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President Obama signed an
executive order last week continuing the faith-based initiatives program
created by former President Bush. When the program was created, I
warned that giving taxpayer money to private religious organizations would eventually
lead to political control and manipulation of them. This week has
provided some evidence that this was a justified concern.
The logic behind funding
faith-based initiatives seemed reasonable to some. Private
organizations are much more effective in charitable endeavors than government
programs and bureaucracies. Therefore, why not “outsource”
some of the government’s welfare-state activities to these worthy
organizations? This appealed to many conservatives, especially after
the follow-up executive order exempting recipients from discriminatory hiring
laws, which assured many that taking federal funds would not jeopardize their
control over their own operations. But beware the government program
started under an administration you like, for it may look a lot different
under the one you don’t. Exemptions that Bush gave, Obama
can take away.
But now, dependencies on federal
money have been set, operations have been expanded accordingly, and many
charities are waiting breathlessly for the administration to tell them what
new conditions they will have to meet. With the stroke of a pen,
religious charities might not be able to take into consideration a job
applicant’s faith, sexual orientation or lifestyle if they wish to
remain eligible for that taxpayer money that was so enticing a few years
ago. Similarly, if FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act) is passed, will
Catholic Church hospitals be forced to offer abortion services to retain
their federal funding? Can they remain solvent without it?
This is the major problem with
basing a private business model on the receipt of government funds. This
money does not come without control, or the future possibility of
control. We are seeing parallel control grabs in industries that have
recently been the recipients of taxpayer largess. Government officials
are now discussing executive compensation on Wall Street, banking, and in the
auto industry. How much is too much to pay someone? When is a
bonus deserved? But because politicians have bought their way into
these industries, these are now political decisions. It is easy to
utilize class envy to whip up public support for these interventions, but
government always slides down the slippery slope. Politicians are
also discussing other aspects of these businesses in which they are not
expert, such as, what should lending standards be? What sort of cars
should we direct the auto industry to make? Once government money
infiltrates a balance sheet, “taxpayers” meaning
“politicians” have a say in how you operate.
Money is the Trojan horse that
government uses to infiltrate and infect organizations. Funding that,
on the outset, is designed to strengthen and support, will bureaucratize and
regulate in the end. It is sad to see charities now having reason to
focus on lobbying, regulatory compliance and paper pushing to get and retain
money taken by force, rather than beefing up private, voluntary fundraising
activities. Those tempted to join Washington’s ongoing bailout
bonanza should instead take the famed advice of former First Lady Nancy
Reagan on the acceptance of harmful and addictive substances and “Just
Say No” to government money. This is the best protection from government control.
Ron Paul
www.house.gov/paul
Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in politics today.
Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional
government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies
based on commodity-backed currency. For more information click on the Project Freedom website.
Published with the authorization of Dr. Paul.
Copyright Dr. Ron Paul
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