequality – Faith Based Resources

• Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, works on a variety of economic issues – both domestic and international.
• Sojourner’s, for example:
  • Taxes and the Common Good, by Chuck Collins (April, 2011).
  • What Would Jesus Tax?, Chuck Collins (April 14, 2011).
  • Beyond Wealth Without Work, by Chuck Collins (Jan. 14, 2010).
  • Bridging the Wealth Gap – book review by Andrew Bradstock of The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett (Bloomsbury Press, 2010).
• Mennonite Central Committee: Global Economic Justice, including Federal Budget Poicy.
• United Methodist Church: Economic and Environmental Justice, General Board of Church & Society.

Biblical/Theological Reflection

The Bible includes so many texts on economic issues that thousands of relevant commentaries have been written. Gospel examples include Luke 6:20-26 (Beatitudes), or Luke 16:19-31 (Rich Man and Lazarus), Luke 12:13-21 (Rich Landowner), to name just a few.

• Ron Sider’s classic Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger also makes reference to many other Biblical texts.
• Sabbath Economics is a list of publications by theologian Ched Myers who brings outstanding Biblical scholarship and historical context together to provide new insight to many familiar Bible stories.
  The pair of short books, The Biblical Vision of Sabbath Economics and Sabbath Economics: Household Practices are suitable for an extended study group.
• The Biblical Jubilee and the Struggle for Life,
  by Ross Kinsler and Gloria Kinsler (1999) is also suitable for group study. Related resources are posted at the website of the Sabbath Economics Collaborative.

U.S. Tax Policy – Federal and State

• Citizens for Tax Justice
• Taxes: Are you paying your fair share? [marketwatch.com] and [ctj.org] (April 16, 2012)
  46% of taxpayers pay no federal income tax, but that’s not the full story.
• Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP)
  • The ITEP Guide to Fair State and Local Taxes
    a comprehensive review of tax policy issues.
• Federal Income Taxes by Income Group (PDF)
• The Tax Fairness Organizing Collaborative (TFOC) is a network of 28 member organizations in 24 states that use grassroots power to promote progressive tax reform. TFOC is engaged in community organizing and offers free monthly webinars. For example: on May 24, 2011, a webinar on Taxes and Economic Development 101.
• Estate Tax Campaign (United for a Fair Economy)
• Federal Tax Policy (United for a Fair Economy)
• Interfaith Taskforce on Domestic Human Needs (DHN) – U.S. budget analysis and advocacy resources, including budget briefing (webinar) videos.

Pennsylvania Tax Policy

• Principles to Guide Property Tax Reform in Pennsylvania [HTML (summary)][PDF report]
  Testimony of Sharon Ward, Director of PA Budget and Policy Center to the House Select Committee on Property Taxes (September 24, 2012).
• Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP)
• The ITEP Guide to Fair State and Local Taxes
  a comprehensive review of tax policy issues.
• Pennsylvania Reports & Information
• Who Pays? Pennsylvania Fact Sheet (PDF – Nov. 2009)
• Good Jobs First – documents corporate tax loopholes in Pennsylvania

Minimum Wage/Living Wage/Maximum Wage

• Let Justice Roll: Living Wage Campaign
• Living/Minimum Wage (Interfaith Worker Justice)
• “Maximum Wage” (UK Guardian: Aug. 6, 2009).
• Mountain Rose Herbs (Eugene, Oregon) a model company for sustainable business practices
  www.mountainroseherbs.com

Advocacy and Public Policy

Pennsylvania Legislature

• Pennsylvania General Assembly – comprehensive information about the legislature and legislation.
• How does a bill become law in Pennsylvania?
• Who are my elected representatives in Harrisburg?
  Search by Your Home Address or list legislators by County.

Other Resources

• Economic Policy Institute – resources on many national economic issues
• Federal and State Budget Policy
• Workers, Jobs, and Workplace Issues
• “Dear America: You Should Be Mad As Hell About This,” by Henry Blodget, 6/7/2012
  (businessinsider.com) –
  Commentary, with many charts on unemployment, CEO and worker pay, income & wealth inequality, tax policy, and more.