The administrations recent decision to force religious institutions to provide contraception coverage has sparked howls of outrage. Archbishop Timothy Dolan president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops blasted the mandate saying To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable. …The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs.
In Catholic parishes across the country millions were read letters of protest from their bishops warning that the mandate strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. As one columnist put it:
It would be like the government mandating that all delis even Kosher delis serve pork products and then justifying it by saying that protein is healthy and many Jews who dont follow Kosher laws and many non-Jews go to those delis. The law wouldnt technically ban Jews from owning delis but it would effectively ban their ability to run them according to their conscience.
That the Catholic Church is leading the opposition is not surprising. What is surprising is that those opposed to the mandate are finding support from some of the nations leading newspapers. Alarmed by the governments overreach the Washington Post declared its opposition three weeks ago writing:
The administrations feint at a compromise -- giving religious employers another year to figure out how to comply with the requirement -- is unproductive can-kicking that fails to address the fundamental problem of requiring religiously affiliated entities to spend their own money in a way that contradicts the tenets of their faith.
The USA Today editorial board weighed in this morning. Here is an excerpt:
Few Americans of any political stripe would disagree with the simple proposition that the government should steer away from meddling in church affairs. Certainly it should never try to force a religiously affiliated institution to violate a central tenet of its faith.
Yet in drawing up the rules that will govern health care reform the Obama administration didnt just cross that line. It galloped over it requiring employers affiliated with the Catholic Church to include free birth control in their health insurance plans. Thats contrary to both Catholic doctrine and constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
Legislation to reverse the mandate has been introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and two religious universities are filing lawsuits. Pointing to a recent unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court strengthening the rights of religious institutions from government interference legal observers believe opponents of the contraception mandate may have the upper hand at the high court.
Vice President Bin Laden?!?
I had the privilege of working all eight years in the Reagan Administration including as Under Secretary of Education when Bill Bennett ran the Department. The teaching of American history and our unique role in the world is something I care deeply about.
But you dont have to be an expert on educational policy to know something is deeply wrong with our public school system when American high school students cannot answer basic facts about our country like who the vice president is. Every American should be appalled by this cringe-inducing video by Lunch Scholars. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MHtDF-z77wk>
This video is a prime example of why educational reform must be a priority in this country. And the solutions must go beyond resources. The United States is second in the developed world in terms of dollars spent per students. Clearly we are not getting our moneys worth.
The administrations recent decision to force religious institutions to provide contraception coverage has sparked howls of outrage. Archbishop Timothy Dolan president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops blasted the mandate saying To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable. …The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs.
In Catholic parishes across the country millions were read letters of protest from their bishops warning that the mandate strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. As one columnist put it:
It would be like the government mandating that all delis even Kosher delis serve pork products and then justifying it by saying that protein is healthy and many Jews who dont follow Kosher laws and many non-Jews go to those delis. The law wouldnt technically ban Jews from owning delis but it would effectively ban their ability to run them according to their conscience.
That the Catholic Church is leading the opposition is not surprising. What is surprising is that those opposed to the mandate are finding support from some of the nations leading newspapers. Alarmed by the governments overreach the Washington Post declared its opposition three weeks ago writing:
The administrations feint at a compromise -- giving religious employers another year to figure out how to comply with the requirement -- is unproductive can-kicking that fails to address the fundamental problem of requiring religiously affiliated entities to spend their own money in a way that contradicts the tenets of their faith.
The USA Today editorial board weighed in this morning. Here is an excerpt:
Few Americans of any political stripe would disagree with the simple proposition that the government should steer away from meddling in church affairs. Certainly it should never try to force a religiously affiliated institution to violate a central tenet of its faith.
Yet in drawing up the rules that will govern health care reform the Obama administration didnt just cross that line. It galloped over it requiring employers affiliated with the Catholic Church to include free birth control in their health insurance plans. Thats contrary to both Catholic doctrine and constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.
Legislation to reverse the mandate has been introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and two religious universities are filing lawsuits. Pointing to a recent unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court strengthening the rights of religious institutions from government interference legal observers believe opponents of the contraception mandate may have the upper hand at the high court.
Vice President Bin Laden?!?
I had the privilege of working all eight years in the Reagan Administration including as Under Secretary of Education when Bill Bennett ran the Department. The teaching of American history and our unique role in the world is something I care deeply about.
But you dont have to be an expert on educational policy to know something is deeply wrong with our public school system when American high school students cannot answer basic facts about our country like who the vice president is. Every American should be appalled by this cringe-inducing video by Lunch Scholars. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MHtDF-z77wk>
This video is a prime example of why educational reform must be a priority in this country. And the solutions must go beyond resources. The United States is second in the developed world in terms of dollars spent per students. Clearly we are not getting our moneys worth.
