Governor Unfortunately Wrong on Constitutional Amendement
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue wants to amend the Georgia Constitution to allow faith based groups to recieve public funds.
Thats how the constitution in Georgia reads. Perdue wants to change that to read,
Now I respect Perdue's opinion, particularly since he has intelligently framed the discussion as a question of whether government institutions are as effective as non-governmental institutions in providing certain services. naturally, as a libertarian such a move seems good to me.
My problem is two-fold. The first is that it opens up Georgia to all manners of lawsuits, as groups continue to debate exactly what it is the Constitution of the United States actually says regarding public funds for religious groups. Secondly, the gratitious association of the statute with the Federal constitution is both unnecessary and unwise. The state of Georgia, in its founding, chose purposefully to tighten its restrictions in wording more explicit than the Federal government. Many of the state legislatures chose to do likewise during their founding. The unnecessary tying of the Georgia Constitution to the US constitution is another example of states throwing their arms up in the air, and allowing the federal government to legislate for them.
Perdue says Katrina showed us that faith based groups can respond better than government organizations. He's right about that. But what it also showed us is that state and local officials need to recognize that they are also the rulers of their dominions. They have assets (National Guard, Police, GEMA for the state, and Police, Fire, Rescue, School buses, and more for the local authorities) and the right, and duty to utilize them.
The continued surrender of local power to the federal government is an error. The federal government exists only for those problems which are national in scope, (foreign affairs, international trade, and preciously little else)
I sit and watch as the local governments here simply adopt ordinances which simply reflect State requirements, instead of taking the opportunity to craft laws which more appropriately reflect their surroundings. Which is, after all, one of the major points of even HAVING a federal system. To see the state making the same mistake is frustrating to say the least.
You might think that this is quibbling, but its not. The language of Perdue's amendment was no doubt chosen BECAUSE its more likely to get approval.
The State assembly's ancestors would be grossly disturbed.
“no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly,
in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian
institution.”
Thats how the constitution in Georgia reads. Perdue wants to change that to read,
“Paragraph VII. Separation of church and state. Except as permitted or
required by the United States Constitution, as amended, no money shall ever be
taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church,
sect, cult, or religious denomination or of any sectarian institution.”
Now I respect Perdue's opinion, particularly since he has intelligently framed the discussion as a question of whether government institutions are as effective as non-governmental institutions in providing certain services. naturally, as a libertarian such a move seems good to me.
My problem is two-fold. The first is that it opens up Georgia to all manners of lawsuits, as groups continue to debate exactly what it is the Constitution of the United States actually says regarding public funds for religious groups. Secondly, the gratitious association of the statute with the Federal constitution is both unnecessary and unwise. The state of Georgia, in its founding, chose purposefully to tighten its restrictions in wording more explicit than the Federal government. Many of the state legislatures chose to do likewise during their founding. The unnecessary tying of the Georgia Constitution to the US constitution is another example of states throwing their arms up in the air, and allowing the federal government to legislate for them.
Perdue says Katrina showed us that faith based groups can respond better than government organizations. He's right about that. But what it also showed us is that state and local officials need to recognize that they are also the rulers of their dominions. They have assets (National Guard, Police, GEMA for the state, and Police, Fire, Rescue, School buses, and more for the local authorities) and the right, and duty to utilize them.
The continued surrender of local power to the federal government is an error. The federal government exists only for those problems which are national in scope, (foreign affairs, international trade, and preciously little else)
I sit and watch as the local governments here simply adopt ordinances which simply reflect State requirements, instead of taking the opportunity to craft laws which more appropriately reflect their surroundings. Which is, after all, one of the major points of even HAVING a federal system. To see the state making the same mistake is frustrating to say the least.
You might think that this is quibbling, but its not. The language of Perdue's amendment was no doubt chosen BECAUSE its more likely to get approval.
The State assembly's ancestors would be grossly disturbed.
2 Comments:
I tell you this, if our power that be in GA gets this done, its time to move. While religious organzations and others may respond better than the government, it doesn't mean the government needs to fill the coffers of the church. If churches or other religious organizations all of a sudden start receiving government funds, the giving would decrease and the volunteers would get lazy.
That's exactly right. They are efficient because THEY DON'T have government funds.
When you have to beg and preach and sermonize for every dollar, your related institutions are gonna stretch that money as far as they can.
People forget, again and again, that the separation of church and state ISN'T to protect the state from the churches. IT's to protect the churches from the state.
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