Pope to Boehner- "Tax Wall Street"/Catholics United

http://www.catholics-united.org/civicrm/petition/sign?sid=2&reset=1&cid=40276
Isn't interesting that whenever the Vatican says something that conservative Catholics don't like, they do everything they can to undermine that teaching?This happened recently when the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace issued a far ranging document on the need to better regulate world financial markets. Instead of supporting the document, leading conservatives did everything they could to undermine it.
And the statement from the Vatican comes at an important economic moment for America. The world financial crisis started when American financial institutions made irresponsible wagers. Their behavior shook confidence in the market and resulted in stagnant wages and high levels of unemployment.
And because of the lack of economic growth, Congress is now balancing the budget by making huge cuts to programs that serve the poor and vulnerable. If the American people are being asked to make historic sacrifices, shouldn't the Wall Street banks, who caused the crisis in the first place, be asked to pay their fair share?
And the Vatican agrees with us. In their statement, the Vatican explicitly calls for taxing financial transactions to help make Wall Street banks better serve the common good. Right now there is a proposal in Congress that would tax financial transactions a modest .03% and generate billions of dollars in revenue a year. This proposal would mostly affect the large Wall Street banks that wager millions of dollars a day on the market.
But the Speaker of the House and fellow Catholic, John Boehner, refuses to consider this common sense reform. So Catholics United has launched a campaign aimed at reminding Speaker Boehner that Catholics across the country –and in the Vatican– support taxes on the Wall Street banks.
Will you help us remind John Boehner that he has a moral responsibility to make the banks pay their fair share? Sign our petition by clicking here.
It's our belief that if we can draw enough attention, we'll build momentum for this worthy cause. Once we get enough signatures, we'll hand deliver them to Speaker Boehner's office and we'll invite the press to join us. But we need your help. Will you take a few seconds and sign our petition?
Sincerely,
James, Jason and the rest of the Catholics United team
Bridget Mary's Reflection:

Justice for all would certainly require the richest among us to pay their far share, which is a lot more than the majority are presently paying. The Occupy Wall Street Protest is a reminder that the 99% are not going to continue to let the 1% get away with the injustices listed above. Yes, the Pope and the Vatican have it right, this time-- tax Wall Street-- they can well afford to pay their fair share. They owe the public, big time, after the billions of tax payer dollars they received in bail outs! Social justice is a constitutive teaching of the Catholic Church. Matthew 25 recounts the story of Jesus who teaches that whatsoever you do to the least, you do unto Christ! Greed is not a virtue to be proud of, it is a vice . Our political leaders, some who claim to be religious, should be ashamed to protect the 1% wealthiest among us at the expense of the rest of us.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
http://www.associationofromancatholicwomenpriests.org/