A good argument for church/state separation

[Don Kiyoti]

""Just because God created the world in seven days doesn't mean we have to pass this bill in seven days," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/financial_meltdown

What a moran.

[guitarist]

If you've ever spent a Sunday listening to a sermon in a church in Texas (I have) then you'll realize, that one day in a hot church is about 100,000 years long.

On the other hand, he might have been using a familiar mythological scriptural phrase from Genesis as a springboard for a punch line, rather than slipping in a reference to a personal belief.

When I was a kid, I thought that males and females had a different number of rib bones, because Eve was made from Adam's rib. Not because I thought the story was true, but because a skeletal gender difference was the basis for the myth, and the fairy tale developed around it.

Wait..how many ribs do I have? I have to go count my ribs.

[MacMagus]

It's actually quite clever.

It's a many-layered metaphor.

Among other things, there's a veiled suggestion that Bush thinks he's god as it's he who just sent Cheney to put pressure on (read as "extort") Congressional Republicans to pass the Bush version of the bill which prohibits courts from having any jurisdiction over decisions made by the Treasury Department, once again attempting to wrest Unconstitutional unlimited power from the American people.

Meanwhile, what makes the situation so urgent as to warrant this deadline? So urgent as to make it unreasonable to ask for accountability and record-keeping? So urgent that the government has to buy liens RIGHT NOW at full maturity value instead of market value or auction value or some other compromise?

The only explanation proffered for this need for speed has been to prop up investments by kicking up confidence in banks. It seems to me that an unrestricted payoff/bailout to the tune of $700 billion plus interest would knock whatever faith in the dollar still exists right out of the park and that wouldn't be very good for anyone in this country.

[Seacrest]

Don Kiyoti wrote:
""Just because God created the world in seven days doesn't mean we have to pass this bill in seven days," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas."


What a moran.

As someone who keeps as far away as I possibly can from both the church AND the state, I gotta say, that's a pretty funny line.

[Lux Interior]

MacMagus wrote:
[...] wouldn't be very good for anyone in this country.

This is going to be VERY good for some people in the country.

$700 billion with no oversight. Halliburton is very upset that they aren't in the banking or insurance biz.

[guitarist]

Seacrest wrote:
As someone who keeps as far away as I possibly can from both the church AND the state, I gotta say, that's a pretty funny line.

They don't have paved roads, running water, stop signs, or streetlamps where you live?

[mikeylikesit]

Seacrest moved to Alaska? When?

[Wags]

Why do churches get taxpayer subsidies anyhow? I've been trying to find out how much it all adds up to but there is scant information. Just the ministers, rabbis, etc. get about $500 million every year, then there's all the property tax they don't have to pay, which hits hard at the local level. Its a big number but no one wants to talk about it. Anyone know any links?

[guitarist]

Wags wrote:
Why do churches get taxpayer subsidies anyhow?

Not that complicated, if you replace the word "church" with "non-profit organization". Should non-profit organizations be taxed the same way as for-profit organizations?

Maybe the issue is about how it's administered and regulated. Churches (like any other non-profit) are required to comply with strict regulations in order to qualify for their non-tax status. Some argue that these rules are rarely enforced in any meaningful way. Example: the moment a church official starts advocating a political candidate, policy, or preaching an overtly political point of view, its risking its tax-free status and should be held accountable. But this line has been blurred for a long time. Churches with activist political agendas on both sides of the spectrum abuse this privilege all the time.

[Seacrest]

guitarist wrote:
[quote=Seacrest]
As someone who keeps as far away as I possibly can from both the church AND the state, I gotta say, that's a pretty funny line.

They don't have paved roads, running water, stop signs, or streetlamps where you live?
Those things are what I pay taxes for, yes.
I consider them (mostly) fair value for what I pay.

Just because I make use of certain governmental functions does not mean that I must submit to the government getting into other areas of my life -- especially those that do not affect other citizens one way or the other.