Maine lets private schools receive taxpayer-funded tuition dollars as long as they follow the state's Human Rights Act. A Christian church refuses to do so.
The real solution, and the one that should have been implemented ages ago, is to bite the bullet and build more public schools to service these students who don’t have access. That is the very purpose of the public school system. Yeah it will be expensive and cost a lot of money, but that is the reason we ask our government to do it rather than a corporation. Public schools do not make money, they cost money, we pay for this through taxes. We build roads to these areas, we provide utility services to these areas, we need to provide schools to these areas. Avoid the entire mess completely by doing what they are supposed to do in the first fucking place. Then, if parents want to send their children to the private religious schools, they pay for them themselves.
At the end of the day, these church schools have a far greater interest in indoctrinating children with supernatural nonsense before they've reached the age of reason, than they do with genuine education. No religious school should ever get a cent of public money, for any reason. The fixation with childhood indoctrination speaks directly to just how weak theistic arguments are.
I can't stand the phrase "sincerely held belief", it's useless. Just because someone sincerely believes something doesn't mean it's true or not horribly bigoted. Glad the lawmakers in Maine don't seem to be having any of the nonsense, although if churches want to tie their very identity to the side that's rapidly falling to the wrong side of history I'm fine with that.
There it is, folks, in black and white: the Supreme Court of the United States, tasked with defending the Constitution, has decided that one of that document's most important principles is somehow unconstitutional? Next thing you know, they'll be telling us that war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.
Nah, wait, the Republican party is already telling us that.
Here’s the very reason the SCOTUS decision was wrong.
If the state must fund an organization that is exempt from the state’s human rights act, what’s the point of having a human rights act. Which is the point of these right wing bigots pushing for their exemption and the other organizations and politicians that support this case. The right wing does not want human rights, they have been fighting against the very idea of human rights since it was first imagined.
If there was one thing our Founding Fathers wanted to assure us was Freedom of Religion with no religion dominating over another and the Separation of Church and State. Many of our first colonists fled religious persecution and did not want to see it in their new country. There should never be taxpayer dollars funding any religious organizations, be it school, foundation, church, synagogue, etc. Many of us, especially women and "others" are being persecuted by the Ultra-Right religious today because we have allowed them in our government, since 1954 and they are legislating THEIR laws for the rest of us. If we are to save our democracy this has to stop.
"Without the exemption, religious schools are subject to investigations, complaints, and large fines for offering instruction consistent with their sincerely held religious beliefs."
Is this even true? I may be getting the law wrong, but anti-discrimination laws are typically about access and equal treatment. They can still *offer instruction* that homosexuality is a sin, what the law says is that they have to accept LGBT+ student applicants and not send them to detention merely for being LGBTQ+. Offer your crappy instruction all you want. You just have to offer it to everyone.
***
In any event, the real solution here is to abolish voucher programs and put that money back into accessible public schools. I'm sure there are many good voucher schools, but the conservative push has always been just an extension of 1950s white flight and an attempt to do an end-run around education standards. Both of which are toxic goals, with the added toxicity of draining money from the public commonwealth. No such end runs should be allowed. Good fences make good neighbors; let private schools be private and public schools be public.
They want money? So sad that they have such little faith. They seem like the very people who keep assuring everybody (like, say, schoolchildren in Nashville) that "God will provide!"
"They also claim the law isn’t “generally applicable” (and therefore legal) since it applies to any school that accepts males and females—which means faith-based, single-sex schools that discriminate against LGBTQ people would be eligible for the tuition money."
The real solution, and the one that should have been implemented ages ago, is to bite the bullet and build more public schools to service these students who don’t have access. That is the very purpose of the public school system. Yeah it will be expensive and cost a lot of money, but that is the reason we ask our government to do it rather than a corporation. Public schools do not make money, they cost money, we pay for this through taxes. We build roads to these areas, we provide utility services to these areas, we need to provide schools to these areas. Avoid the entire mess completely by doing what they are supposed to do in the first fucking place. Then, if parents want to send their children to the private religious schools, they pay for them themselves.
Vouchers are theft of taxpayer money.
"The lawsuit goes on to say that the “poison pill” prevents BCS “from teaching from its religious perspective,”
It doesn't prevent them at all, it merely says they don't get to use taxpayer funding for their hateful agenda.
At the end of the day, these church schools have a far greater interest in indoctrinating children with supernatural nonsense before they've reached the age of reason, than they do with genuine education. No religious school should ever get a cent of public money, for any reason. The fixation with childhood indoctrination speaks directly to just how weak theistic arguments are.
I can't stand the phrase "sincerely held belief", it's useless. Just because someone sincerely believes something doesn't mean it's true or not horribly bigoted. Glad the lawmakers in Maine don't seem to be having any of the nonsense, although if churches want to tie their very identity to the side that's rapidly falling to the wrong side of history I'm fine with that.
“𝑇𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.”
There it is, folks, in black and white: the Supreme Court of the United States, tasked with defending the Constitution, has decided that one of that document's most important principles is somehow unconstitutional? Next thing you know, they'll be telling us that war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.
Nah, wait, the Republican party is already telling us that.
Here’s the very reason the SCOTUS decision was wrong.
If the state must fund an organization that is exempt from the state’s human rights act, what’s the point of having a human rights act. Which is the point of these right wing bigots pushing for their exemption and the other organizations and politicians that support this case. The right wing does not want human rights, they have been fighting against the very idea of human rights since it was first imagined.
Tax. The. Damned. Churches. Already.
To Crosspoint...
What part of "Obey all earthly laws and authorities" found in your bible was unclear to you?
Let's be real. Hate *is* a core Christian belief. There's no point in pretending otherwise.
If there was one thing our Founding Fathers wanted to assure us was Freedom of Religion with no religion dominating over another and the Separation of Church and State. Many of our first colonists fled religious persecution and did not want to see it in their new country. There should never be taxpayer dollars funding any religious organizations, be it school, foundation, church, synagogue, etc. Many of us, especially women and "others" are being persecuted by the Ultra-Right religious today because we have allowed them in our government, since 1954 and they are legislating THEIR laws for the rest of us. If we are to save our democracy this has to stop.
OT:
Levity
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/watch-teens-attempt-to-carjack-man-but-cant-drive-manual-transmission-to-get-away/3316846/
I'm guessing the hate group Alliance Defending Freedumb/Fascism will take their case.
Maybe our ADF supporter will be here soon to tell us how religious freedumb is under attack.
"Without the exemption, religious schools are subject to investigations, complaints, and large fines for offering instruction consistent with their sincerely held religious beliefs."
Is this even true? I may be getting the law wrong, but anti-discrimination laws are typically about access and equal treatment. They can still *offer instruction* that homosexuality is a sin, what the law says is that they have to accept LGBT+ student applicants and not send them to detention merely for being LGBTQ+. Offer your crappy instruction all you want. You just have to offer it to everyone.
***
In any event, the real solution here is to abolish voucher programs and put that money back into accessible public schools. I'm sure there are many good voucher schools, but the conservative push has always been just an extension of 1950s white flight and an attempt to do an end-run around education standards. Both of which are toxic goals, with the added toxicity of draining money from the public commonwealth. No such end runs should be allowed. Good fences make good neighbors; let private schools be private and public schools be public.
So much winning, Trump.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-indictment-election-027d0e5ac1881a4c55c6379deae75faa?taid=64260232d0078700011ea2b3
They want money? So sad that they have such little faith. They seem like the very people who keep assuring everybody (like, say, schoolchildren in Nashville) that "God will provide!"
"They also claim the law isn’t “generally applicable” (and therefore legal) since it applies to any school that accepts males and females—which means faith-based, single-sex schools that discriminate against LGBTQ people would be eligible for the tuition money."
For me that makes no sense at all.