Comments on: Finances, Money, and the Bailout http://atheists.org/blog/2008/09/30/finances_money_and_the_bailout A Blog of Atheist Thought Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:05:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: tyro http://atheists.org/blog/2008/09/30/finances_money_and_the_bailout/comment-page-1#comment-89862 tyro Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-89862 You guys have a little budget and a few lawyers kicking around, right? Have you ever found out what the exact legal definition of religion is and is there a way to ram otherwise secular societies in? As a legal ignoramus it still strikes me as discriminatory if religious groups are granted tax-exempt status for doing diddly-squat. The big mega-churches have bowling, fast-food and JumboTron tvs, surely the bar for tax-exempt status must be pretty low.<br /> <br /> I figure there would be two outcomes that would be greatly beneficial: vast number of secular organizations suddenly become tax exempt; or it goes to trial and a court is forced to proscribe strict limits on what sorts of religions are acceptable (which is a whole lot of awesome).<br /> <br /> I'm reminded of some schools offering paid days off for Jewish teachers for religious reasons which sounds like clear discrimination against atheists. Why can't atheists get social organizations which are tax-exempt? You guys have a little budget and a few lawyers kicking around, right? Have you ever found out what the exact legal definition of religion is and is there a way to ram otherwise secular societies in? As a legal ignoramus it still strikes me as discriminatory if religious groups are granted tax-exempt status for doing diddly-squat. The big mega-churches have bowling, fast-food and JumboTron tvs, surely the bar for tax-exempt status must be pretty low.

I figure there would be two outcomes that would be greatly beneficial: vast number of secular organizations suddenly become tax exempt; or it goes to trial and a court is forced to proscribe strict limits on what sorts of religions are acceptable (which is a whole lot of awesome).

I’m reminded of some schools offering paid days off for Jewish teachers for religious reasons which sounds like clear discrimination against atheists. Why can’t atheists get social organizations which are tax-exempt?

]]> By: rainbows4dinosaurs http://atheists.org/blog/2008/09/30/finances_money_and_the_bailout/comment-page-1#comment-89864 rainbows4dinosaurs Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-89864 My stepfather, who's many degrees include a doctorate in world economics, has been my goto guy on money issues for years. I had a long conversation with him about the Paulson plan and he seems to think it's exactly what we need. He kept stressing that it is unlikely that we will end up owing the full $700 billion because those assets will eventually work themselves out and begin generating capital again. <br /> <br /> He also agrees that this is a death nail for the unregulated free market philosophy. I think it's pretty telling that every single industry that has undergone massive deregulation has pretty much turned to shit, or went to shit and had to be reigned back in: the telecommunications industry, commercial radio, the press, energy companies (remember Enron?), health care and other insurance, and now our <b>banks</b>. They played russian ro_ulette with the driving forces of our economy and the gun has finally gone off. <br /> <br /> And yet the dunderheads on the far right of the house are still pretending to fight for a 'market solution.' What market are they talking about? The market is fracking wiped out! Half of it has been pretty much nationalized anyway! Idiots.<br /> <br /> <br /> My stepfather, who’s many degrees include a doctorate in world economics, has been my goto guy on money issues for years. I had a long conversation with him about the Paulson plan and he seems to think it’s exactly what we need. He kept stressing that it is unlikely that we will end up owing the full $700 billion because those assets will eventually work themselves out and begin generating capital again.

He also agrees that this is a death nail for the unregulated free market philosophy. I think it’s pretty telling that every single industry that has undergone massive deregulation has pretty much turned to shit, or went to shit and had to be reigned back in: the telecommunications industry, commercial radio, the press, energy companies (remember Enron?), health care and other insurance, and now our banks. They played russian ro_ulette with the driving forces of our economy and the gun has finally gone off.

And yet the dunderheads on the far right of the house are still pretending to fight for a ‘market solution.’ What market are they talking about? The market is fracking wiped out! Half of it has been pretty much nationalized anyway! Idiots.

]]> By: what http://atheists.org/blog/2008/09/30/finances_money_and_the_bailout/comment-page-1#comment-89865 what Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-89865 McSame is such an ahole. He pulled his little attention getting suspending-the-campaign stunt which has now resulted in the injection of politics into this mess. McSame is such an ahole. He pulled his little attention getting suspending-the-campaign stunt which has now resulted in the injection of politics into this mess.

]]> By: teammarty http://atheists.org/blog/2008/09/30/finances_money_and_the_bailout/comment-page-1#comment-89866 teammarty Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-89866 Why should churches be any different from any other mega billion corperation and hve to pay their fair share of taxes?? Then they couldn't bleed the beast, they'd have to feed it. <br /> <br /> That reminds me, isn't there something about rendering to Caesar in their bible?<br /> <br /> Even with churches paying just property tax, we could increase school funding (or cut taxes for the restof us. Notice how tax assessments don't fall with property values. Strange, huh??)<br /> <br /> But then, where would they get the money for restitution for the victims of abuse? Why should churches be any different from any other mega billion corperation and hve to pay their fair share of taxes?? Then they couldn’t bleed the beast, they’d have to feed it.

That reminds me, isn’t there something about rendering to Caesar in their bible?

Even with churches paying just property tax, we could increase school funding (or cut taxes for the restof us. Notice how tax assessments don’t fall with property values. Strange, huh??)

But then, where would they get the money for restitution for the victims of abuse?

]]> By: mdetrano http://atheists.org/blog/2008/09/30/finances_money_and_the_bailout/comment-page-1#comment-89871 mdetrano Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-89871 I see this bumper sticker, "I'm a Republican because *everyone* can't be on welfare"...<br /> <br /> ..yet, here we are, a bailout that has been made necessary by the republican-neocon agenda that puts everyone one welfare (or so the greedheads would have us believe, anyhow).<br /> <br /> Not sure taxing churches would fix this...aren't they exempt for pretty much the same reason American Atheists is, anyhow? I see this bumper sticker, “I’m a Republican because *everyone* can’t be on welfare”…

..yet, here we are, a bailout that has been made necessary by the republican-neocon agenda that puts everyone one welfare (or so the greedheads would have us believe, anyhow).

Not sure taxing churches would fix this…aren’t they exempt for pretty much the same reason American Atheists is, anyhow?

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