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RELATED LINKSInternal LinksGrants to: Other internal: External LinksH.R. 1054, The Tools for Community Initiatives Act (pdf) OMB Watch: Bill Would Make Faith-Based Offices Permanent Cursor.orgMediaTransparency.org sponsor More stories by Bill Berkowitz PERC receives Templeton Freedom Award for promoting 'enviropreneurs' Media Transparency writersAndrew J. Weaver FundometerEvaluate any page on the World Wide Web against our databases of people, recipients, and funders of the conservative movement. |
ORIGINAL RESEARCHBill Berkowitz Deepening the FaithThe Bush Administration tries again to institutionalize its Faith-Based Initiative with legislative actionOne of the first orders of business for George W. Bush in January 2001 was to establish a White House Office of Faith-Based and That done, Bush moved to cement his executive actions in congressional legislation. There he was rebuffed, however, over objections that government money would be used for religious proselytization, and that recipients of government grants would be allowed to discriminate in their hiring based on religion. Bush and his Congressional allies are attempting to institutionalize his faith-based initiative through broad-ranging legislation Bush called on Senators Ric Santorum (R-PA) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) to craft a legislative compromise. When they failed to win a consensus, the president went back to issuing executive orders. Now, House allies are trying to come up with a legislative package that will pass muster. One of the keys to the compromise is a "Sense of the Congress" resolution dealing with the religious hiring question. Bush seized the bully pulpit: “The indispensable and transforming work of faith-based and other charitable service groups must be encouraged,” the president said. “Government cannot be replaced by charities, but it can and should welcome them as partners. We must heed the growing consensus across America that successful government social programs work in fruitful partnership with community-serving and faith-based organizations -- whether run by Methodists, Muslims, Mormons, or good people of no faith at all.” The president laid out an “agenda to enlist, equip, enable, empower and expand the heroic works of faith-based and community groups across America”; groups he referred to as “neighborhood healers.” Despite Congress’ failure to pass substantive faith-based legislation, the Bush Administration has been steadily advancing the ball. It established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community (website) Initiatives, and Centers and Taskforces for Faith-based and Community Initiatives in 10 federal agencies and the Corporation for National and Community Service. It has handed out more than $ 3 billion in grants to a passel of faith-based organizations. It has issued executive orders making it easier for religious organizations to compete for grants, has held numerous training sessions to help religious groups get government grants, and the president has regularly taken to the “bully pulpit” to push the initiative forward. Now, Bush and his Congressional allies are attempting to institutionalize his faith-based initiative through broad-ranging legislation. Because Bush's Faith-Based Initiative was established through Executive Orders, the White House Office could be eliminated should a future administration decide to rescind those orders. To obviate this possibility, on March 2, Representative Mark Green (R-WI), introduced H.R. 1054, The Tools for Community Initiatives Act (text). Green’s bill “would make the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives...and ten similar federal agency offices a permanent part of the federal government,” according to the Web site of OMB Watch. The bill would “establish the offices and outlines their responsibilities. It does not include portions of current regulations that address how religious groups handle federal grants. Instead, these issues are included in a non-binding ‘Sense of Congress’ section, which does not address the issue of hiring on the basis of religion for federally funded jobs.” The provisions of H.R. 1054 would exist “until Congress acted to eliminate them.” OMB reports that the “Sense of Congress” section “is focused primarily on ensuring the right of religious organizations to maintain their religious character when they become federal grantees, and states that federal funds cannot be used for inherently religious activity. It requires that religious activities be offered ‘separately in time or location from any program or service supported with direct Federal financial assistance, and that participation in any such religious activity must be voluntary for any beneficiary.’ By limiting this protection to ‘direct’ federal funds, the bill legalizes religious discrimination and proselytization for beneficiaries using vouchers.” "Congressman Green thinks faith-based and community organizations have played an instrumental role in helping people," said his press secretary Luke Punzenberger. "This gives assurance that the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives will stay in place after Bush leaves office. It ensures that under future administrations, the Office will stay." On June 21, in a hearing entitled, “Authorizing the President's Vision: Making Permanent The Faith-Based and Community Initiative - H.R. 1054, The Tools for Community Initiatives Act,” Stanley W. Carlson-Thies, an original staff member of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives who is currently the Director of Social Policy Studies at The Center for Public Justice (website), testified in favor of the bill. Carlson-Thies told members of the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, that he fully supported “codifying the institutional structure and equal treatment principles of the faith-based initiative.” Carlson-Thies said that he “regard[ed]...the faith-based initiative to be highly important for the federal government and in revitalizing our society’s efforts to serve the needy and to strengthen families and communities.” While he acknowledged that there were still impediments standing in the way of the faith-based initiative, including the “institutional complexities of our social service system, vested interests, bureaucratic inertia, the length of grant and contract cycles, active and passive resistance to change by some officials inside government and some well-funded groups outside of government,” and more, “the promise of the faith-based initiative is only beginning to be realized.” The Center for Public Justice, which describes itself as “an independent organization for policy research and civic education, whose mission is to equip citizens, develop leaders, and shape policy,” has and is a “subcontractor on several projects funded by the federal government,” Carlson-Thies acknowledged. The Center has provided “research and technical assistance products for the HHS [Health and Human services] Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and training and technical assistance to state commissions and other partners of the Corporation for National and Community Service.” He also pointed out that he “also provided research and technical assistance on faith-based policy issues on contract to several states.” The Center for Public Justice has also received nearly half a million dollars from the conservative philanthropies since 1996. “Unlevel Playing Field: Barriers to Participation by Faith-Based and Community Organizations in Federal Social Service Programs,” a seminal White House report issued in 2001, “documented a series of impediments that...hampered faith-based groups seeking federal support,” Carlson-Thies said. According to the report, in addition to the mountain of paperwork that tended to overwhelm applicants, the major obstacle faced by faith-based organizations was “an overriding perception by Federal officials that close collaboration with religious organizations is legally suspect.” His testimony included both the recognition that some religious groups that received government money had been the target of successful lawsuits because they crossed the line between providing services and religious indoctrination and a batch of specific recommendations for strengthening and expanding the initiative. His comments, however, failed to touch upon one of the more controversial and important questions surrounding the initiative: Do faith-based organizations dealing with social services perform as well as, or outperform, government agencies? Basing the future of social programs on results -- the ability to deliver services to the right people at a reasonable cost -- has been the rhetorical hallmark of this administration. During the 2000 campaign, a Beliefnet interviewer inquired of then-candidate Bush, whether he would support Muslim groups getting government grants for teaching prisoners the Koran. Bush answered that he was concerned with “recidivism rates,” and whether the program was “working.” He added that he “wouldn't object at all if the program worked." Four times in the interview, Bush mentioned the word “results,” noting that instead of promoting religion he was “promoting lower recidivism rates, and we will measure to make sure that's the case." In early March of this year the president said: "What I want to know is, 'Are we helping increase the number of new groups, small groups, first-time appliers for federal money? Are we doing that? Are we getting beyond those great, courageous faith-based programs that have been providing help for a long period of time? Are we reaching beyond the Salvation Army or the Catholic Charities, the fantastic pillars of the faith-based program?" “And the answer,” Bush said, is 'we are.'" What are the results the administration is getting for its money? It is difficult to say. According to the Washington Monthly’s Amy Sullivan, few if any studies exist that back the president’s claims of faith-based success stories. In an article published in the Monthly late last year, Sullivan pointed out that the administration had not systematically tracked and “monitor[ed] the effectiveness” of programs run by faith-based organizations ("Faith Without Works -- After four years, the president's faith-based policies have proven to be neither compassionate nor conservative"). Even Jim Towey, the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, acknowledged in an interview with Christianity Today that the government had not established a systematic method of tracking the “results” of grants given to faith-based organizations. It appears to be government by anecdote -- moving as many of the stories might be -- instead of government by substantiated data. When asked specifically about guidelines to measure the success of the grants, Towey responded: “There is a lot of support on the Hill to start putting more of an emphasis on outcomes and effectiveness. The President's budget is going to reflect that." “Certainly, the local groups can help us by making a better case for what they do. There is not a lot of outcome measurement. The more they can say, ‘We got this grant and here is what it changed,’ the better.” Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX), a supporter of the separation of church and state, told Anne Farris, the Washington Correspondent for The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy that, "The Congressman is not opposed to the concept of the office and he supports allowing faith-based groups to compete for federal money." “But,” Taylor added, Rep. Edwards “adamantly believes faith-based groups receiving federal money should meet three standards -- no direct funding of houses of worship, no proselytizing and no religious discrimination in job hiring." In addition, Taylor pointed out that Rep. Edwards thinks the bill should have accountability standards written into it. According to Farris, “one amendment under consideration would require an evaluation of the effectiveness of faith-based and community organizations as service providers. At present, the bill does call for each federal agency to submit annual reports on their progress in partnering with such groups, an analysis of barriers they face, and a summary of information provided to faith and community organizations.” sign in, or register to email stories or comment on them.
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MORE ORIGINAL RESEARCHBill Berkowitz PERC receives Templeton Freedom Award for promoting 'enviropreneurs'Right Wing foundation-funded anti-environmental think tank grabbing a wider audience for 'free market environmentalism' On the 15th anniversary of Terry Anderson and Donald Leal's book "Free Market Environmentalism" -- the seminal book on the subject -- Anderson, the Executive Director of the Bozeman, Montana-based Property and Environment Research Center (PERC - formerly known as the Political Economy Research Center) spoke in late-January at an event sponsored by Squaw Valley Institute at the Resort at Squaw Creek in California. While it may have been just another opportunity to speak on "free market environmentalism" and not the kickoff of a "victory tour," nevertheless it comes at a time when PERC's ideas are taking root.
Bill Berkowitz Neil Bush of Saudi ArabiaDuring recent visit, President’s brother describes the country as a 'kind of tribal democracy' In late February, only a few days after Saudi Arabia beheaded four Sri Lankan robbers and then left their headless bodies on public display in the capital of Riyadh, Neil Bush, for the fourth time in the past six years, showed up for the country's Jeddah Economic Forum. The Guardian reported that Human Rights Watch "said the four men had no lawyers during their trial and sentencing, and were denied other basic legal rights." In an interview with Arab News, the Saudi English language paper, Bush described the country as "a kind of tribal democracy."
Bill Berkowitz Newt Gingrich's back door to the White HouseAmerican Enterprise Institute "Scholar" and former House Speaker blames media for poll showing 64 percent of the American people wouldn't vote for him under any circumstances Whatever it is that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has come to represent in American politics, the guy is nothing less than fascinating. One day he's espousing populist rhetoric about the need to cut the costs of college tuition and the next day he's talking World War III. One day he's claiming that the "war on terror" may force the abridgement of fundamental first amendment rights and the next he's advancing a twenty-first century version of his Contract with America. At the same time he's publicly proclaiming how "stupid" it is that the race for the presidency has already started you know that he's trying to figure out how to out finesse Rudy, McCain and Romney for the nomination. And last week, when Fox News' Chris Wallace cited a poll showing that 64 percent of the public would never vote for him, he was quick to blame those results on how unfairly he was treated by the mainstream media back in the day.
Bill Berkowitz American Enterprise Institute takes lead in agitating against IranDespite wrongheaded predictions about the war on Iraq, neocons are on the frontlines advocating military conflict with Iran After doing such a bang up job with their advice and predictions about the outcome of the war on Iraq, would it surprise you to learn that America's neoconservatives are still in business? While at this time we are not yet seeing the same intense neocon invasion of our living rooms -- via cable television's news networks -- that we saw during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, nevertheless, a host of policy analysts at conservative think tanks -- most notably the American Enterprise Institute -- are being heeded on Iran by those who count - folks inside the Bush Administration.
Bill Berkowitz After six years, opposition gaining on George W. Bush's Faith Based InitiativeUnmentioned in the president's State of the Union speech, the program nevertheless continues to recruit religious participants and hand out taxpayer money to religious groups With several domestic policy proposals unceremoniously folded into President Bush's recent State of the Union address, two pretty significant items failed to make the cut. Despite the president's egregiously tardy response to the event itself, it was nevertheless surprising that he didn't even mention Hurricane Katrina: He didn't offer up a progress report, words of hope to the victims, or come up with a proposal for moving the sluggish rebuilding effort forward. There were no "armies of compassion" ready to be unleashed, although it should be said that many in the religious community responded to the disaster much quicker than the Bush Administration. In the State of the Union address, however, there was no "compassionate conservatism" for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Bill Berkowitz Frank Luntz calls Republican leadership in Washington 'One giant whining windbag'On the outs with the GOP, legendary degrader of discourse is moving to California He doesn't make great art; nothing he does elevates the human spirit; he doesn't illuminate, he bamboozles. He has become expert in subterfuge, hidden meanings, word play and manipulation. Frank Luntz has been so good at what he does that those paying close attention gave it its own name: "Luntzspeak."
Bill Berkowitz Spooked by MoveOn.org, conservative movement seeks to emulate liberal powerhouseFueled with Silicon Valley money, TheVanguard.org will have Richard Poe, former editor of David Horowitz's FrontPage magazine as its editorial and creative director As Paul Weyrich, a founding father of the modern conservative movement and still a prominent actor in it, likes to say, he learned a great deal about movement building by closely observing what liberals were up to in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Bill Berkowitz Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative action jihadFounder and Chair of the American Civil Rights Institute scouting five to nine states for new anti-affirmative action initiatives Fresh from his most recent victory -- in Michigan this past November -- Ward Connerly, the Black California-based maven of anti-affirmative action initiatives, appears to be preparing to take his jihad on the road. According to a mid-December report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Connerly said that he was "exploring moves into nine other states."
Bill Berkowitz Tom Tancredo's missionThe Republican congressman from Colorado will try to woo GOP voters with anti-immigration rhetoric and a boatload of Christian right politics These days, probably the most recognizable name in anti-immigration politics is Colorado Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo. Over the past year, Tancredo has gone from a little known congressman to a highly visible anti-immigration spokesperson. "Tancredo has thoroughly enmeshed himself in the anti-immigration movement and with the help of CNN talk show host Lou Dobbs, he has been given a national megaphone," Devin Burghart, the program director of the Building Democracy Initiative at the Center for New Community, a Chicago-based civil rights group, told Media Transparency.
Bill Berkowitz Institute on Religion and Democracy slams 'Leftist' National Council of ChurchesNew report from conservative foundation-funded IRD charges the NCC with being a political surrogate for MoveOn.org, People for the American Way and other liberal organizations If you prefer your religious battles sprinkled with demagoguery, sanctimoniousness, and simplistic attacks, the Institute on Religion and Democracy's (IRD) latest broadside against the National Council of Churches (NCC) certainly fits the bill.
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