“Should sponsors of Values Voter Summit lose their tax-exempt status?”

[babylonsister]

'Values Voter Summit' or GOP Rally?

By David Waters


Last weekend's 'Values Voter Summit' in Washington could have been mistaken for a sort of off-year, off-brand Republican National Convention. Headliners included 15 current or former Republican elected officials or Cabinet members and no Democrats.

The nearly 2,000 "values voters" who attended the event heard political pep talks from past and present GOP presidential hopefuls such as Mike Huckabee (who won a straw poll for 2012), Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty (former GOP governor Sarah Palin sent her regrets), as well as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner, who encouraged the audience to do its part to end the Democratic majority in Congress in 2010.

Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State was there. "I'm used to Religious Right confabs being GOP rallies, but this one was way over the top," Boston wrote on his blog. "These groups don't even pretend to be non-partisan any more - yet many of the sponsoring groups (the Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation and the American Family Association) hold tax-exempt status. Are you listening, IRS?"

Should the IRS be concerned?

Since 1954, all tax-exempt groups have been prohibited by federal statute from engaging in partisan politics. IRS guidelines for non-profits are clear about partisan activity: "Your organization's 501(c)(3) election-related activities must be nonpartisan. This means it cannot support or oppose candidates, even indirectly. Violation of this rule can result in loss of tax-exempt status, as well as financial liability for directors and managers."

more...

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/09/values_voter_summit_or_gop_convention.html?hpid=talkbox1

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. Yes. That goes for "Rev" Anderson and any other faith-based or tax-exempt

entity that wants to play politics. WHY isn't the IRS doing anything about this??

[JuniperLea]

2. Seems a lot of churches need a closer look in that regard as well...

My aunt's pastor told the congregation to only watch Faux Gnus "because they are the only ones who tell the truth" and to never listen to Obama, or anyone who supports him. Needless to see, Auntie doesn't call me very often anymore.

[babylonsister]

3. There's definitely something wrong with that picture, and church. nt

[SalmonChantedEvening]

4. Yes.

K&R

[tanyev]

5. Hell yes!

[foxfeet]

6. Yes.

[jgraz]

7. No.

They should never have had it in the first place.

[patrice]

8. If they DON'T represent ALL Values, otherwise they are a Lobby for selected busine$$-value$.$$

which would be tolerable if they didn't claim to be the only right values and embued with the divine responsibility of making everyone conform to the one truth that just so happens to be them.