Inside the Capitol

Of all the important and interesting policy areas I work on, none is more personal than education.

Education issues have always held a particular interest for me. This interest has been greatly influenced by my own experience growing up, and now by experiences my wife and I have had with our three children’s education.

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This past summer, Time Magazine had a cover story called “The Next Civil Rights Revolution,” chronicling the movement to create legal mandates for the accommodation of persons who either identify as transgender or who refuse to identify as male or female altogether.

A stream of stories has also appeared locally, describing the lives of transgender-identifying individuals and their fight to end “gender identity discrimination,” most recently concerning the Minnesota State High School League’s proposed Transgender Student Policy. Although the policy was tabled until December, the discussion is far from over and questions about the policy and transgenderism from concerned Catholics abound.

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The finest book of the late Richard John Neuhaus (though not his most well-known) is “American Babylon,” published posthumously in 2009. The book helpfully guides the reader through the challenges of living as an “exile” — both in the world and in a nation sometimes inhospitable, or even outright hostile, to a society grounded in the Gospel.

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The humanitarian crisis on the Mexican border has become a major issue in the public discourse. It has generated a heated political debate that has sometimes obscured the human face of the problem and the actual needs of the unaccompanied minors.

The long-term migration policy questions must be addressed, but for now, the urgent needs of many young people from Central America fleeing to this country must be met. How will we respond?

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Americans are more conscious than ever of their responsibility to be good stewards of the environment. Years of successful public relations campaigns and the work of tireless activists have ensured that protecting Creation is at the forefront of public discourse.

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From June 21 to July 4, the Catholic Church in the United States will again observe the “Fortnight for Freedom,” dedicated to two weeks of prayer and education related to the importance of preserving religious liberty for all Americans.

This year’s theme is “Freedom to Serve” and highlights the most important theme of the Catholic Church’s advocacy for religious liberty in recent years: the desire of people of faith to serve others and promote the common good, and do so consistent with their deeply held beliefs.

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Every day seems to bring some news that comprehensive immigration reform is either “dead for this year,” or “very likely to happen.”

Republican leadership in the House of Representatives continues to indicate that something will be moving forward; but then it backtracks, only to then indicate again the following week that something is in the works.

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Sherry Shannon needed a little extra money to get her car fixed. On Social Security disability, Shannon needed every dollar to pay her rent, utilities, and phone bills — leaving room for little else each month.

When someone suggested she take out a small payday loan to finance her car repairs, she thought, “Why not?” After all, the loan was just to fill a temporary gap of about $140. But at a 260 percent annual percentage rate, paying it off was to become a challenge.

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