Politics

Republicans shocked – shocked! – to find that recipients of religious “grants” are thieves (updated)

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• Monday 18th June 2007

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So here’s the way it works:

In order to reinforce their position with right-wing religious voters, the Republicans decided to “dismantle big government programs” that did dumb stuff like distributing tax money to poor people for health care and information, and providing aid and health facilities around the world.

Instead, they – surprise! – gave your tax money and equipment to evangelical religious organizations to do “good works”. Which meant, in this case, quietly disappearing a few Coast Guard boats and cashing them in for funds to do evangelical work. Of course, since this is a religious organization, the fact that there are huge income tax disparities, accounting shenanigans, and gross illegalities must mean that the debbil is at work; these good people wouldn’t be, like, embezzling the money or anything.

They look honest as heck, actually (photo below).

Not so fast:

From the NY Times

In reality, the ships never got any closer to the South Pacific islands than the San Francisco Bay. The mission group quickly sold one to a maritime equipment company, which sold it for substantially more to a pig farmer who uses it as a commercial ferry off Nicaragua. The group sold the other ship to a Bay Area couple who rent it for eco-tours and marine research.
…
Former Representative Frank D. Riggs, Republican of California, whose staff drafted the earmark, said it “would raise concerns” if the ships were “not used as intended.”
…
A harsher assessment came from Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group that opposes earmarks, and a former Coast Guard officer. “They are flipping the property,” Mr. Ellis said.
…
The Coast Guard ships were given to Canvasback for a secular purpose, providing medical services. But Mr. Spence said Canvasback did not isolate the sales proceeds; instead it mingled them with its general revenues, which also cover activities that include evangelism. And under most court decisions, evangelism cannot be paid for with federal grants.

It would be interesting to find out if Former Representative Frank D. Riggs, Republican of California, whose staff drafted the earmark received any campaign contributions from these fine people, or if they provided campaign assistance during any of his electoral efforts. You know the Republicans don’t give something for nothing.

Neither, for that matter, do evangelicals like these goons; they supposedly distribute aid and information to Micronesians who have diabetes. I’d give very good odds that any diabetic Micronesian who wants aid from these fine caregivers has to declare for Christ, or they can just go into a diabetic coma under a palm treee and die quietly.

Praise The Lord, and pass the adding machine.

Update

Someday I’ll have a comments section for each post. Until then, let me thank Chris for sending in the following:

It’s not a direct donation to Frank Riggs, but Jamie Spence from Canvasback did give $1,500 to the California GOP in July of 1996, according to www.opensecrets.org. I didn’t see any other donations that election cycle from people on the Canvasback board of directors. Pretty good return on the investment if the boat earmark was quid pro quo.

The largest contributions to Riggs’s reelection came from the timber and alcohol industries, which is not surprising – California’s 1st district includes wine country and heavily forested areas to the north. Here’s a detailed breakdown: http://www.opensecrets.org/1996os/detail/H0CA01064.htm

The Lord spoke to me and told me to sell those boats