Wow. Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called out and threatened the Catholic Church with retribution for speaking out against abortion being funded by taxpayer money in the healthcare plan, says The Politico. Here’s Woolsey’s comments:
I expect political hardball on any legislation as important as the health care bill.
I just didn’t expect it from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Who elected them to Congress?
The role the bishops played in the pushing the Stupak amendment, which unfairly restricts access for low-income women to insurance coverage for abortions, was more than mere advocacy.
They seemed to dictate the finer points of the amendment, and managed to bully members of Congress to vote for added restrictions on a perfectly legal surgical procedure.
And this political effort was subsidized by taxpayers, since the Council enjoys tax-exempt status.
When I visit churches in my district, we are very careful to keep everything “non-political” to protect their tax-exempt status.The IRS is less restrictive about church involvement in efforts to influence legislation than it is about involvement in campaigns and elections.
Given the political behavior of USCCB in this case, maybe it shouldn’t be.
So just to get this straight, Lynn believes in taxpayer money funding abortion but not in tax exemptions for religious organizations.
But this is not an idle threat. Progressives know that their enemy is the Catholic Church. And they intend to act. And this isn’t the first time. A few months ago, the state of Connecticut attempted to force the Catholic Church to register as a lobbyist because the local bishop had asked people to fight anti-Catholic legislation. Registering as a lobbyist would’ve forced all sorts of limits on the Church’s freedom. Fortunately, the outcry from Catholics was so great that the state rescinded their request shortly. But even back then we warned that this was not over.
As long as the Church stands against secularism the ire of the progressives, who are currently in possession of essentially all the levers of government, will be focused on the Catholic Church.
Gabriel Malor at Ace of Spades is one smart guy and he wrote:
There are so many things wrong with this it’s hard to know where to begin, so we’ll just start with one of the most obvious: the tax-exempt status of churches, religious organizations, and other non-profits is not a subsidy. This insidious line of thought is characteristic of Democrats, who are so twisted that they believe whatever the government forbears to take by force of law is a “subsidy” the recipient should be thankful for. It is therefore something the Democrats wield against organizations like the Catholic Church which do not demonstrate sufficient deference to the all-powerful Government.
This kind of comment by Woolsey is not just anti-Catholic it’s anti-religion. Woolsey and her partners in progressivism will seek out opposition and punish it. That’s what bullies do. The only thing bullies understand is getting pushed back.
Starting tomorrow morning we should give ol’ Lynn a call and let her know what we think of her idea. Lynn Woolsey: 202-225-5161.
November 10, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Bring it on! While I hope it won't come to pass, but if we get our IRS exemption taken away we'll become a smaller, trimmer, more militant Church and in the long run we may be able to save more souls than through the endless pandering to the culture and the government that currently goes on.
Losing our tax exemption isn't the worst thing that can happen. The worst thing that can happen is for our bishops to go silent. We need to start passing out spines along with those crosiers.
November 11, 2009 at 12:10 am
Gosh, what about those Leftist Democratic politicians showing up at all the Black churches? Can we ask Father Pfleger over at Saint Sabina's in Chicago just how non-political he is?
Maybe we can check on Lynn Woolsey's campaigns. She's a bully and, like all bullies, a coward.
I haven't heard any outcry about the separation of church and state when one's state is standing in the pulpit of a Leftist-friendly church. In fact, the mixture of politics and religion is an honored tradition in African-American churches. Abd there was a time when most of those churches thundered conservative moral values from their pulpits instead of the socialist paplum that has dripped out for the last forty years.
November 11, 2009 at 12:53 am
Well, given that, as my Pastor noted, the IRS regulations are written so vaguely that they could take the tax exemption from the Church now if they wanted to. They basically use this as an intimidation tactic to make pastors & bishops into sheeple instead of shepherds.
Frankly, if she wants to take the exemption, she can have it, because then they'll be no excuse for doing anything other than preaching the Gospel in and out of season.
November 11, 2009 at 1:06 am
Thanks for the phone number. I'll be using it tomorrow….and Thursday…..and, well, you get the point.
November 11, 2009 at 1:29 am
Whatever happened to "by the people, for the people, of the people" in government. So, Catholic bishops now get the lower than human status? Brian Walden said what I was thinking.
November 11, 2009 at 3:05 am
Great Post! I really like your blog!!
COMMON CENTS
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
November 11, 2009 at 3:26 am
Where was the IRS when (mostly protestant) Christians preached from the pulpit that the colonies should break from the tyranny of the king? (Back in England on the Thames?!)
Those darn one issue people!
November 11, 2009 at 8:47 am
I guess I don't see Lynn's problem, other than her being a sore loser. Aren't the American bishops citizens of the US? Don't they also get representation in their government? Are they not allowed to express their opinions and concern on issues?
Sara – not quite less than human, but less than American apparently. And that is typically how many people have seen Catholics for the past 300 years, FYI. I wish we would start calling a spade a spade and use "anti-Catholic" the ways Jews use "anti-semitic" when appropriate. It just might stick, and in this case it is blatant.
Also, I'm still taken aback at the rampant anti-clerical sentiment I'm finding on this Catholic blog. Maybe I'm just naive.
November 11, 2009 at 5:10 pm
If the Church is poor then there will be nothing to tax. If priests and nuns became tax paying citizens, then they can avail of healthcare and other benefits when they grow older and sick. I may not see the complete picture but taxation might even be beneficial for the Church. And they won't be stymied by that concern anymore.
November 11, 2009 at 5:47 pm
What are the delineations of permissable evangelization by the Church with regards to maintaining tax-exempt status? I posted AmPapist's blog entry on this topic to my facebook wall commenting "So we can take away Planned Parenthood's tax exempt status, too, right?" without necessarily understanding the nuances of tax law, different "clinic" vs. "PAC" divisions of PP…
I drew some vicious attacks from a couple women of my acquaintance, one of whom is an avid PP volunteer/disciple. Fortunately several of my friends countered their attempts at justifying Rep. Woolsey's position and the a-okness of abortion… *cringe*
Besides the differences between the Church and Planned Parenthood's tax-exempt statuses and restrictions, what would ALL of the implications be of relinquishing tax-exempt status? I know that Fr. Corapi surrendered religious tax-exemption and is able to speak the truth with more force and clarity in the context of America's political culture…
November 12, 2009 at 2:03 pm
The thing is, the primary tax-exemption exception afforded the Church is local- ie, property taxes. Yanking the 501(c)(3) would matter only if state and local establishments follow suit (and I can see them doing so in the "Catholic" Northeast and the left Coast, and not so much in the Midwest and South.
As for the rest of tax exemption, this would hit parishioners who itemize, not the parishes. Revoking tax-exemption means that parishioners cannot deduct their donations on their taxes. While this might cause a few people to give less, I don't know many people who give on Sunday because of the tax break. As for the parishes, current tax law regards gifts as tax-free to the recipient, which means Big Brother can't touch it.
Even if the government perverted tax law to deem collections as "earned income", how much money do parishes really make? Parishes/diocese can arrange it so that they spend all current income (collections) on programs, services, and necessary maintenance. Profit would be zero, and therefore no income tax. To build funds for major initiatives, the Church could raise awareness for bequests, which are tax-free for the recipient. (For example, a parish has a net $65,000 gain in net position at the end of the year, including $100K received in bequests. Guess what? Under tax law, the net gain/(loss) for the year would be ($35,000), entitling the parish to either a refund or an offset against future income. Either way, Big Brother gets $0.
And yes, I am trained as a tax accountant, which is why I know all this geeky info.
November 12, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Rep Woolsey reminds me of someone…. of course!
"If I had served my God half so well as my King…" Cardinal Woolsey, "A Man for All Seasons"
November 12, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I agree with the fair legistrator. Organizations that lobby should not have exemptions meerly for the good of their public service. Let us begin cleaning house by cleaning the House of its exemptions. Let us begin by making sure congress follows it's own laws and provides health care for it's employees. Let us begin by requiring congress to (as they say in the business world – a world they are unfamiliar with) "eat their own dog food." Then there is the question of what is their contribution to the public good.
Of course, it must be a frightening thing for a legistator to see the leaders of 25% of the population who could be counted on as patsies for easy votes and easy abuse, while providing the most service to suddently develop and atom of resolve. I am glad to see the bishops developing a spine, even if it is in the context of money.