Recently, I was honored to be invited by my university alma mater to deliver a lecture on the subject “Distributive Justice” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributive_justice ).

This is an annual endowed series of lectures based on the 1916 book by John A. Ryan, “Distributive Justice, The Right and Wrong of our Present Distribution of Wealth.” The beauty of this topic is that it can launch a discussion of American society in many directions.

At its core, and for my purposes, distributive justice is basically a discussion about the influence of religion, morality and ethics on our capitalistic system. During my presentation, I touched on some areas in United States history hungering for rebalance and equity. For example, it took 70 years for women to be granted the right to vote.

And I remarked on the passage in 1935 of the National Labor Relations Act guaranteeing the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining and go out on strike. I raised the Rooseveltian concept of protecting public lands for future generations. I also touched on how public policy in retirement security has failed generations of hard-working Americans.

Prior to my election to Congress in 1990, I was a financial adviser linking Wall Street with Main Street. I have been keenly interested in the financial tools and public policy that allow Americans to retire with dignity and safety. With the decades-long decline in traditional pensions (defined benefit .