Obama Wants More Cash For His Ministers

From Washington Post:

Obama Backs Expanded Government-Funded Faith Organizations

By Jonathan Weisman

Sen. Barack Obama will travel to a swing district of eastern Ohio this morning to propose strengthening the White House program extending assistance to faith-based and community social service organization while insisting those organization not discriminate against aid recipients.

The $500-million-a-year program would also create 1 million new slots for summer jobs and education programs.

"I’m not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits, and I’m not saying that they’re somhow better at lifting people up," Obama’s prepared remarks say. "What I’m saying is that we all have to work together — Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, believer and non-believer alike — to meet the challenges of the 21st century."

George W. Bush first proposed federal assistance to religious organizations during his 2000 presidential campaign, a proposal seconded by then-Vice President Al Gore as both were reaching out to evangelical voters. But Bush’s faith-based initiative has been mired in controversy. It’s first director, John DiIulio, quit the White House and charged the administration was stocked with "Mayberry Machiavellis" more interested in politics than policy.

Obama aides said the current program requires faith-based organizations interested in assistance to attend conferences in Washington to learn how to apply, which has reduced participation to a few savvy groups. Instead, he would set up "community partners" to "train the trainers" to apply in a more streamlined fashion.

But Obama aides said an Obama administration would get tougher on groups that discriminate in hiring practices and assistance. The groups would have to abide by federal hiring laws which reject discrimination based on race, sex, religion and sexual orientation. And the groups could use federal funds only to assist anyone in need, not anyone from a certain background or religion. Nor could federal funds be used to prosletyze or spread religious beliefs.

"This is about providing equal treatment, but not special treatment," the aide said.

But beyond policy, the initiative is more evidence that Obama is serious about reaching evangelical and other religious voters. He will deliver the speech in Zanesville, Ohio, the center of a House district long held by Republican Bob Ney, but taken by Democrat Zack Space in 2006 after Ney was sent to prison on corruption charges.

"I didn’t grow up in a particularly religious household," Obama’s prepared remarks begin. "Bu [sic] my experience in Chicago showed me how faith and values could be an anchor in my life. And in time, I came to see my faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community, that while I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn’t be fulfilling God’s will unless I went out and did the Lord’s work."

What good news for the likes of Reverends Wright, Moss, Pfleger and Meeks. And of course the Minister Farrakhan.

But real religious groups will undoubtedly get short shrift under Mr. Obama’s stewardship.

But beyond policy, the initiative is more evidence that Obama is serious about reaching evangelical and other religious voters.

Sure it is.

Obama aides said an Obama administration would get tougher on groups that discriminate in hiring practices and assistance. The groups would have to abide by federal hiring laws which reject discrimination based on race, sex, religion and sexual orientation.

In other words, this "initiative" is really about getting money away from religious groups and to militant homosexuals, cultists and other crackpots, like his ‘minister’ friends listed above.

But our watchdog media spin it as reaching out to those (rightwinger) religious voters.

They will lie about anything.

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