And what about the poor?
Can there be a moral capitalism if people are poor?
Whose fault is it that people are poor – the system or theirs?
Superficially speaking, the left blames the system and wants redistribution of wealth from rich to poor while the right “blames” the poor for not doing more to get up and go after jobs, education, self-discipline.
But what if each side is narrowly focused in their analysis of causes of poverty and so also in its advocacy of what might really change circumstances for those in poverty?
What if each side understands some but not all of the truth about poverty?
Last year, the Caux Round Table for Moral Capitalism (CRT) and other organizations brought to Minnesota for our annual John Brandl Program to continue John’s “uncommon quest for common ground” Robert Doar of the American Enterprise Institute and Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution to speak on blending ideas from the right and the left seeking to reduce poverty.
Inspired by common sense virtue supporting their collaboration, the Brandl Program organizers – the CRT, Center of the American Experiment, Citizens League, Growth & Justice and the Humphrey School – agreed last year on collaboration around the challenge of reducing poverty in Minnesota. We decided that our first step should be setting forth our separate ideas and concerns about how to do this. Each group wrote an essay on poverty and Dean Laura Bloomberg of the Humphrey School wrote an introduction. We will release these essays at this year’s Brandl Program.
This year’s program marks the 10th anniversary of our joint continuation of John Brandl’s uncommon quest for common ground. We are proud to mark this milestone for a country so divided in its politics and its cultures with a major collaborative effort seeking the common good for our state.
To mark the release of our essays, Robert and Ron are returning to Minnesota for the 2018 Brandl Program scheduled for 4:30 pm on Monday, November 26th at the Humphrey School in Cowles Auditorium and you are invited to join us.
The keynote speaker for the program will be Tonya Allen, President & CEO of the Skillman Foundation in Detroit. The Skillman Foundation works to ensure that Detroit youth have access to high-quality educational and economic opportunities and a strong, broad network of champions that work on behalf of young people’s interests.
The event is free and open to the public.
For additional information or to register, please click here.