Winona Daily News Editor Calls for the taxation of the Catholic Church

In a column published yesterday, Darrell Ehrlick, editor of the Winona Daily News, called for the taxation of the Catholic Church in Minnesota for supporting the marriage amendment.

Yet, I am not going tsk-tsk the church for what I think are misguided efforts.

Instead, I would like to publicly encourage the church to continue. I'd like to see it up its spending and maybe print some bumper stickers, clever buttons and even a few novelty foam hands and keychains.

Besides a bunch of celibate men giving marriage advice, I think the church should dispense with the game it's playing.

Be honest, be political.

Let Catholic Church leaders admit just what Father Echert did: They're launching an all-out political campaign.

Granted, if the Catholic Church admitted that what it's doing jeopardizes its nonprofit status, it would be subject to taxes. Lots of 'em.

And that would mean at least something good would come out of this mean-spirited, decidedly un-Christian debate.

The Catholic Church could start paying into state tax coffers.

And who said gay marriage wasn't part of the budget solution?

Hmm, reminds me of an old saying about rendering unto Caesar ...

Winona Daily News

Funny, he wasn't calling for the taxation of the Catholic Church when the responded generously to aid so many natural disaster victims.  Let's see, we could tax the high schools, the elementary schools, the free clinics, the parish suppers.  Ehrlick scare tactic is pedestrian.   It's been tried and broken down before.  Instead of meeting the Church in the arena of ideas, he hopes to scare us back into the river Loire in the Vendée.  In fact, we could Canada up the Gopher State and just outlaw any free speech rights of the Church.  .... of course, the press magically seems to avoid any scrutiny for their forked tongues.

HT Bliss