No one denies that private charities, especially faith-based ones, can change lives and help relieve poverty and despair. Indeed, they have proved to be more successful than government welfare programs in fulfilling these roles. But in mixing government and charity, Bush risks undermining the very things that have made private charity effective. .
Distributing portions of taxpayer money among religious charities is not an effective method of solving the widespread problem of poverty in America because it will increase administrative costs and government meddling in the affairs of religious organizations, corrupt faith-based charities and increase their dependency on government funding, and finally eliminate the element of volunteering to donate out of the goodness of one's heart and replace it with forceful coercion by taxation. Overall, this proposal is overlooking the root cause of the problem of poverty and providing only a superficial solution that may worsen the problem long-term. .
Providing government funding to religious charities would increase administrative costs and government meddling in religious affairs. Many government regulations are in place to ensure proper distribution of grants. According to Michael Tanner, charities would have to go through a series of processes to prove that they are not using government funds for proselytizing - trying to convert people to their religious faith, and other exclusively religious activities. But why should faith-based charities shun proselytizing and religious functions? Faith is a belief that is much more than food and bread, and charities need to focus on addressing deeper spiritual needs. There is a reason for the "faith" in "faith-based" charities. These organizations believe that helping people requires more than food or a bed. It is about God. Yet, in the end, Bush's proposal may transform private charities from institutions that change people's lives to providers of services.
Circuit. 3 Ginsburg generally does not consider the framers' intent in her constitutional decision-making. ... The choice of Ninth Circuit Judge Kennedy, a conservative who had been active in Republican politics in California during Reagan' governorship, was a practical move after the Bork and Ginsburg disasters. ...
