Federal tax tithing?

Faith-based initiatives.

What’s so wrong with grassroots faith-based organizations stepping up the plate and supporting the health, happiness, and well-being of those in the local community? Absolutely nothing is wrong with that concept. What is wrong, is the federal government setting aside an entire bureau to support such initiatives.

Tax monies paid to the government are payment for goods and services rendered. To be provided by the government they are paid to. I don’t donate money to the United Way and expect the roads to be maintained or my bank account to be insured. The federal government is uniquely suited to collecting large amounts of money and overseeing the distribution of said funds.

Imagine that a group of kids wants to build a tree house. They can each pitch in ten or twenty dollars. They give the money to a neighborhood parent. This parent decides to distribute the money to several friends who know a little about construction. Each is told that they are to assist in building a tree house. With no “general contractor,” each plans away and puts his or her small sum of money to use in purchasing supplies and constructing some part of the structure. What the kids might end up with is three ladders, a window, and maybe a few walls. When money is spread out, it rarely goes as far in purchasing goods or services. This trend and the desire of many Americans to put their money into bulk purchases is evidenced by the success of Sam’s Club and Costco. If your average citizen realizes that utilizing bulk economics is a reasonable way to stretch a dollar, why would the government, with its enormous purchasing power, choose to portion out tax dollars in what is the equivalent of buying toilet paper at a convenience store?

Another problem is the oversight of each of these mini spending sprees. That’s where we would end up with a tree house with duplicate ladders and no floor. Throughout the country, people have countless ideas about how to help each other. The issue comes in when there’s no coordination amongst all these people. When faith organizations work together within a community they can bounce ideas off each other and hopefully figure out how to put each of their skills to use in concert. When each of these groups is faced toward Washington D.C. for sustenance and some small amount of guidance, local events may be overlooked.

One last concern I harbor as a civil libertarian, is that I don’t feel that government should support any religious organization past the tax-deductions already afforded said organizations just as I don’t feel that faith groups should have to pay taxes in the event that the beliefs and actions of the government come in conflict with doctrine. When the government gives money to support faith-based initiatives, the government gives official credence to the groups backing the initiatives. What is my recourse if the government decides to disburse my tax dollars to a group that does not support my ideals and ethics? And what recourse is there when the government imposes regulations on the people a faith-based organization must serve or even hire? Both the federal government and faith-based groups tread a disastrously slippery slope when they become entangled.

I do believe that faith-based groups should be just as eligible to apply for grant money as any other not for profit organization. I don’t believe money should be set aside specifically for these groups when there are many offices already established to release and oversee grant funds. If these groups are as effective as our government would have us believe, they should be a shoe-in for grant funding and in no need of a specific bureau from which to receive money for public service.