Tax the churches
Tax the churches
I was raised in a religious family and remain a “spiritually” connected individual to (my God), nature and the aina. I performed an internet search about “caring for the poor” and found many religious websites that list Bible passages from many of the domestic religions. The obligation to care for the poor is impressively taught in the bibles of most if not all religions.
It is my world view that religions through churches have failed to meet the most essential of human endeavors, caring for the poor and needy, thus causing our governments to enter the scene with immense financial resources and efforts.
While we view governments as bureaucracies, so, too, have churches become bureaucracies with a common practice to “sustain themselves.”
I propose this simple fact is cause enough to justify taxation of all religions and churches for the purpose of eradicating poverty and homelessness once and for all!
A worthy mission for sure.
John Begg
Pahoa
Lau failed public
Mayoral candidate and former Hawaii County Managing Director Wally Lau claims he had “no authority over the mayor’s actions ” regarding Mayor Billy Kenoi’s improper pCard purchases — for which the mayor has been indicted (“Candidates for mayor try to stand out,” Tribune-Herald, July 16).
Implicit in Mr. Lau’s statement is the tacit acknowledgment that he indeed knew of the mayor’s improper purchases, but was powerless to expose the abuses. Mr. Lau’s refusal to do was deplorable and unconscionable.
As county managing director, Mr. Lau might not have had the technical authority to expose the abuses, but as second in command of Hawaii County government he needed to place himself above politics and technicalities and do what citizens hoped he would have done — used his moral authority to take the correct steps and surface the abuses.
Had he done what was right — perhaps in concert with a few other county officials, or in consultation with the county prosecutor — Mr. Lau could have cut short Mayor Kenoi’s embarrassing, divisive, distracting and costly indiscretions.
Instead, the pCard abuses by Mayor Kenoi continued unchecked. Why? Because acting solely on his sense of moral authority was not seen by Mr. Lau as the right thing to do.
Richard Dinges
Hilo