Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Monday, December 15, 2014

Ohio Governor Forces Religious Affiliation on Tax Payer-Funded Program









Schools need a religious partner if they want any of Gov. Kasich's student mentorship money




CLEVELAND, Ohio – Gov. John Kasich's $10 million plan to bring mentors into Ohio's schools for students now has a surprise religious requirement – one that goes beyond what is spelled out in the legislation authorizing it.

Any school district that wants a piece of that state money must partner with both a church and a business – or a faith-based organization and a non-profit set up by a business to do community service.

 No business and no faith-based partner means no state dollars.

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Buddy Harris, a senior policy analyst for the Ohio Department of Education, told the gathering of church and non-profit representatives that each application must include a school district (or charter school) plus a business and a place of worship or faith-based organization in its partnership.

Other non-profits can be involved, he said, only if they involve all three of the other groups. Partnerships between just schools, business and a community non-profit won't qualify. 

"The faith-based organization is clearly at the heart of the vision of the governor," Harris said after the session. "We do not forsee any proseletyzing happening between mentors and students," Harris said. "That's not really what we're seeking."

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"The Good Lord has a purpose for each and every one of them (students) and you're helping them to find it," Kasich said..."

Churches and faith-based organizations were always intended to be included Kasich's "Community Connectors" mentoring plan, right from his announcement of the plan at his State of the State speech in February. 

What's new is that Kasich and ODE are requiring them and raising their status above other community non-profits.



I'm wondering if Gov. Kasich will accept affiliations from Muslims, The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Scientology, or even Satanists?  If his harebrained partnerships don't accept these or non-main-stream religious affiliations, this ill-thought-out, unconstitutional requirement will be overturned.  A waste of time and money for Ohio's taxpayers, and another attempt by Christianists to have a say in how everyone's tax money is spent.

The program's policy analyst, Buddy Harris claims there will be no proseletyzing by religious organizations, but Governor Kasich's words most definitely contradict that promise:  "The Good Lord has a purpose for each and every one of them (students) and you're helping them to find it," Kasich said..."

Governor Kasich apparently doesn't understand the fact that not all Americans believe that a god "has a purpose for each and every one of them."  By claiming such, he is imposing his beliefs on all the tax-payers of Ohio.  This is just plain wrong, and this program will be challenged.



Senator Barry Goldwater:

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know, I’ve tried to deal with them.”

8 comments:

Infidel753 said...

I'm taking this as a sign that Kasich seriously intends to run for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2016.

Even if non-Christian "faith-based partners" are accepted, this is so flagrantly unconstitutional that Kasich must surely be aware that it will be struck down in case of any serious legal challenge. So the real purpose must lie elsewhere.

Kasich is often mentioned as a possible 2016 candidate, but is widely viewed as too moderate -- that is, not insane enough -- for the teabagger/fundie "base" that dominates Republican primaries. Even if this plan is struck down in court, it will give Kasich some much-needed theocrat cred with the Bible-thumpers. Which, I suspect, is his real goal here.

Shaw Kenawe said...

The Good Lord has a plan for Kasich, or at least Kasich believes he does. Don't most of these people believe God tells them to run for president? Bachmann did, Huckabee did, even Ben Carson believes God is poking him in that direction. Isn't it amazing how God talks only to TeaPublicans and tells them to run for president?

Infidel753 said...

Isn't it amazing how God talks only to TeaPublicans and tells them to run for president?

And isn't it amazing how He keeps telling no-hopes like Bachmann and Huckabee to run, then leaves them high and dry when the actual votes are counted? It's almost as if He were just jerking them around.

There's a Satanist group which lately has made something of a hobby of pwning the fundies by trying to join in when they pull these establishment-of-religion things. Let's hope they apply for one of these partnerships and freak the baggers out.

Jerry Critter said...

Ai suspect there will be a legal challenge to this requirement and the court will throw it out. Kasich, however, will have gained the support of the freedom hating, religious fanatics.

Paula said...

The religionists whine about Obama taking away their religious freedumbs but don't see anything wrong with their cults using tax payer money to further their cause. When access to tax funds is tied to forcing religious affiliations, that's unconstitutional.

okjimm said...

/so flagrantly unconstitutional that Kasich must surely be aware that it will be struck down in case of any serious legal challenge. So the real purpose must lie elsewhere./

yupperz....so when it is overturned he can blame that gol darn Negroe and the tax and spend Libbers. sheesh.

Shaw, "God talks only to TeaPublicans" totally untrue. talks to me alla time. Why gosh, SHE just told me to turn off the computer and get a beer. Damn them women 'know-it-alls'

Les Carpenter said...

Barry Goldwater should have defeated Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He likely would have were it not for the fallacious misrepresentations of LBJ and his scuz campaign.

That being said Kasich obviously has an agenda (2016 as Infidel753 notes) and as such he is a dangerous politician. Kasich has good points but this is a reason to be very concerned and a justification to not make him his party leader.

Les Carpenter said...

Has he stated he believes your presumption?

At least withhold such judgemental representations so as not to be viewed as agenda driven and hyperbolic.