Freethought & Rationalism Archive

PassingFair · 03-28-2003, 10:16 AM

Blow the trumpets! Check out this article from the Guardian!!!!!!!!!http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/s...516817,00.html

Toto · 03-28-2003, 10:23 AM

Don't celebrate too quickly.

Quote:

Santorum said the Bush administration has succeeded in rewriting government regulations to open programs to religious groups, making legislation less urgent. He also said the tax provisions would aid charities, including many that are religious.

. . .
The head of the White House faith-based office pledged to continue the fight.

"This is really more of a legislative strategy issue - what can you do now versus what can you do later,'' Jim Towey said in an interview. "The president remains committed to ending discrimination against faith-based groups.''

He added that the administration would continue to try to open programs to religious groups individually as they are debated in Congress. "There are going to be debates this year on faith-based (issues). You can set your watch on that,'' Towey said.

Besides which, we've got a war going on over in Babylon.

Toto · 03-29-2003, 11:48 AM

Hmm - same news with a slightly different spin?

Senators Set Deal on Religion-Based Initiative

Quote:

The leading Congressional sponsor of President Bush's religion-based initiative has agreed to strip the measure of a provision that would have helped religious groups compete for government grants. The move will clear the way for Senate passage.

. . .

Mr. Durbin and Mr. Reed objected to a provision that offered groups with religious names or religious icons in their literature explicit protection from disqualification in applying for government grants.

. . .
Mr. Santorum was in Pennsylvania and could not be reached. A top aide, Mark Rodgers, said the senator compromised to hasten the bill's passage, and because Mr. Bush had already issued an executive order putting the provision in place.

. . .
With the provision out of the way, the Senate could take up the bill � the Charity, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act � as early as next week. Mr. Durbin and Mr. Reed said Mr. Santorum had said that the changes would be in the House version of the measure as well.

The religion-based initiative, a central component of President Bush's domestic agenda, has been mired in controversy from the moment Mr. Bush announced it in the earliest weeks of his presidency. Mr. Santorum's measure was the vehicle the White House had hoped would carry the initiative into law.

It offers tax advantages intended to encourage charitable giving and benefit soup kitchens, maternity homes and other community groups. It would increase social services grants to states by $1.4 billion and would provide technical assistance to small groups, including black and Hispanic churches, that need help competing for federal financing.

Those provisions will remain intact. But whether the bill can still be called "faith-based" is now a matter of some disagreement.

. . .

I think godfrey n. glad was contemplating starting a new religion to compete for this money. So here's what he needs - the technical assistance!

I have to point out that most "Hispanic churches" are Roman Catholic and are part of a large tax exempt corporate enterprise, and I'm nost sure why they need special help applying for my tax money.

RufusAtticus · 03-29-2003, 12:39 PM

My wife's church used to use a government grant to help it pay for the maintainance of their charitable mission. Because of this they weren't allowed to do any religious stuff at the building. Now they've realized that government aid actually prevents them from doing everything they want to do so they no longer have it.

That's the little secret that Bush and his Republican friends don't want you to know. Many church groups that have gotten government funding have realized that it actually hinders them not aids them. But then again those are the church groups who actually go by the book.

03-28-2003, 10:16 AM	#1
PassingFair Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 32	Congress Gives Up on "Faith Based" Push Blow the trumpets! Check out this article from the Guardian!!!!!!!!!http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/s...516817,00.html

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03-29-2003, 12:39 PM	#4
RufusAtticus Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NCSU Posts: 5,853	My wife's church used to use a government grant to help it pay for the maintainance of their charitable mission. Because of this they weren't allowed to do any religious stuff at the building. Now they've realized that government aid actually prevents them from doing everything they want to do so they no longer have it. That's the little secret that Bush and his Republican friends don't want you to know. Many church groups that have gotten government funding have realized that it actually hinders them not aids them. But then again those are the church groups who actually go by the book.

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