Dear Michael S.,

Why the colon (:) rather than a comma (,)?

I think that more than labels, self-righteousness makes dialogue difficult, and self-righteousness is something that we must all be on guard to avoid--myself certainly no less than anyone else.  Please God.

As for labels, well, they can be useful short-hands, as in "I'm a Republican" or "I'm a Democrat" or "I'm an economic libertarian" or "like B16, I'm an economic liberal, but a social conservative".  However, like you, Michael S., I'm wary of oversimplifying labels and, so, happy to forgo labels and other short-hands.  (Except when posting a tongue-in-cheek comment to rock-climbing Rick--which is how this to-and-fro between you and me got started.)

Still, Fr. Reese's point remains:

"Although Benedict's emphasis in the encyclical is on the theological foundations of Catholic social teaching, amid the dense prose there are indications, as shown above, that he is to the left of almost every politician in America. What politician would casually refer to 'redistribution of wealth' or talk of international governing bodies to regulate the economy? Who would call for increasing the percentage of GDP devoted to foreign aid? Who would call for the adoption of 'new life-styles'' in which 'the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of common growth are the factors which determine consumer choices, savings and investments'?"  --Thomas Reese, SJ, here.

Don't you agree that what Fr. Reese says is accurate?