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"Faith Based Initiative Legislation"
Feb. 28, 2007, 11:30PM Supreme Court tackles Bush faith-based initiative policy By ROBERT BARNES Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, for the first time under Chief Justice John Roberts, confronted on Wednesday the devilishly complicated issue of church and state separation, and whether ordinary taxpayers have the right to sue over the Bush administration's embrace of faith-based organizations.
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The case before the court involves a lawsuit that the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group of agnostics and atheists, brought against the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. President Bush established the office in 2001 in an effort, he said, to level the playing field between religious-based and secular groups vying for grants to provide social services. But the foundation said conferences held by the office favored the religious groups over the secular groups.
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The question before the court, though, is whether the complaints can even be brought to court.
The Supreme Court decided decades ago that taxpayers generally do not have the right, or "standing," to challenge government spending decisions simply because they do not agree with them. But it carved out an exception in 1968, in a case called Flast v. Cohen, for taxpayers to challenge congressional spending that violated the Establishment Clause.
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MY OPINION
Religious institutions are meant to be private institutions which can, if they choose, actively bias membership. That is the precept of exclusion from federal funding. Once the precipice of federal funding is crossed, religious institutions are subject to statutes of anti-discrimination. That should be preposterous. Religious institutions are tax exempt to provide added financial autonomy and to keep the federal government uninvolved. Religious institutions are opening themselves up to lawsuits for hiring discrimination offenses, driving towards loss of tax exempt status, and subjecting themselves to government management.
Wikipedia -- Faith Based Initiative # Controversy
Theocracy Watch -- Faith-Based Initiative
Feb. 28, 2007, 11:30PM Supreme Court tackles Bush faith-based initiative policy By ROBERT BARNES Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court, for the first time under Chief Justice John Roberts, confronted on Wednesday the devilishly complicated issue of church and state separation, and whether ordinary taxpayers have the right to sue over the Bush administration's embrace of faith-based organizations.
.........
The case before the court involves a lawsuit that the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group of agnostics and atheists, brought against the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. President Bush established the office in 2001 in an effort, he said, to level the playing field between religious-based and secular groups vying for grants to provide social services. But the foundation said conferences held by the office favored the religious groups over the secular groups.
......
The question before the court, though, is whether the complaints can even be brought to court.
The Supreme Court decided decades ago that taxpayers generally do not have the right, or "standing," to challenge government spending decisions simply because they do not agree with them. But it carved out an exception in 1968, in a case called Flast v. Cohen, for taxpayers to challenge congressional spending that violated the Establishment Clause.
***************************************
MY OPINION
Religious institutions are meant to be private institutions which can, if they choose, actively bias membership. That is the precept of exclusion from federal funding. Once the precipice of federal funding is crossed, religious institutions are subject to statutes of anti-discrimination. That should be preposterous. Religious institutions are tax exempt to provide added financial autonomy and to keep the federal government uninvolved. Religious institutions are opening themselves up to lawsuits for hiring discrimination offenses, driving towards loss of tax exempt status, and subjecting themselves to government management.
Wikipedia -- Faith Based Initiative # Controversy
Theocracy Watch -- Faith-Based Initiative
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