RawData

I'm guessing that it was Helen Thomas who asked the questions? She is the long-time White House reporter back to Kennedy who has recently been dissed by the current occupant. She does good work.
RD

Dune

As long as a charity is helping those less fortunate- what does it matter? There are specific charities for homeless, drug users and the like- why not religious? as long as they are using the money for good why begrudge it to them because they are trying to do what they believe is helping people.
As long as the government doesnt deny federal money to non-religious charaties what does it really matter?

Toto

Why this matters: the First Amendment prohibits anything that would tend towards an establishment of religion. Giving money to religious groups for their religious purpose would violate this part of the US Constitution. They may think they are doing good by having you pray, but they have no business asking the government to pay for their praying.

Besides this, conservative Republicans would like to 1) shrink government and 2) buy votes from mostly Black and Latino churches in inner cities. They can do both by diverting money from charities that follow secular guidelines and have a secular purpose, and giving it to churches, where it will be difficult to get any accountability for the results.

And the more money that goes to religious charities, the less for non-religious charities. There has already been a report of a successful program for homeless Vets that will not be funded because money is going to "faith-based" organizations.

Tony

This is crazy, unfair and unacceptable. US government robs its own people.

Canadian government does the same:

“One example is the funding of Catholic schools in Ontario which has been condemned by the United Nations.

Another example is the imposition of Catholic doctrine on hospitals that merge. If a Catholic Board takes over, patients are denied such services as effective contraception, abortion, tubal ligation and vasectomy.

Another example is the recitation of prayers at official public functions.”

This is from http://canada.humanists.net/news.html.

fix URL - Toto

Dune

To defend the use of fedral money in hospitals-
Where I live the only hospitals that will serve those without insurance are the faith based hospitals. All others have pulled out of the Medicaid program because they where loosing too much money- so not all faith based charities are a negative thing. Without the fedral funding, these hospitals would go under and then this community would have NO medical treatment for the poor.

DMB

Dune: what you have posted is an argument against the system of provision of health care in the United States, rather than for faith-based healthcare.

Most western European countries manage it better, although far from perfectly.

keitht

If you want to start discussing the "details" of socialized medicine, you might want to start a new thread.

Keith

tribalbeeyatch

What is a faith-based hospital?

RawData

Catholic run usually. 'Providence' Medical centers. Usually named after saints.
RD

trillian

I think it is a very dangerous proposition. Think about how vulnerable people are when they are sick, poor, or addicted. How many times have you heard "I was at rock bottom...then I gave my life to Jesus and was saved"? If they want to preach and help, they need to do it with their own money. I do not want to give one penny to religious charities with my taxes!! I see government funding of this as nothing more than sanctioned brainwashing of America into complacent little sheep who talk to invisible beings.

Trillian