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Why the heck don't the parents of the Boy Scouts cough up more money for their organization? Taking money from the United Way is just stupid. The Boy Scouts are a private organization. Parents who put their kids in it can kick in the money for their kids!

(BTW -- if you work for an office and they come around to get you to donate to United Way and pressure you...you know "except for you we would be 100%, we won't win the award, etc." -- tell them to you have your own charities and you are not donating, no way, no how, no matter what.)

That 100% deal is also a lie and a strong arm tactic at that.

Tell them the Supreme Court found that unions cannot take money from its members if it goes against their principles.

Find it and cite it if you need it.

Why the heck don't the parents of the Boy Scouts cough up more money for their organization? Taking money from the United Way is just stupid. The Boy Scouts are a private organization. Parents who put their kids in it can kick in the money for their kids!

In many cases the parents are coughing up more money for Boys Scouts via their United Way donation. The BSA is a charter member of United Way.

The Chief Seattle Council of the BSA operates under the principle that no boy will be denied a Scouting experience because of lack of money. I run a Cub Scout pack in an upper middle class community. The pack, through collection of dues and some fundraising effort, is self sufficient. Some of our dues and funds raised go to the National and local councils to run the program, but funds from United Way have historically played an important role in subsidizing summer camp programs so that all can afford the experience (through camperships when necessary) and in compensating leaders in those unfortunate disadvantaged communities where no one will step forward and volunteer to lead a pack or troop. All boys can benefit enormously from Scouting, but boys in neighborhoods where no one cares enough to devote their time to the program, unless paid to do so, are perhaps those most in need.

Many parents of Scouts contribute additional funds to the program on the national and local levels via the Friends of Scouting campaign held in each local council. This program started up when United Way began breaking their contracts with the BSA. United Way doesn't see a nickel from me, but FOS gets a good contribution every year.

Anyone who has been involved in Scouting knows how effective it is--25% of boys get to experience the program, but 75% of our society's leaders came out of that 25%. It's precisely because of this track record that liberals love to bash Scouting. Rather than celebrate the success of the program, the liberals would rather destroy it on the altar of unhealthy perversion. Such individuals can only be described as evil.