Did You Know That Catholic Charities Gets 62% Of Its Funding Through Taxpayer Dollars ???

[WillyT]

Apparently... Bill O-Reilly doesn't.

O'Reilly's Accidental Support For Planned Parenthood
EMILY ARROWOOD - MediaMatters
September 12, 2012 12:11 PM EDT

<snip>

While decrying federal funding of Planned Parenthood, Fox's Bill O'Reilly wished that the women's health organization were privately financed "like Catholic charities" are -- yet federal funding is also a primary revenue source for Catholic charities.

During Fox's The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he believed the government should defund Planned Parenthood. Rather than receiving taxpayer funds, O'Reilly declared, Planned Parenthood should "be funded like Catholic charities, by individuals who believe in Planned Parenthood's mission." O'Reilly explained that he didn't want his tax money given to organizations with which he has differing views.

O'Reilly didn't pick the best example to back up his claims. Like Planned Parenthood, Catholic charities also receive millions of dollars from the federal government. Under the Obama administration, Catholic religious charities have received more than $650 million in federal funds. And Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), a nationwide association of Catholic charities, receives over half its revenue from taxpayer money. As The New York Times detailed in December 2011:

Catholic Charities is one of the nation's most extensive social service networks, serving more than 10 million poor adults and children of many faiths across the country. It is made up of local affiliates that answer to local bishops and dioceses, but much of its revenue comes from the government. Catholic Charities affiliates received a total of nearly $2.9 billion a year from the government in 2010, about 62 percent of its annual revenue of $4.67 billion.

Link: http://mediamatters.org/mobile/blog/2012/09/12/oreillys-accidental-support-for-planned-parenth/189845

From CCUSA website (scroll down): http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/document.doc?id=2853

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I knew it was a large chunk. Many of the 'mega-churches' also get all types of

federal funding.

[cbayer]

14. If that is the case, is it restricted to charitable programs for the poor, elderly and disabled?

[Smilo]

2. If it wasn't for the government many of these

churches would be distant memories.

[Dawson Leery]

5. True.

[atreides1]

3. Interesting

So, following Billo's method...CCUSA would be broke and only able to do very little...then the government should de fund CCUSA and let those who believe in their mission!

I'm all for it...

[Zalatix]

4. But we can't tax the churches, because the power to tax is the power to destroy.

If we tax them, they'll be destroyed.

[Xyzse]

6. This is why I want to start up a religion.

[Cleita]

7. I can remember back in the early days of DU, when we argued against

tax payer money being given to churches. I don't think it was happening on a large scale at that time. Although CC seems to use the money for the poor and other social services our government has stopped, it still doesn't seem right to me. Churches and private charities should rely on donations, only. We should have a strong social network paid for by taxpayers and administered by government so everyone is covered and everyone pays into it. If we did, private charities wouldn't be needed as much and probably could survive nicely on donations.

[Hamlette]

8. I'm an atheist and I love Catholic Charities

I remember the faith based arguments. I agree we should not support churches. Duh.

But I work at the state welfare office and have come into contact with many church "help the poor" organizations. Catholic Charities is head and shoulders above all the others. There are NO string attached. They do no discriminate in placements. They take on some of the most difficult situations we have, like children who arrive here from foreign countries without parents or any family or friends or English or papers etc. etc. etc. When we need help we call on Catholic Charities and they come through for us.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

9. Thank you for the first hand anecdote

I support Catholic Charities through donations to my parish and through payroll deductions - I'm happy to know that it works the way you described.

[WillyT]

11. Um...

They DO discriminate!

Link: http://tinyurl.com/8e4w9dl

[Hamlette]

13. I'm sorry, I had forgotten about these cases.

We don't "deal" with adoptions or foster placements so my experience is limited. What I appreciate is they do not try to convert people as some other charities.

[benld74]

10. I would LIKE to agree, BUT

the financial statements indicate otherwise. Lumped into Gov revenue is interest on funds the church owns. Gov grants are listed elsewhere in their statments.
THEY just got lazy in their pie chart and financial statements but NOT detailing as much as they could.

[freshwest]

12. We pay our taxes to a government bound by law to not discriminate. And then these guys jump in...

And discriminate against the very people paying them. Some will get, some won't, they decide.

Same with corporations charged and chartered to proide essential services with money from all, then discriminate and deny rights to whoever in whatever way they choose.

Libertarians are running this scam and scream for freedom and liberty. Yet this is what we get from their version of governance, both corporate and civil.

Fuck 'em all.

[pinto]

15. Checked the financial data. Most of the federal $ were disaster relief, HUD, commodities, etc.

Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Sandy
Mid-west floods
Tornadoes

Housing assistance

Food and clothing assistance

Employment skills training programs

And, as with most governmental grants they come with standard reporting requirements -
financial data on the grants' uses. The When, Where, What, Who and Why. Along with documented outcomes.

These funds appear targeted to situations where the public, private and religious sectors were all needed to support those directly impacted.