December 8, 2001

Letters to Congress can derail latest "Religion Tax" proposal

A new effort is underway to pass enabling legislation for President Bush's faith-based initiative.

One of Mr. Bush's first acts as President was to sign two Executive Orders creating his Special White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives, and ordering federal departments to set up liaison bureaus to encourage religious groups to apply for grants in order to operate social services. In Congress, the House of Representatives then passed H.R. 7 -- disingenuously labeled the "Community Solutions Act." It expands "charitable choice" programs which permit churches and other houses of worship to compete for taxpayer dollars in order to administer faith-based social programs, and still retain their religious character.

American Atheists has opposed faith-based initiative at the local, state and federal level. Put bluntly: government has no business promoting religion -- any religion -- in any form, and especially using the tax money of millions of Atheists and other persons-of-no-faith. Bush and supporters of the faith-based initiative claim that their legislation has little or nothing to do with religion; but they insist that churches or other sectarian groups taking our money to run social service programs be permitted to retain their "religious character." They also claim that religious faith -- Bible reading, prayer, church services -- are vital components in their social message.

While it has cleared the House, H.R. 7 faces a rough road in the U.S. Senate. There, many opponents worry that religious groups which accept public funding would still be permitted to discriminate in hiring and other practices on the basis of sexual orientation or other criteria. Some, including Sen. Joseph Lieberman, have been working to forge a compromise bill which would permit religious groups to take our money, but only as long as they observe local, state and federal anti-discrimination statutes.

There are also reports that the compromise legislation would rely less on expansion of "charitable choice" (part of the 1996 welfare reform act which permits religious groups to compete for government contracts in order to operate social programs), and instead use a package of tax breaks and other incentives to encourage people to give to faith-based charities. Problems abound even with this plan:

-- Public fiscal policy should not be used to encourage funding of religion "by the back door." Supporters of this plan know that they cannot fund churches or other religious providers directly, so they manipulate tax laws and government regulation to do so through indirect means.

-- The practical problems of the faith-based initiative remain. Should we provide tax breaks in order to fund programs that are of questionable efficacy, and lack the type of regulatory oversight which secular social outreaches have? Everyone should be free to donate to whatever charity they support; but should they be rewarded through tax breaks?

Whatever compromise version is crafted, Mr. Bush can still attempt to legislate the faith-based initiative through Executive Orders and other means. Money can also be funneled to states and local municipalities where (already) it is distributed to churches and other religious groups.

WE NEED TO STOP THE FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE NOW!

We ask that you contact your U.S. Senator as soon as possible, and speak out against ANY faith-based funding legislation. There are several ways you can find your Senator's mailing address and other contact information. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121; or, visit our Government Contacts page for links and other information.

We suggest "snail mail" as one of the most effective ways to convey your thoughts on this important issue. E-mail, while easy, is not given the weight that a personal letter or phone call conveys.

Keep your letter polite, concise and to the point. Ask for a response to your letter. Make sure that you communication is dated and signed, with a return address.

Action on the faith-based initiative could come at any time, so watch our web site for any new developments. Write those letters as soon as possible! Together, we can stop the imposition of a "Religion Tax" in America!

SAMPLE LETTER... (Please do not copy this verbatim; rather, use it as a framework for your own thoughts on this important issue) (date, your mailing address) Dear Senator _________________ I am concerned about legislation that would use public funds to subsidize religious groups operating faith-based social programs. This is clearly in violation of the First Amendment separation of church and state. These proposals place government in the position of rendering assistance to religious groups, and encourage participation and belief in religious programs. Whether through indirect means such as tax credits, or more direct programs like grants, funding of faith-based social outreaches inevitably taxes all Americans, including millions who are Atheists, freethinkers, secularists, and do not accept religious creeds. This is taxpayer funding of what should be strictly private religious activity. The faith-based initiative is bad public policy. Claims of high success rates for religion-based groups operating these types of programs are in dispute. Any effort to monitor such charities will inevitably be resisted as an intrusion of religious privacy. Before any group receives government funding, or benefits from tax exemptions in order to operate social services, there should be solid data that these programs are effective. Even if that is the case, the constitutional problems of mingling public tax money and private religious exemptions should discourage such government policy. I urge you to vote against any funding legislation on behalf of the federal faith-based initiative. I look forward to hearing your views on this matter. Sincerely, (Your name and signature)

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