I have been thinking about the recommendation to remove Caterpillar stock from our portfolio and wonder how may other companies have been included as stocks to sell based on how their products are used. Do we Presbyterians believe that Israel would refrain from building walls if they had purchased Kubota equipment from Japan?
I believe this is a slippery slope. Caterpillar has had a stellar history and provides high quality jobs for tens of thousands of Americans. Their products are used to build churches, colleges, highways, dams that prevent floods, and grow crops that feed the entire world. I submit that there are not many companies in the world today that has never sold a product that was used for evil.
Is Kodak responsible for pornography because they make the film? Is Xerox responsible for counterfeiting because they made the copiers? Do we believe the phone companies are responsible for the content of conversations transmitted over their systems?
I would hope we would find more realistic objectives as we select stocks for our portfolio. It is unreasonable to hold Caterpillar responsible for the Israelis building walls with their tractors.
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