Friday, February 24, 2006

LBJ's Rotten Inheritance

When LBJ was President, a lot of stinko stuff was jammed down the American throat. Perhaps most odious was LBJ's project to stifle American churches by inserting a "STFU" clause into the IRS Code.

Surprise!! IRS found "violations!!"

IRS exams found nearly three out of four churches, charities and other civic groups suspected of having violated restraints on political activity in the 2004 election actually did so, the agency said Friday.

Among the prohibited activities, the examiners found that charities and churches had distributed printed material supporting a preferred candidate and assembled improper voter guides or candidate ratings.

Religious leaders had used the pulpit to endorse or oppose a particular candidate, and some groups had shown preferential treatment to candidates by letting them speak at functions.

Imagine that. A committed Christian pastor speaks out against pro-abortion candidates! This provision is clearly inappropriate, if one actually holds freedom of religion, expression, and free association as "values" under the Constitution.

But LBJ didn't, and now we have the IRS wasting a lot of time and resources on this crap.

No co-incidence that the "equal-time rule" was in effect back then, eh?

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