Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'subsidiarity'

November 26, 2006

The State Which Would Provide Everything

is the title of an insightful article by Fr. James Schall over at the Ignatius site. An analysis of the political contribution of Deus Caritas Est, Benedict XVI’s first encyclical, he comments: The Second half of the encyclical is a brilliant treatise on the nature and limits of the State and what lies beyond it. Continue Reading...
May 04, 2006

Subsidiarity in action

In January, I wrote about the Central Plains wildfires as a very personal crisis in my Oklahoma hometown. I underscored the importance of subsidiarity, which is the idea that a central authority should perform only those tasks which cannot be handled effectively at a more immediate or local level. Continue Reading...
February 13, 2006

Nonprofits beware!

A friend forwarded a Website link for The Nonprofit Congress recently that was downright scary. It appears to be the epitome of good intentions fraught with unintended consequences. Or perhaps the consequences are not unintended. Continue Reading...
February 06, 2006

Acton ad campaign update

Acton is wrapping up a three-month project that had print advertisements running in several publications: WORLD, Crisis and the Michigan Catholic. The idea is to get people thinking about the economic consequences of trade policies and the power of entrepreneurial creativity. Continue Reading...
January 25, 2006

‘The look of love’

If I may, I’d like to highlight one more section from the Holy Father’s new encyclical that has particular relevance to the work here at Acton (although, I agree wholeheartedly with Kishore below: one really must read the whole thing–it’s fantastic): Love of neighbour is thus shown to be possible in the way proclaimed by the Bible, by Jesus. Continue Reading...
January 19, 2006

The Church as ‘hinge point’

A couple of weeks ago, I noted the amazing “just do it” outpouring of compassion in response to the wildfires in the Central Plains. My small home town in Oklahoma was among those areas burned or seriously damaged by the fires. Continue Reading...
January 18, 2006

Does American charity cheat the tax man?

A Stanford expert on philanthropy argues that tax-deductible American charity is actually a government subsidy and that philanthropy is not ‘redistributive’ enough. Acton’s Karen Woods points out (obvious to most) that helping the needy is not the exclusive domain of the state. Continue Reading...
January 06, 2006

Federal dorms

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on the closing of a federal housing loophole. The full article is accessible only to subscribers, so I’ll summarize. College students for a number of years have been taking advantage of Section 8 (federally subsidized housing) rules to live in “projects” while they go to school. Continue Reading...
January 05, 2006

How to kill a small charity

With a gracious spirit, let’s say that Section 317 of Senate Tax Relief Act of 2005 was penned with the intent of fostering honest accountability in the charity world. And, furthermore, let’s graciously allow that the legislation was designed to send the message that the Internal Revenue Service is vigilantly watching over the donation of tax-deductible clothing and household goods. Continue Reading...
January 02, 2006

Subsidiarity isn’t just another big word

My little home town of Seminole, Oklahoma, has been scorched by the wildfires sweeping through parts of Oklahoma and Texas. My mother’s beloved horse riding trails in the rural area around Seminole are either smoldering or threatened. Continue Reading...