Rep Woolsey Calls For IRS Investigation of The Roman Catholic Church

Representative Lynn Woolsey has called upon the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in the creation and passage of the Stupak Amendment...I expect political hardball on any legislation as important as the health care bill. I just didn’t expect it from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Who elected them to Congress?

[equalityboy81]

For some reason churches seem immune to losing their tax exempt status no matter how involved in politics they involve themselves in especially when it's anti-gay&trans/anti-sex/an ti-porn/anti-alcohol/anti-bar/ anti-abortion/anti-women's rights. Maybe the IRS is afraid God will punish them if they do take their tax exemption away. All I can say is good luck with that case. I don't know if it will go anywhere. When has a church ever lost their tax exemption? They think they are above the law. I never understood why they were tax exempt to begin with. Why aren't other organizations and establishments that aren't religious tax exempt?

[Equality for ALL]

I can only scream: "WTF took you so long?" This is waaaaay long overdue. They are too political to NOT be taxed !!

[Obi Wo]

Its not politics, its morality and human life issues

[Resist Ignorance]

Equality for ALL wrote:

I can only scream: "WTF took you so long?"...

Votes!

" This is waaaaay long overdue. They are too political to NOT be taxed"!!

I agree 100%!

Next up should be LDS, WBC and NOM! Regan and the Bush's trashed the first amendment but Obama should be able to restore it. Then we need to move on to the fourteenth amendment, "Equal Protection Under the Law"!

[CHAS]

The Roman Catholic church is playing politics and spending a lot of money to do it. TAX IT.

Where is Woolsey from? Send her money.

[CatholicPatriot]

Rep. Woolsey can kiss my behind. The IRS looks the other way whenever Democrats hold rallies inside churches, but if the Catholic Bishops exercise their First Amendment Rights in the public arena, you fake liberals get your noses out of joint.

Any move to strip the Catholic church of its tax exempt status will be treated as an act of war and dealt with accordingly.

[McMike]

CatholicPatriot wrote:

Rep. Woolsey can kiss my behind. The IRS looks the other way whenever Democrats hold rallies inside churches, but if the Catholic Bishops exercise their First Amendment Rights in the public arena, you fake liberals get your noses out of joint.
Any move to strip the Catholic church of its tax exempt status will be treated as an act of war and dealt with accordingly.

Too funny! No, you're not biased at all... The Republicans are much more aligned with the "Church" then the Democrats and if anyone was going to hold a fundraiser there it would be them.

[McMike]

equalityboy81 wrote:

For some reason churches seem immune to losing their tax exempt status no matter how involved in politics they involve themselves in especially when it's anti-gay&trans/anti-sex/an ti-porn/anti-alcohol/anti-bar/ anti-abortion/anti-women's rights. Maybe the IRS is afraid God will punish them if they do take their tax exemption away. All I can say is good luck with that case. I don't know if it will go anywhere. When has a church ever lost their tax exemption? They think they are above the law. I never understood why they were tax exempt to begin with. Why aren't other organizations and establishments that aren't religious tax exempt?

God does not reside in the Vatican.

[Rainbow Kid]

Just imagine how much tax money the public would save if the catholic church (and their snuggle daddies, the mormon mafia) paid fair-value property taxes on their real-estate holdings nationwide.

The national debt would disappear in weeks. So would the catholic church and the mormon mafia.

;)

[CatholicPatriot]

McMike wrote:

<quoted text>
Too funny! No, you're not biased at all... The Republicans are much more aligned with the "Church" then the Democrats and if anyone was going to hold a fundraiser there it would be them.

My grandfather and his brothers were powerful leaders within the Democrat party. I guess that's why when the candidates are pretty much equal I have always favored the Democrat. In fact, I am a pro-life, pro-labor Democrat who has temporarily left the party. Until Pelosi is removed, I will remain registered as an Independent although I have been giving some thought to joining the Veterans party.

I have seen so many times where a politician goes into a Baptist, Methodist, or Presbyterian church to stump for votes from the pulpit.

Some Republicans are talking about Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist Minister running against Obama. That's a fast way to lose the Catholic swing vote.

[CatholicPatriot]

Rainbow Kid wrote:

Just imagine how much tax money the public would save if the catholic church (and their snuggle daddies, the mormon mafia) paid fair-value property taxes on their real-estate holdings nationwide.
The national debt would disappear in weeks. So would the catholic church and the mormon mafia.
;)

You falsely assume, you can remove the church's tax exemption without starting a war. Don't be a fool. Over 50 percent of the people on this continent are Catholic.

[Joe in Novato]

CHAS wrote:

The Roman Catholic church is playing politics and spending a lot of money to do it. TAX IT.
Where is Woolsey from? Send her money.

She is MY Congresswoman! She represents the people of Marin and Sonoma Counties, in Northern California!
Way to go Lynne!

That's why I vote for YOU!

[Anonymous]

Vatican looks to heavens for signs of alien life
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/A...

[nhjeff]

I think revoking the tax exemption of ANY church would be a Pyrrhic victory. The backlash from all faiths would be tremendous.

Nevertheless, Congress could take a look at the influence that churches exercise over politics. Currently, churches remain tax-exempt as long as political activities do not constitute a "significant" portion their efforts. Yet when you look at something as big as the Roman Catholic Church, a small contribution can have a very significant effect on the outcomes of elections.

So a method needs to be found to assure that churches don't use funds donated for charitable purposes for political purposes. The churches will still have the bully pulpit available to them every Sunday, and we will probably just have to accept that.

But it is wrong for one group who plays a significant role in electoral politics to enjoy tax exemption while others do not.

[CatholicPatriot]

Joe in Novato wrote:

<quoted text>
She is MY Congresswoman! She represents the people of Marin and Sonoma Counties, in Northern California!
Way to go Lynne!
That's why I vote for YOU!

So you are proud of your Congresswoman for jumping on the politically correct bandwagon and promoting "America's Prejudice"
or "the Last Acceptable Prejudice"?

Not real bright are you?

[CatholicPatriot]

nhjeff wrote:

I think revoking the tax exemption of ANY church would be a Pyrrhic victory. The backlash from all faiths would be tremendous.
Nevertheless, Congress could take a look at the influence that churches exercise over politics. Currently, churches remain tax-exempt as long as political activities do not constitute a "significant" portion their efforts. Yet when you look at something as big as the Roman Catholic Church, a small contribution can have a very significant effect on the outcomes of elections.
So a method needs to be found to assure that churches don't use funds donated for charitable purposes for political purposes. The churches will still have the bully pulpit available to them every Sunday, and we will probably just have to accept that.
But it is wrong for one group who plays a significant role in electoral politics to enjoy tax exemption while others do not.

The church's tax exemption allows the church to operate hospitals, schools, colleges, etc at lower cost to the citizens. Often the poor turn to the church for services they can't afford themselves.

Catholic charities is one of the largest charities in the world. Where would the poor be without the outreach of ther church. Indeed, the church is speaking for the innocent unborn who cannot speak for themselves. The demand of the church. Stop this crime against humanity, civilization, and God.

The church is in the right. The pro-abortionists are in the wrong.

[Sei]

CatholicPatriot wrote:

<quoted text>
The church's tax exemption allows the church to operate hospitals, schools, colleges, etc at lower cost to the citizens. Often the poor turn to the church for services they can't afford themselves.
Catholic charities is one of the largest charities in the world. Where would the poor be without the outreach of ther church. Indeed, the church is speaking for the innocent unborn who cannot speak for themselves. The demand of the church. Stop this crime against humanity, civilization, and God.
The church is in the right. The pro-abortionists are in the wrong.

If the Church's charities are where the poor go to get what they cannot afford, then how does the Church justify spending money on things that do not relate to charity?

If they want to be involved in politics, then they loose the right to morally claim that they are doing good works. I know a lot of Catholics who are far from happy that the Church has been involved in politics of late.

The thing is, the Church is shuttering schools, churches, and charities right now, but they can afford to squander money for political games.

[Rick in Kansas]

Nothing but an empty, symbolic, political gesture on Rep. Wooley's part. You'd hope that an elected representative would have a better understanding of the law they want to invoke before going off half-cocked like this, but sadly no. The reality is that this idea is as non-started as you can get. Under IRS guidelines for tax-exempt groups, the USCCB can lobby, cajole, arm twist, suggest wording or even ghost write legislation if their little hearts desire, as long as their political activities don't become the "focus" of their mission. We may not like what they have been up to, but it is their right to be up to it. Anyone who imagines that the Catholic Church or any religious denomination for that matter, or even any subsidiary group of any denomination, is EVER going to lose their tax exempt status as generous the laws are written for them, pass whatever you are smoking, because it's gotta be good.

[budinca]

The Catholic Church believes in dictating its beliefs on non-Catholics. It does this by influencing Prop 8 in California, Prop 1 in Maine and promoting the Churches other views in Congress and State Legislatures. It is a big lobbyist organization.

Priests and Pastors can continue to preach whatever they want to from the pulpit, but the church must stay inside the church and not go outside. When it gets involved in politics, then it should lose its tax exempt status.

Much less than 50% of U.S. residents are Catholic and more are leaving the church every year. People are starting to support taxation of church properties. No, it won't start a war. The Catholic church doesn't have an army. Any groups or individuals who may fight, will be arrested for treason.

[Rainbow Kid]

CatholicPatriot wrote:

<quoted text>
You falsely assume, you can remove the church's tax exemption without starting a war. Don't be a fool. Over 50 percent of the people on this continent are Catholic.

Nope. Just 22% and 3/4 of those are kids.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholicis...

The catholic church is not armed for war. Perhaps some of the members could supply Hummers and handguns, but that's no match for the National Guard.

The mormon mafia has a box of "church owned" handcuffs they will lend you if you promise to return them.