Political Insider: Getting The Most Out of Church-State Breach
Posted By Adam DickterPolitical Insider: Getting The Most Out of Church-State Breach
With the hourglass quickly draining on the Bush administration, those who have celebrated its take on the First Amendment's wall between church and state are starting to look ahead.
On Monday, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations welcomed a statement by Democrat Barack Obama at the "Compassion Forum" at Messiah College in Pennsylvania that he would continue the president's faith-based initiatives, giving tax dollars to religious organizations to do social work.
"I want to keep the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives open,
but I want to make sure that its mission is clear…the faith-based
initiative should be targeted specifically at the issue of poverty and
how to lift people up," said Obama. "And partnering with faith communities, I think we can achieve that as long as it's within the requirements of our Constitution. We make sure that it's open to everybody."
The OU's Institute for Public Affairs also noted that Obama rival
Hillary Clinton "has been a leading sponsor of legislation designed to bolster the work of faith-based and community charities including the "C.A.R.E. Act." Presumptive GOP nominee Sen. John McCain has also been supportive.
"It is most welcome that the principles of government's equal
treatment of faith-based charities and utilizing them to serve those in need is a matter of commonsense consensus again," said OU's Nathan J. Diament, noting that George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore agreed on the program's worthiness in 2000.
On April 24, the fifth day of Passover, Rabbi David Zwiebel, vice president of legal and governmental affairs for Agudath Israel of America, will lobby for greater government assistance for religious schools when he addresses a White House Summit on inner-city children and nonpublic schools.
According to Agudah, Rabbi Zwiebel will share the American Jewish community's experience with intra-Jewish private programs aimed at providing assistance to families unable to pay tuition at Jewish schools, strengthening building funds and other growth-related needs and maintaining fiscal viability.
"By demonstrating the achievements of even limited private programs, Rabbi Zwiebel will make the case that similar ventures have the potential to bring positive change to the larger American educational landscape." said Agudah spokesman Avi Shafran in a statement.