<p>By Dr. Alex Mikulich</p>
<p><span>Alabama and Louisiana legislatures defeated legislation this session to cap payday loans at 36% annual percentage rate (APR).&nbsp; Alabama also defeated HB 145 to create a state database to enforce existing law limiting borrowers to $500 in payday loan debt. </span></p>
<p><span>The people of Louisiana &ldquo;cry out&rdquo; for capping payday loans at 36% annual percentage rate (APR), said Representative Ted James (Baton Rouge) in his closing argument for HB239 on April 7, 2014. &nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span>Echoing God&rsquo;s message in&nbsp;</span><i>Exodus</i><span>&nbsp;</span><i>3: 7-8</i><span>, &ldquo;I hear the cry of my people,&rdquo; Representative James urged his colleagues to hear the cry of the people.&nbsp;&nbsp; He urged his colleagues to take to heart the courageous voices of victims of the payday debt trap who testified about their suffering.&nbsp; Finally, he named many organizations advocating for the 36% APR cap.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><a href="http://t.e2ma.net/webview/vrwle/780a65b7a3d880d4bd19c61e37d5e5f6"><span>MORE&gt;&gt;</span></a></p>

<p>By Fr. Fred Kammer, S.J.</p>
<p>Jesuits articulated the mission of faith and justice most dramatically in the 1970s, following two major Catholic events. First was the Second Vatican Council and its 1965 declaration that:&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>The joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the followers of Christ. [1]</em></p>
<p>The second was the Synod of Bishops in 1971, which taught that &quot;action for justice [is] a constitutive element of the preaching of the gospel...&quot; [2]&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSRI Spring Quarterly 2014 Jesuit Justice_1.pdf">MORE&gt;&gt;</a></p>

<p>By Alex Mikulich, P.h.D.</p>
<p>In Shakespeare&#39;s <em>Hamlet</em>, Polonius instructs his son Laertes: &quot;Neither a borrower nor lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.&quot; The wisdom in Shakespeare&#39;s time was that too often one would lose both money and friend through borrowing or lending. Even worse, borrowing or lending would dull one&#39;s ability to make a living (husbandry). Ultimately, Polonius instructs his son: &quot;To thy own self be true.&quot;</p>
<p>Shakespeare&#39;s wisdom endures in the case of predatory lending. Although payday lenders advertise as if they were friends in your moment of need, payday loans throw most borrowers into a cycle of debt, dulling their ability to make a living.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The payday loan industry thrives upon a web of myths. <a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSRI Spring Quarterly 2014 Payday_0.pdf">MORE&gt;&gt;</a></p>

<p>Last year Pope Francis visited the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily. The Holy Father threw a wreath of flowers into the sea in remembrance of the countless migrants and refugees from Africa and the Middle East who have lost their lives, sometimes forcibly turned back in rickety rafts while trying to reach European shores.</p>
<p>On April 1, 2014 Pope Francis&#39; visit to the Lampedusa was echoed by a delegation of our own U.S. Catholic Bishops to the desert of Arizona. Areas of our border are also &quot;Lampedusas&quot; where migrant lives are treated as cheap and too often are lost- a reminder of the true cost of inaction in the face of inhumane and uncaring policies.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.capwiz.com/jesuit/issues/alert/?alertid=63151801&amp;type=ML">MORE&gt;&gt;</a></p>

<p><span>About the Grants</span></p>
<p>The Jesuit Social Research Institute is pleased to announce the opening of the 2014 Keller Family Summer Research Grant application process, made possible by the Keller Family Foundation. Four grants of $2,200 each will be awarded as stipends for summer research, writing, and presentations.&nbsp; Graduate, law, and undergraduate students are eligible.</p>
<p>The purpose of the grants is to incentivize and support Loyola University students from various disciplines to pursue research in the field of social justice in the city of New Orleans, the metropolitan area, or the State of Louisiana, specifically on the topics of racism, poverty, and migration (e.g. immigration, migrant workers, trafficking).&nbsp; The grants aim to nurture a new generation of social justice scholars and practitioners, foster innovative and interdisciplinary scholarship about social justice and social services work, and improve the lives of low-income and disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/Summer%20Research-guidelines-0214-jsri.pdf">MORE &gt;&gt;&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSRI%20Summer%20Grant%20Application.doc">APPLICATION</a></p>
<hr />
<p><span>The applicant is responsible for submitting a complete packet of materials on or before the application deadline.&nbsp; Incomplete packets will not be considered.&nbsp; A complete packet contains the following materials:&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>I.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Completed&nbsp;<a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSRI%20Summer%20Grant%20Application.doc">Application Form</a></p>
<p>II.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Current official academic transcript</p>
<p>III.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sign-off on the application from faculty research supervisor</p>
<p>IV.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A two page, double spaced personal statement describing your:</p>
<p><span>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Background.</p>
<p><span>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>General preparedness to undertake project or program of study.</p>
<p><span><em>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></span>Any previous research experience and social justice related work.</p>
<p><span>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>How your proposed research/study plan fits into your broader educational goals and relates to social justice, and</p>
<p><span>5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Expectations of how your research/ study will contribute to your overall education at Loyola University.</p>
<p>V.&nbsp; Optional: A student may attach any letters of endorsement from other faculty, local agency personnel, or service learning supervisor.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center"><span>DEADLINE:</span></p>
<p align="center">Applications and all supporting materials must be received on or before</p>
<p align="center"><span>March 31, 2014&mdash;4:30 PM</span></p>
<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center"><span>Submit by email to:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:jsri@loyno.edu">jsri@loyno.edu</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center"><span><u>AND</u></span><span>&nbsp;submit by hard copy to JSRI offices, Suite 306, Mercy Hall&nbsp;</span></p>

<p>This weekend local residents will celebrate their Italian, as well as Irish, ancestry at parades and block parties with the joy and abandonment for which New Orleans is famous. &nbsp;On the Feast Day of St. Joseph, March 19^th, St. Joseph Day altars will be featured at churches with Italian roots throughout the metro area.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>Tomorrow, March 14</span>^th<span>, is also a unique day in the history of Italian immigration to New Orleans, but not for reasons we celebrate. &nbsp;It was on March 14, 1891, that eleven Italians were lynched at the hands of a mob at Orleans Parish Prison. &nbsp;The brutal murders were precipitated by the assassination of a popular Chief of Police, David Hennessy, who was shot in front of his home on Girod Street on the foggy evening of October 15, 1890.&nbsp; When a friend rushed to his aid, Hennessy allegedly whispered to him, &ldquo;The Dagoes did it.&rdquo; The chief was taken to Charity Hospital but died the following morning without ever having identified his assassins.</span>[1]&nbsp;<a href="http://t.e2ma.net/webview/ntwce/de039b14184ec43ac701ee75c200502e">MORE&gt;&gt;</a></p>
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<p>[1]&nbsp;John V. Baiamonte, Jr., &ldquo;Who Killa de Chief&rdquo; Revisited: The Hennessy Assassination and Its Aftermath, 1890 -1991,&rdquo; <em>Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association,</em> Vol. 33, No. 2, (Spring, 1992), p. 122 and Clive Webb, &ldquo;The lynching of Sicilian immigrants in the American South, 1886-1910,&rdquo; <em>American Nineteenth Century History</em>, Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 2002, p. 45.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX2G0sKy5-AD6znWh5OpJIA">Jesuit Social Research Institute Youtube Channel&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>The following videos were made in a collaboration between JSRI Director, Fr. Fred Kammer, S.J. and the <a href="http://lim.loyno.edu/">Loyola Institute for Ministry</a>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye1Zv0udtCc">Key Principles of Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMdx1oSej4E">Modern Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlrJjiwRSWs">Biblical Roots of Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzB1EK_Sr_k">Economic Systems and Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4juZabguSHo">Civic Responsibility and Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtRoJcOp_8U">Living the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=880uOptg_XQ">The Future of Catholic Social Teaching&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>About the Grants</strong></p>
<p>The Jesuit Social Research Institute is pleased to announce the opening of the 2014 Keller Family Summer Research Grant application process, made possible by the Keller Family Foundation. Four grants of $2,200 each will be awarded as stipends for summer research, writing, and presentations.&nbsp; Graduate, law, and undergraduate students are eligible.</p>
<p>The purpose of the grants is to incentivize and support Loyola University students from various disciplines to pursue research in the field of social justice in the city of New Orleans, the metropolitan area, or the State of Louisiana, specifically on the topics of racism, poverty, and migration (e.g. immigration, migrant workers, trafficking).&nbsp; The grants aim to nurture a new generation of social justice scholars and practitioners, foster innovative and interdisciplinary scholarship about social justice and social services work, and improve the lives of low-income and disadvantaged individuals, families, and communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/Summer Research-guidelines-0214-jsri.pdf">MORE &gt;&gt;&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSRI Summer Grant Application.doc">APPLICATION</a></p>
<hr />
<p><strong>The applicant is responsible for submitting a complete packet of materials on or before the application deadline.&nbsp; Incomplete packets will not be considered.&nbsp; A complete packet contains the following materials:&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>I.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Completed <a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/JSRI Summer Grant Application.doc">Application Form</a></p>
<p>II.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Current official academic transcript</p>
<p>III.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sign-off on the application from faculty research supervisor</p>
<p>IV.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A two page, double spaced personal statement describing your:</p>
<p><strong>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong>Background.</p>
<p><strong>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong>General preparedness to undertake project or program of study.</p>
<p><strong><em>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </em></strong>Any previous research experience and social justice related work.</p>
<p><strong>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong>How your proposed research/study plan fits into your broader educational goals and relates to social justice, and</p>
<p><strong>5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong>Expectations of how your research/ study will contribute to your overall education at Loyola University.</p>
<p>V.&nbsp; Optional: A student may attach any letters of endorsement from other faculty, local agency personnel, or service learning supervisor.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center"><strong>DEADLINE: </strong></p>
<p align="center">Applications and all supporting materials must be received on or before</p>
<p align="center"><strong>March 31, 2014&mdash;4:30 PM</strong></p>
<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center"><strong>Submit by email to: <a href="mailto:jsri@loyno.edu">jsri@loyno.edu</a></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center"><strong><u>AND</u></strong><strong> submit by hard copy to JSRI offices, Suite 306, Mercy Hall &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><span>By Fred Kammer, S.J.</span></p>
<p class="e2ma-p-div"><span class="e2ma-style">&nbsp;</span><span>The minimum wage debate is hot.&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013</i>&nbsp;(FMWA) would raise the minimum from $7.25 to $10.10 over three years and then index it to inflation. Why?&nbsp; The minimum wage has declined in value measured against inflation, average U.S. wages, U.S. productivity, and the poverty line.&nbsp; A parent working full-time year-round at minimum wage cannot keep the smallest family (one parent, one child) above the poverty line.&nbsp;<span class="e2ma-style">[1]</span></span></p>
<p class="e2ma-p-div"><span class="e2ma-style">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span>Opponents claim that the number of minimum wage workers is small (3.7 million), most are young and part-time, and &ldquo;relatively few of them live below the poverty line.&rdquo;<span class="e2ma-style">[2]</span>&nbsp;The argument is misleading. &nbsp;First, FMWA will affect not just current minimum wage workers, but 16.7 million workers earning less than $10.10.&nbsp; Another 11.1 million workers would benefit indirectly from the &ldquo;ripple effect&rdquo; of employers adjusting overall pay ladders.&nbsp; Of these 27.8 million, 55 percent are women, 88 percent are at least 20 years old, 54 percent work full-time, 26.5% are parents, and the average worker earns half of his or her family&rsquo;s total income.&nbsp;<span class="e2ma-style">[3]</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;Further, between 1979 and 2011, the &ldquo;share of low-wage workers (those earning less than $10 per hour in 2011 dollars) aged 25 to 64 grew from 48 percent to 60 percent&hellip;&rdquo;<span class="e2ma-style">[4]</span></p>
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<a href="http://e2.ma/webview/zu16d/a9bb4dee8205e517071f3b9d1687dbcd"><span class="e2ma-style">More &gt;&gt;</span></a></div>
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<p>By Fred Kammer, S.J.</p>
<p>We recently saw the assault on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [PPACA] close the federal government (costing at least $25 billion dollars) and almost wreck the economy by refusing to lift the debt limit. Lest we go through that again, it is important to remind ourselves about the who, why, and what of our current health care reform.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We look first at those without health care coverage. Current estimates indicate that approximately 50 million people are now without health care (and a whopping 86 million more uninsured at some point in a two-year period, including 18.6 million people in the five Gulf South states!).&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://jsri.loyno.edu/sites/loyno.edu.jsri/files/Winter 2013- Affordable Care Act.pdf">More&gt;&gt;</a></p>