Letter: Faith-based idea only a gimmick

Friday, Aug. 17, 2001 | 4:36 a.m.

It alarms me to no end that everybody seems to be missing the real point when accepting or criticizing Bush's "faith-based initiative." The detractors concentrate on the danger of discrimination in hiring by charities (most employees of faith-based charities are volunteers anyway) and the supporters recall the "benefits to the poor" of such a gimmick.

I say gimmick because as I see it, that is exactly what it is, and I am surprised that not even progressives are able to see this. The way I see it, this harmless-appearing proposal is really intended to eventually replace government safety net programs. For instance, the five-year limit for welfare beneficiaries is just around the corner and, in fact, this faith-based garbage was probably conceived along with welfare reform because its supporters (welfare reform) knew all along there would be a serious problem arising from it.

I also see the faith-based initiative as a cynical ploy to eventually replace Social Security and Medicare. In fact, all the hullabaloo about a "crisis" in these programs, privatization proposals, the baby boomer problem and the faith-based initiative are part of a crusade to do just that. Under such a system seniors and other poor people would be relegated to beggars in soup lines and "public health clinics," returning them to a 19th century way of life. This is the reason I oppose Bush's faith-based initiatives, and I wish more of my contemporaries would see the light.

DANIEL F. OLIVIER