Posted on 11/20/2014 8:42:30 AM PST by SeekAndFind
If the left can’t get around the First Amendment one way, it will find another way around it.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley made national news last year when he fought to pass and signed a tax bill that levied a tax on Marylanders, businesses and churches for the amount of “impervious surface” they have on their property.
Though the O’Malley administration calls it a “fee,” it is commonly called the “rain tax” throughout the state. It is wildly unpopular and the promise to fight to repeal the tax was a large factor in Maryland electing Republican Larry Hogan governor this month.
Now Prince George’s County is offering a way for churches to avoid paying the tax, which is estimated to be an average of $744 per year for them — preach “green” to their parishioners.
So far 30 pastors have agreed to begin “‘green’ ministries to maintain the improvements at their churches, and to preach environmentally focused sermons to educate their congregations” to avoid being hit with the tax, The Washington Post reports.
No church and state problems here. No ACLU lawsuits. No sermon subopenas. Just a good old-fashioned state church preaching the word of Mother Earth and Global Warming and green energy subsidies for highly deserving businesses.
But school vouchers so inner city kids can get access to a better education is still the devil. Every good liberal will be up in arms about it.
ACLU....Anti-Christians Love Us!! The ACLU is made up of ATHEISTS and Leftist Jews......period.
Seriously??? A rain tax? The same amount of rain will fall on an area regardless if you have a roof or surface or not ....
And 30-40 Preachers have said YES!!!!! OMG!
James 5:
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
What would Elijah have done?
S&A, yep, now Govenor O’Malley and the democrats of Prince Georges County want the Christian Churches to begin worship mother earth goddess gaia and cease preaching Jesus’ message of salvation.
Here is a link to yesterday’s thread based upon a Daily Caller article: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3228776/posts
As serious as a heart attack! The ‘rain fee’ for my house is $76.00. For our church is in the $700 range. And the bill for the fee is the same form that has “Property Tax Bill” at the top of it. And the Maryland Constitution exempts churchs from property taxes.
Just tell them you’re collecting it in a cistern for emergency use ... oh wait ... comes now a cistern tax ....
Churches can avoid the rain tax by preaching Gaia, and installing rain barrels and ponds, and drilling holes in their parking lots. I wonder if this also applies to mosques.
The Supreme Court's Everson v. Board of Education decision extended the establishment clause to the states in 1947. SCOTUS reasoned that the 14th amendment's "privileges and immunities" clause selectively incorporated Bill of Rights protections to the states (the "incorporation doctrine"). Selectively, meaning our robed tyrants can rule that Bill of Rights protections they agree with (e.g., the bastardized "wall of separation" their tortured reasoning teased out of the establishment clause) apply equally to the states and political subdivisions, while leaving intact the application of Bill of Rights protections the justices are less enthusiastic about to only the federal government ( e.g., 2nd amendment).
Now look what's happening. 70% of America are Christians and they're
not doing enough to stop it. Preachers should also be up in arms over any
infraction against religion. Also, they have every right to preach about
politics when all politics effects them directly. Those are Americans in
those Churches and God doesn't get left at the door when they walk through.
Wow. If Maryland churches agree to preach the global warming B.S., as approved by the state, they don’t have to pay these taxes...and so far 30 pastors have agreed to do it.
And after the cistern tax there will be the brothern tax.
;-)
I would just install permeable concrete for walks and parking areas and tell the state to go screw it’s self.
I hope there is a conservative legal group out there somewhere about to file a 1st Amendment lawsuit against Prince Georges County over this dictated content.
Why don’t they make the whole property UN-impervious, then they won’t owe anything?
I would look for another church.
If you mention "extortion" again, I'll have your legs broken.
haha. That’s about it, too!
That was LBJ's revenge upon preachers in churches who talked against his policies. He wrote and pushed the bill through to silence the Pulpits in exchange for NPO status. Bad deal with the devil IMO.
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