As reported in the National Review, Maryland has instituted a
‘stormwater remediation fee.’ This assesses a tax on property owners directly
proportional to the size of the impervious surfaces on their property that
prevent rainwater from reaching the soil.
Apparently,
according to the report, churches in
Prince George’s County faced some of the steepest fees levied due to
their sizeable facilities, large acreages and big parking areas. The churches
reached a ‘deal’ with the county’s environmental department. They could ‘preach
green’ and avoid a fee. The county Department of Environment director stated
that the churches “don’t have to preach, per
se”, they could also “provide educational
programs to teach (parishioners)
about how to be more sustainable.” Nice of the government to want more sustainable parishioners. I bet they thought
they were ‘sustainable’ already.
This is
a very sad case of the clergy willing to compromise and tailor their message
for a tax break and of a government willing to coerce them into supporting a
political program. In recent years, the clergy has all too often been willing
to be a vehicle of political-correctness and a vassal of progressives.
Funny,
though, I thought the left has been all about the ‘separation of church and
state’. Those in the government are always performing its liturgies.
There
is no separation here. The government threatens to punitively tax the church
and the clergy affix their mouths to Uncle Sam’s rear end.
As the
saying goes, “two wrongs don’t make a right,” (although they might help make a Jeremiah Wright).
We have lost our moorings and strayed far away from our founder’s vision of
‘limited government by, of, and for, the people.’
Both
the government and the churches have put love of principal (money) above love
of principle.
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The
Lord promised that floodwaters would never again cover the face of the earth.
Apparently, He didn’t anticipate global warming.
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