[Vision2020] Taxes and the Intoleristas

[Saundra Lund]

Visionaries,

As usual, I think Rose did an excellent job of elucidating *why* we -- she & I
*and* the rest of us who are concerned about a fair and equitable local property
tax burden -- are interested in property taxes in Latah County.

Sadly, even though I think Rose did an excellent job, Dale Courtney
(http://right-mind.us/) seems . . . predisposed to miss the points, which are
fairness, equity, playing by the rules, and respecting the law, ***not*** using
religion or theology or dogma to get away with *not* playing by the rules.

(Now, I don't know Mr. Courtney well -- I've not met him in person -- but he
always seemed to be a bright guy to me.  I miss his participation in this forum
-- I learned from him.   While I took exception to his attacks of our local
public schools -- and lots of other stuff as well -- I thought he was great at
identifying areas where there was real room for improvement, and I think he did
a good job of presenting articulate arguments of other views.

I'm quite sorry he and others in Wilson World have chosen to blog/monologue
rather than actually *participate* in discussions.  Clearly, he and the clique
with which he affiliates still read V2020 as evidenced by the bandwidth used
blogging about V2020 discussions.

IMHO, that's kind of a strange approach to take for a group which professes to
want to be a *part* of our community.  Quite often, actions speak louder than
words, and this seems to me to be such a case.)

That said, Mr. Courtney blogged:
"Churches have not been taxed because of the admission that churches are an
institution that is not under the authority of the State."

SHAME ON Mr. Courtney . . . shame, shame, shame on him!  That is a patently
false statement, and I've no doubt Mr. Courtney knows it.  Why he'd stoop to
such dishonest tactics to try to make his case is beyond me . . . maybe it's
another example of the revisionist history he & his ilk are so fond of.  I mean,
I know he *wishes* that's why churches are tax exempt, but it's just not true .
. . not true at all.  Indeed, for a church to have tax exempt status, the church
*must* adhere to rules specified by government, and there are legal sanctions
for claiming tax exempt status and not following the rules.  Does that sound
like churches aren't under the authority of the State?

Mr. Courtney seems to spend a lot of bandwidth trying (unsuccessfully, I hope)
to convince his readers that Rose's & my (and other Intoleristas') interest in
fair and equitable property tax in Latah County is a sham . . . that what we
really want is "the entire removal of tax-exempt status for the church of
America."

For the record, nothing could be further from the truth, and I resent Mr.
Courtney's attempt to, once again, play the Religion Card.  Stick to the issues,
man . . . don't try to cloud a clear local issue with your own paranoia!

Rose & I challenged the property tax exemptions on three parcels:  one parcel is
owned by a church (Christ Church) and two are owned by a school (NSA), which is
a self-professed "self-governing sister institution" of Christ Church.  Now,
I'll keep my fingers in check <g> to prevent digressing into an analysis of what
that really means when 70+% of the Trustees and 100% of the Executive Council
are made up of Christ Church's pastor and hierarchy  ;-)

If we'd have had similar information, we would have taken the exact same actions
if the church had been the Church of Auntie Establishment or her brother
institution the Church of Golf, and if the school had been Intolerista Academy.
The exact same actions!

We've said before and I'll say it again:  we have no reason to believe that most
or all of the other non-profit organizations (including churches) in Latah
County aren't following the law, and we don't have any objection to property tax
exemptions in accordance with existing (secular or not) law.  We have no desire
to eliminate property tax exemptions for churches or any other legitimate group
that receives this government benefit in accordance with the rules.  And, that
would be the *legal* interpretation of the rules, not what *Mr. Courtney* thinks
they ought to mean or what he and his buddies would like them to mean.

Since Mr. Courtney has chosen not to participate here, I'm hoping one of you
will be able to answer a question for me:  what is "the church of America"???
Silly me, I thought there were *lots* of churches in America, and that the First
Amendment of our Constitution guarantees that there will *never* be *one*
official church.  And, since Mr. Courtney made reference to the First Amendment,
we know he's familiar with it, so what in the world is he talking about with
respect to "the church of America"?  Somehow, I seriously doubt he's concerned
about non-Christian religions, or even about mainstream Christian religions
since only *his* flavor of Christianity is "right."

Heck, just look at our local phone book -- we've got a great variety of churches
right here in our community.  Which one(s) is/are Mr. Courtney worried about
losing tax-exempt status???

I guess I'd suggest that he's concerned about his own church, and perhaps that's
because he knows a heck of a lot more about the inner workings of it than the
rest of us do.  Remember, it's Wilson World that wants to pass judgment and
force the teeth of a desired theonomic reconstructionistic law on the rest of us
-- Christians and non-Christians alike -- who don't share their particular
flavor of religion.

And it's that, I contend, is what's "truly dangerous to our local society."

I'm going to have to go back and change what I said at the beginning of this
post about missing Dale Courtney's participation here on V2020 . . . I hate it
when that happens  :-)  I've now gone back and read some of his archives, and
given the very lamentable level of vitriolic diatribe to which he's descended,
I'm glad to not have to read so much hatred & bitterness here.  If that's what
his flavor of Christianity has gotten him, I strongly suggest that he consider
switching churches to a loving Christian Church!  This area certainly has many
for him to choose from.

BTW, I'm also still wondering exactly *who* the Nasty Nine are -- do any of you
know?  I've tried to come up with my own list about to whom they are referring,
but I always come up short.  Any ideas???

PS  For those who don't know what an Intolerista is, please see the following
link:
http://www.tomandrodna.com/notonthepalouse/images/intolerista.pdf


Apparently One of the Nasty Nine and Proud Intolerista,
Saundra Lund
Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
nothing.
-Edmund Burke

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On
Behalf Of DonaldH675 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2004 2:32 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Taxes and the Intoleristas

Visionaries:

One of the funny things about honest citizens, and I include my Intolerista
colleagues in that group, is that we do expect people who receive government
services to help pay for the associated costs in so far as they are able.  I
wouldn't characterize this expectation as "salivating" but, rather, as an
awareness that there is no free lunch. To make our community a better place for
all residents we share a moral and legal obligation to pay taxes, including
property taxes.  I like knowing that by paying my fair share the police, fire,
and sheriff departments protect us and our property.  I am glad that the roads
and streets are plowed and maintained, that children in need are fed, and the
poor can see a health care provider (at least in a few medical clinics in
Moscow).  I like knowing that when people who live in town turn on their kitchen
faucets clean water will come out.

I am familiar with "World Magazine" and actually spoke with Mark Bergin last
summer regarding the tax issue.  Mr. Bergin persisted in believing that there is
"a desire for among many residents to see his [Doug Wilson's] church brought
low"....an unsubstantiated sentiment apparently primed and stoked by Doug
himself.  It is, after all, much nicer for Doug to paint himself (and his
defenders) as Christian martyrs rather than Calvinistic deadbeats.  And while
that "courageous role" might play well to those folks who rely on Doug to
describe local issues, it is not accurate reporting. 

Saundra and I have repeatedly, both in public and privately, maintained that we
are not arguing over Christ Church members understanding of dogma or theological
constructions.  We are interested and will remain interested and committed to
hold Doug Wilson, and the Elders (in so far as they have the capability to act
as individuals) accountable in observing applicable state and federal laws.  The
same laws that the rest of us, including Intoleristas, obey.

According to Dale's posting: "Rev. Wilson says he is battling for a principle:
"if you start paying tax, you acknowledge state sovereignty, " he said.  "You're
saying they have authority over your church."  Well, no.  Actually, in my
opinion it means that you follow the directions Jesus gave:

"Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and
care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men.  Tell us, then, what
you think.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus, aware of
their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?  Show me the money
for the tax.  And they brought him a coin.  And Jesus said to them, "Whose
likeness and inscription is this?  They said, "Caesar's."  Then he said to them.
"Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things
that are God's."  Matthew 22: 16 -21.

I understand this text to mean, at least in part, don't try to hide personal
profit under the cloak of religious entitlement to avoid taxation, it brings
disgrace to the church and the justly earned title of hypocrite to the those
using the tactic.  

It does make me wonder what other taxes Doug Wilson et al. might be avoiding. It
is to be hoped that wiser minds than my own are mulling over that very issue.  

Rose Huskey
 
"One cannot level one's moral lance at every evil in the universe. There are
just too many of them. But you can do something, and the difference between
doing something and doing nothing is everything." Daniel Berrigan