AMERICAN ATHEISTS ACTION ALERT

September 16, 2002

FAITH-BASED BILL READIED FOR SENATE VOTE!

After months of delay and negotiations, the way has been cleared for a vote in the U.S. Senate on legislation to energize President Bush's controversial faith-based initiative.

News reports indicate that, under pressure from the White House and the federal Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, S 1924 -- the "Charity, Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act of 2002" -- will be introduced shortly for approval.

Letters, faxes and phone calls are needed NOW to stop the CARE legislation!

CARE-ing Less About Separation

CARE was introduced in the Senate last February by Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who supports the use of public funds to rehabilitate and "preserve" dilapidated churches and assist groups seeking to operate social service programs. The measure has 27 cosponsors.

* CARE supporters say that their bill avoids the constitutional pitfalls of previous efforts to fund the faith-based initiative. The House has passed HR 7, the "Community Solutions Act," which would have expanded the charitable choice provision of the 1996 welfare reform act and make large sums of government money available to churches, mosques and temples -- all under the guise of combating poverty and providing social services.

CARE, however, relies mostly on a system of tax deductions to encourage charitable giving for individuals not itemizing their taxes. It also permits tax free donations from IRA accounts, and it increases the cap on corporate charitable contributions.

* CARE still provides "backdoor funding," however, for religion-based groups. It would use government money to expand programs for "grant writing, legal, program development and management assistance," and includes vague language which makes available funding for "capacity building" and "delivering assistance."

* CARE would allow states to appropriate money from select federal programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and hand the funds over to churches, mosques, temples and other religion-based service providers. This has already led to abuse and suspect practices, such as the case of one program which encouraged Bible verse reading and "abstinence."

* CARE lacks any safeguards or accounting controls. There are no provisions for active monitoring on how religious groups spend our money, or whether public funds are used for "social services" or sectarian proselytizing. Worse yet, as with TANF, the bill would "launder" tax money by handing it over to states, where it would "trickle down" to churches and other organizations with no accountability.

* Despite the claim that it does not directly funnel money to religious groups, CARE provides for "backdoor" funding through a number of mechanisms. Hundreds of millions of dollars would establish training regimens for faith-based social providers and instruct them on how to apply for government (i.e., your money) grants.

* Supporters of the faith-based initiative make numerous claims about such programs being more efficient and less costly than their secular counterparts. There is little or no credible evidence to support these assertions, though. The entire faith-based initiative, whether it relies on direct funding or tax incentives, is essentially an experiment with our money!

* CARE invites fiscal, nonprofit corporate irresponsibility. We already have an accounting scandal involving for-profit corporate entities; and in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, serious questions have been raised concerning the integrity and financial reporting of various charitable groups. The government is ill-equipped to thoroughly monitor nonprofit organizations. But CARE would institute an "EZ PASS RECOGNITION" to speed up the granting of tax exempt status to religious nonprofit entities. It would also encourage small churches and religious groups to enter the social service "business," even though they may have little or no experience and lack resources for proper fiscal accounting.

Their Religion, Our Money, No Way!

AMERICAN ATHEISTS has opposed the faith-based initiative as a violation of the First Amendment separation of church and state. It is a reckless, dangerous experiment which imposes a de facto "Religion Tax" on millions of Atheists, Freethinkers and others who do not believe in religious creeds. It forces all Americans to fund religion-based social services.

While CARE is less expansive than earlier proposals, the White House is moving ahead with plans to circumvent Congress and still find ways to fund the faith-based initiative. We still need to stop S. 1924, though, and send a signal that we will not stand for the expropriation of our money to fund religious groups and faith-based programs!

What you can do to stop CARE

Senators need to hear from you NOW as this battle to keep the faith-based initiative enters a new phase. A defeat for S. 1924 could dampen the enthusiasm on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures for plans to hand over public money to churches, mosques and temples.

* FIND OUT WHO YOUR SENATORS ARE and contact them.

* PHONE CALLS, SNAIL MAIL AND FAXES are more effective than e-mail. We urge you to contact the office of your United States Senators, and tell them that you oppose S. 1924, the "Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act of 2002."

* Learn more about the history of the faith-based initiative and how it affects you!

* Keep your letter/fax brief, polite and to the point. Don't be afraid to identify yourself as an Atheist, Freethinker or other person who has no religious belief. Point out that according to the American Religion Identification Survey, over 30 million Americans -- nearly 14% of the population -- are not religious. Tell your Senator that no person should be compelled to finance faith-based social programs in any way, direct or indirect.

* Be sure to ask for a response from your Senator. Sign your letter/fax, and thank him/her for taking the time to consider your viewpoint.

* SAMPLE LETTERS will be posted here on the alert page. Send us a copy of your letter/fax to ccletters@atheists.org.

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