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Catholic protesters rallied at the Illinois Statehouse Wednesday, denouncing lawmakers’ recent expansion of abortion rights and potential votes to further that agenda.
Led by Father Edward Ohm, of the Diocese of Peoria and based in Lincoln, a group of about 30 met to ensure their legislators know they are “not in favor” of laws recently enacted by the General Assembly and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, including the Reproductive Health Act and a package of tax increases. […]
Meanwhile, high taxes in Illinois, Ohm said, are “wrecking havoc on people’s lives.”
“Churches need people to help them when it comes to keeping the doors open on the weekends,” he said. “…The funds are not as plentiful as they used to be because more people are paying taxes and, on top of that, more people are moving out of state.”
* Brian Mackey…
“We want to follow what God wants us to do in this life, and some of the things that they’re promoting goes against God’s will in our life,” Ohm said after the service.
But some Democrats say more needs to be done on abortion. Their party controls both the Illinois House and Senate, and they hope to repeal the parental notification law when the legislature returns to Springfield this fall.
Among that group is State Rep. Chris Welch, a Democrat from Hillside and co-sponsor of the parnetal-notification repeal legislation.
“Sometimes, some families communicate better than others,” Welch said. “But I don’t think that’s a business for the legislature to get involved in.”
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 10:50 am
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The Catholic Church complaining of taxes being too high, while paying none, is pretty rich.
Comment by farandwide Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 10:54 am
Welp, I guess the next time I need religious counseling I’ll seek my tax preparer for guidance?
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 10:59 am
“Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” - some guy said.
Comment by Moe Berg Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:00 am
Hey Padre, which is the higher percentage:
State Budget devoted to pensions?
Your Diocese’s Budget devoted to settling sex abuse crimes?
(I am not saying pensions are bad like sex abuse)
Comment by Henry Francis Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:00 am
Do we really need to remind Father Ohm of the *real* reason why “the funds are not as plentiful as they used to be” for the Catholic Church? I don’t think we do.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:05 am
== The Catholic Church complaining of taxes being too high, while paying none, is pretty rich. ==
I’m sure they see excessive taxes on people as a social justice issue. The Catholic Church is quite liberal on a lot of issues, just not sex and abortion.
Comment by RNUG Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:06 am
Psst, Jerry took the photo. I wrote the story
Comment by Rebecca Anzel Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:06 am
A heck of a lot of those tax dollars end up in Catholic institutions. You’d be surprised by the number of students enrolled in Catholic universities who wouldn’t be there without MAP grants. And without money from the state’s Medicaid program (Illinois’ biggest tax eater) most Catholic hospitals in the state would close.
Comment by Roman Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:09 am
I don’t think it’s really appropriate for the Catholic Church to be commenting on taxes. If they want to get that political with their commentary then perhaps we need to look at their tax exempt status.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:11 am
Sorry, Rebecca. Changed.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:16 am
…The funds are not as plentiful as they used to be because more people are paying taxes and, on top of that, more people are moving out of state.”
Seems very reminiscent of Goodwill firing the people they serve and rationalizing with conservative talking points. Outside of one’s news bubble there is a mission for your organization and real people and a real community to connect with. That could explain the difficulty getting a larger and diverse group of people through the doors on Sunday. Or, if you want to focus on tax policy and how it affects you, consider Federal level tax policy, not just state.
Comment by Earnest Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:16 am
Right on Moe. Seems to me the same guy implied that we ought to be paying taxes too.
Comment by ajjacksson Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:20 am
Nothing says taking the fight to the General Assembly than a rally in September.
Comment by Give Me A Break Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:25 am
Govt has a monopoly on force which it uses to extract money from people (taxes/fines/tolls/etc.). If you don’t believe me, try not paying your taxes and see what happens. There is a moral question here. When is the use of force by the gov’t to take money from citizens justified and when isn’t it? I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have a rally stating that taxes are too high and are not handled well by the dominate party in Illinois.
Comment by Chris Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:45 am
===There is a moral question here.===
You have a bill, you pay it.
When Catholic Charities, DePaul, Loyola, Dominican, when the church is a “tax eater” while not paying tax, it’s quite… rich… to claim a moral question.
===When is the use of force by the gov’t to take money from citizens justified and when isn’t it?===
Use of force? Elections. Democracy. That’s how this works.
===…it’s perfectly reasonable to have a rally stating that taxes are too high and are not handled well by the dominate party in Illinois.===
… and yet, Rauner himself, like all Republican governors before in Illinois too… used every dime that was raised by these taxes.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:51 am
==I’m sure they see excessive taxes on people as a social justice issue.==
That might be. So next week I’m sure we will see the same people protesting the federal government over the tariffs which cost American families $1000 a year.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/beta.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/20/trumps-trade-war-comes-consumers-tariffs-will-cost-us-families-year-jp-morgan-forecasts/%3foutputType=amp?espv=1
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 11:53 am
Religious institutions shouldn’t get a pass on taxes. Property as well as income taxes should be collected.
Comment by Truthiness Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:11 pm
First off, aren’t 97% of us not going to see an income tax increase?
Second–since my days on the south side in the 70s, my affluent classmates’ families kept the doors open and the lights on at school and church. We all gave to our best ability, but the budget wouldn’t balance without major giving.
I think Father Ohm is well aware of this. I can picture him nodding his head in agreement when his benefactors are complaining after mass about their taxes going back up to 1970s levels.
Comment by Lefty Lefty Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:17 pm
===Religious institutions shouldn’t get a pass on taxes. Property as well as income taxes should be collected.===
This country was founded on the principal of freedom of religion. We obviously have a history of supporting various religious institutions through no taxation, property or income. I can live with that. Various religious institutions do great things in their community from helping the poor, meals, immigration rights. They also have done very bad things. As it related to the Catholic Church you would think Cardinal Cupich would have put a directive out there for his flock to lay low for a bit.
Comment by Nagidam Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:21 pm
The loss of people in the Catholic Church is the young people who question the “leadership”.
Comment by jimbo26 Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:27 pm
=The funds are not as plentiful as they used to be because more people are paying taxes and, on top of that, more people are moving out of state.=
People have been leaving the Catholic church for a long time. Maybe check on that and also see the movie “Spotlight” for the reason why.
Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:27 pm
Calling the Catholic Church a “tax eater” instead of a net tax saver is willful misdirection and deception.
What would it cost the state if Catholic Charities, Mercy Home etc. and all of the Catholic hospitals and schools closed?
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:36 pm
What would it cost the state if Catholic Charities, Mercy Home etc. and all of the Catholic hospitals and schools closed?
Um, same as it does now. Google past threads on Catholic Charities state funds versus donations.
Comment by Earnest Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:43 pm
===Calling the Catholic Church a “tax eater” instead of a net tax saver is willful misdirection and deception.===
LOL
Is that why Rauner refused to pay LSSI, Catholic Charities?
You’re dunking on yourself.
We went two years without a budget, and Dr. Diana Rauner needed the Pritzker family and trusts to save The Ounce from the $7 million hole Rauner gave them.
Spare me your concern.
It’s probably *why* I chose “tax eater”, so Raunerites would hem and haw, and when it matters to pay these “tax savings” groups… Rauner stiffed then, forcing closures.
===What would it cost the state if Catholic Charities, Mercy Home etc. and all of the Catholic hospitals and schools closed?===
If we gave Rauner four more years, we might’ve found out.
I suggest you send your crocodile tears to Alaska, they need someone to warn them what could happen.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 12:46 pm
==“Churches need people to help them when it comes to keeping the doors open on the weekends,” he said. “…The funds are not as plentiful as they used to be because more people are paying taxes and, on top of that, more people are moving out of state.”
Church attendance is down across the board and across the country: Catholic, Evangelical, Mainline, you name it. Has nothing to do with taxes or pensions or any of the other stuff he mentioned.
Comment by DIstant watcher Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:06 pm
===If you don’t believe me, try not paying your taxes and see what happens.===
Did someone get a D in high school civics?
===that taxes are too high and are not handled well by the dominate party in Illinois.===
So, we just tried a GOP governor and wound up with billions and billions of dollars of unpaid bills and hundreds of millions of dollars in interest.
You got a better option than just deciding to not pay our bills like you’re suggesting we don’t pay our taxes?
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:15 pm
“We want to follow what God wants us to do in this life, and some of the things that they’re promoting goes against God’s will in our life,” Ohm said after the service.
I assumed he was talking about paying taxes. Really could go either way
Comment by Harvest76 Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:17 pm
Yeah, your decline in attendence is from people moving away, not from I don’t know perhaps some sort of other issue that the church has been dealing with that might have led people to stop attending, not sure what that issue might be Father Ohm, do you?
If increasing taxes is the reason you want to settle on for the reduction in giving, go ahead with that if it helps.
But if you think increased gas taxes are the issue the church needs to deal with it in the world, you are operating in a very different world than the rest of us.
Comment by OneMan Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:24 pm
LP
I would ask the good Father if he is so unhappy with the tax rates if he would be willing for Catholic Charities, et. al, to give up some of their state funding because those taxes help fund their good work.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:30 pm
For all of you critics of the Catholic Church, one priest’s opinion is just that. Only the Pope is infallible.
Demo do you think the state can administer these programs cheaper than the Catholic Church? Could you show your work?
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:40 pm
===do you think the state can administer these programs cheaper than the Catholic Church?===
Nope. But it’s not just the Catholic Church offering these services.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:44 pm
===do you think the state can administer these programs cheaper than the Catholic Church? Could you show your work?===
Rauner found a cheaper way, he didn’t pay them. ‘Nember? You cheered.
Ask LSSI and the folks laid off while you’re at - Lucky Pierre -
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:46 pm
Of course that is true Rich. Removing the tax exemption would affect all religious organizations and cost the state much more in the long run
Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 1:48 pm
Here’s Father Ohm’s attitude in a nutshell. The Catholic Church in the United States has never gotten over not having the “divine right” to control the government, as it did in Europe for centuries.
That’s why the Founding Fathers insisted on separation of church and state, along with freedom of religion.
As a Catholic for 58 years, I saw many cases of that attitude, including the molestation coverups in which the Church thought it didn’t need to report those crimes to the police.
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 2:10 pm
Dude, your Church literally has gold everything.
Comment by Anon E Moose Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 2:34 pm
If churches want to be political in Illinois, they should support a graduated income tax. It’s against the core of Christianity to tax the rich at the same rate as everyone else and cut the poor and middle class.
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 2:39 pm
LP
Perhaps you might try to not put words in other people’s mouths. Where in my commment did I say anything about the cost of providing services? I’ll answer that question for you.
I didn’t.
As I said, Catholic Charities does good work. All I did was point out the hypocrisy of someone who benefits from taxes railing against them at the same time.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 2:57 pm
===Meanwhile, high taxes in Illinois, Ohm said, are “wrecking havoc on people’s lives.”===
You know what wrecks havoc on people’s lives, Father? Child molestation. Then covering it up. Then blaming everyone but abuser priests and the bishops who covered it up.
Like Springfield’s Bishop Paprocki, who last year blamed couples who use contraception, couples who cohabitate, and gays.
https://tinyurl.com/yxq3v7p9
From the final paragraph: “Yet polls show that the majority of Catholics continue to reject the church’s teaching on contraception. A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center found that only 13 percent of weekly Mass-going Catholics thought contraception was morally wrong. More and more couples cohabit before marriage or even without marriage. There are also Catholics who do not consider adultery and homosexual activity to be sinful.”
Scapegoating gays and grown adults who choose to make their own decisions regarding their private lives for crimes committed by priests and bishops wrecks havoc on people’s lives, on top of the molestation itself.
Comment by Nick Name Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 4:59 pm
When you borrow from Peter to pay Paul, you can always count on a reliable vote from Paul. Some guy said.
Comment by It never ends Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 5:21 pm
- because more people are paying taxes -
Aside from that being a nonsensical statement, are you sure it has nothing to do with real wage stagnation the last 40 years and the dramatic shift in wealth to the top percentiles?
It seems like that Jesus guy mentioned rich people…
As word would have said, see you in church.
Comment by Excitable Boy Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 5:48 pm
First 30 men attacking women’s reproductive rights…I’m sure they also don’t want birth control taught in schools…but also high taxes???? Could be that women in general…Illinois people, conglomerate, don’t agree with your misogynist and right wing/wealthy views.
Comment by Union Thug Gramma Thursday, Sep 5, 19 @ 10:26 pm