From the Director's Desk... (December 2004)

          This issue of the Woodstock Report is a cornucopia of ideas filled with plenty of food for thought. In it we offer you three interesting pieces. "Who Pays? Taxation and the Common Good" was the title of our fall Woodstock Forum. When the Woodstock fellows chose this topic we knew that it would not be an easy one to help our readers delve into. As it turns out, this was one of our better forums, and the presentations of our three distinguished panelists give us plenty to think about.

          Dan R. Ebener, social action director for the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, helps us understand the church's thinking on the current problem of taxation. He argues that recognizing the concept of "contributive justice" is key to appreciating the church's views on taxation. Susan Pace Hamill, professor of law at the University of Alabama, speaks with great forcefulness about the relation between gospel values and taxation. Our third panelist is Charles O. Rossotti, who served as 45th Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Getting practical, he claims that the way to fairness is first to pay attention to the "unimaginably large amount of tax that should be paid according to the laws not being paid."

          The power of these presentations results from the focused questions that were put to the panelists. You may recall having seen some of these questions, if you received our flyer announcing the forum. Skillfully tying together these questions and presentations and moderating the forum was Kathleen Maas Weigert, director of Georgetown University's Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service. Under her guidance, the discussion following the presentations was both lively and substantive.

          In this issue of the Woodstock Report, you also can read about a discussion of recent corporate scandals that was held on October 12 in the Woodstock Library. The Woodstock Business Program hosted Richard Thornburgh, former U.S. Attorney General and Pennsylvania governor, as the main speaker. In these pages, I also am pleased to introduce you to the Woodstock international visiting fellows who are with us for the year. They already have made a profound contribution to the Center's work.

          Recently I was reminded of the importance of Woodstock's efforts to provide these many different kinds of "food for thought." During early November, I took part in a meeting of an international Jesuit task force in Rome, at the Jesuit headquarters. The group is charged with advising the Jesuit superior general, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, on how globalization is changing the context of our Jesuit mission - the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

          Through my participation, I was able to bring something of Woodstock's unique perspective to the table. In doing so, I frankly felt as though I were standing on the shoulders of all the Woodstock fellows, directors, board members, and donors of the past thirty years. And I was grateful to learn from the other participants that Woodstock is well known and highly respected by Jesuits and their colleagues around the world. Thirty years of life may not seem like much; but believe me, it represents a rich and powerful heritage.

          Thank you for helping us celebrate Woodstock's thirtieth anniversary and to move forward with forging its future.

Gasper F. Lo Biondo, S.J.
Director

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