The Narthex
Immigration and Labor Globalization
Ignoring workers' legal status is unjust and contrary to Catholic social teaching
By John M. Grondelski | October 30th 2025 11:38 AMIn a recent essay, I quoted approvingly Oren Cass’s observation that employment, labor, and immigration law form a coherent legal whole that protects both national security and domestic workers. Summarizing Cass, immigration law determines who can work; employment law fixes “baseline” criteria for the employer-employee relationship; and labor law protects…
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Why shouldn't America have a robust manufacturing sector?
By John M. Grondelski | April 7th 2025 12:09 PMA tweet got me thinking about manufacturing jobs. The poster asked, “Do we really want manufacturing jobs back?” He seemed incredulous and saw an attempt to re-shore manufacturing as “turning back the clock.” My answer: Yes. As the post-COVID “recovery” showed us, America and many Western countries are extremely vulnerable…
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Downers... Not His Daddy's Boy... An Economy that Serves... and more
By John M. Grondelski | July 3rd 2024 2:11 PMGood Question Bumper stickers are often great statements of truth, largely because they have to be short and pithy. A message to Catholic tailgaters seen on the rear of a car parked outside St. James in Falls Church, Virginia: “Do you follow Christ as closely as you do me?” …
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