Bill, I agree! I said the same thing in almost identical words this morning at DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS. Where's the Rev. Barry Lynn when Kerry uses a church for a campaign stop? Nowhere, because there's an enormous, Grand-Canyon-sized difference between how these things are enforced for the right, and for the left. A double standard.

Steve Bragg
DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS

Bill

I'll go one step further. The liberals were all over the Bush campaign when folks suggested during in their church directories to the local republicans.

When the democrats receive church pulpits not a whimper. When the DNC came up a plan to supply ministers with talking points for pulpit preaching and handouts for their folk. Only then did they get some heat. Let me tell you this all the conservative ministers I know do not need talking points from the RNC. Then again they also do not preach political action from the pulpit

Technically it is not a violation of the tax law for churches to have a political candidate speak to their organization. Which is a good thing for Bush since he spoke to the Baptist Convention in June. What IS a violation of the tax law for a 501(c)(3) organization, as most churches are, is to endorse or oppose a candidate for office. The minister could be interpreted as endorsing Kerry when he said, "To bring our country out of despair, despondency and disgust, God has a John Kerry."

So...anyone know how to file a complaint with the IRS?

Has anyone crunched the numbers to determine how much additional revenue would be provided for federally-funded social programs if NPOs and other tax exempt entities (like Belmont -- not to single them out) had to pay taxes? Is there a social business case for eliminating the tax exempt organization status altogether?

I think revenue would be neglibible as they (NPOs)quitely disappear and all the charity work they do is dried up. While your at it, take away the tax write off for contributors. Concerned citizens would be UP IN ARMS.