AU Challenges FL Ballot Amendments that Would Undercut Religious Liberty, Public Schools

[Hissyspit]

Source: Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Americans United Challenges Florida Ballot Amendments That Would Undercut Religious Liberty, Public Schools

Friday, June 13, 2008

Education And Civil Liberties Groups Assert That Tax Commission Overstepped Its Bounds In Attacking State Constitution

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has joined litigation in Florida designed to remove two ballot amendments that would erase religious freedom safeguards and harm public schools in the state.

The lawsuit filed today in Leon Circuit Court in Tallahassee aims to remove Amendments 7 and 9 from the November ballot. The amendments were put on the ballot by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, but Americans United and other civil liberties and education groups contend that the Commission lacks the authority to do so.

The amendments would permit voucher subsidies for religious and other private schools in Florida and eliminate the state constitution’s language barring tax aid to religion. The result would be that houses of worship and religious schools would receive massive new streams of public funding. The measures were engineered onto the ballot through backdoor political maneuvering by former Gov. Jeb Bush, an ardent advocate of taxpayer aid to churches and church schools.

“These dangerous proposals have no business being on the ballot,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “The Tax Commission exceeded its authority and placed deceptive amendments before the voters. The courts should not allow this to happen.

“Jeb Bush and his cronies are trying to pull a fast one,” Lynn continued, “and we cannot let him get away with it.”

Read more: http://www.au.org/site/News2?abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=9883&security=1002&news_iv_ctrl=1241&JServSessionIdr009=c1nrq7cm24.app7b

[bluestateguy]

1. Uh huh

I think it would be funny if the referendum passed and a radical Islamic madrassa then attempted to get taxpayer voucher subsidies.

Seeing the looks on those Christian fundamentalists' faces would be priceless.

[Indenturedebtor]

3. They don't care. They plan on rounding all "Them mooslins" into camps

Anyways.

Glad to see that someone is taking a stand on this.

[jwirr]

4. Yes that is that would be funny. They have not thought this idea

through - there are a lot of groups that many people would not want running our schools out there. KKK, Neo-nazi, etc. They are a bunch of idiots. My children went to a church school for the primary education but the church paid for it - they did not expect the taxpayers to pay.

[seasat]

5. They did fund a Muslim school under vouchers, Sami Al-Arian's

Tuition paid by one of Jebbie's three voucher initiatives went to an Islamic school that Shrub Inc has accused of being used to teach "Radical Islam".

Florida's three school voucher programs have been under fire in recent months, as newspapers and critics found multiple examples of lax oversight. Last year, Horne cut off funding to a private school in St. Petersburg that was operating out of a private home until code violations forced a temporary move to a local library branch.

In July, Kirtley of Florida Pride stopped voucher payments to children attending an Islamic school co-founded by Sami Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida professor alleged to have terrorist ties. And in August, Horne initiated an investigation into the money missing from the Silver Archer Foundation.

I also will bet that the Scientologists will immediately open a school and start applying for government funds if this initiative is allowed to pass.

I hope these folks can get it kicked off the ballot.

[madfloridian]

2. Seafan and I have been writing about this and trying to get it noticed.

Seafan:

Jeb Bush's attempt to obliterate FL's church-state separation in November has national ramifications

And mine, which got almost no attention, and which I had to keep kicking up myself.

Amendments 7 and 9 on Florida November ballots are blatant attempts to mislead.

I will keep yours kicked and hope it gets attention.

Our Florida Democrats would be well-served to get on TV and make a big issue of this instead of attacking their own party over playing by the rules.

Thanks for posting.

Will recommend, hope others do as well.

[ellenfl]

6. another floridian kicking and 'reccing'. i am glad someone is

doing something about this. no one reads or understands most of the amendments up for vote in florida. these two were especially egregious in their flim-flammery.

ellen fl