WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today said that the latest
proposal from the Bush Administration is an attempt to knock off another
brick from the wall separating church and state.
In
a letter to President Bush criticizing his position paper on the hiring
practices of faith-based organizations, Schakowsky wrote, “Your position
that religious organizations should be allowed to discriminate in hiring
based on religion and sexual orientation while using federal dollars to
provide social services is a clear violation of our country’s commitment
to the separation of church and state and protection of civil rights.”
Below
is the full text of the Schakowsky’s letter to President Bush:
June
25, 2003
The
Honorable George W. Bush
President
of the United States of America
1600
Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington,
DC 20500
Dear
President Bush:
I
was deeply disturbed to read your position paper regarding the hiring practices
of faith-based organizations. Your position that religious organizations
should be allowed to discriminate in hiring based on religion and sexual
orientation while using federal dollars to provide social services is a
clear violation of our country’s commitment to the separation of church
and state and protection of civil rights.
It
is true that faith-based organizations are often effective vehicles for
the delivery of services to those who are poor, homeless, jobless, suffering
from addiction, or escaping violence. For years, a broad array of
religious organizations have been very successful at implementing programs
with taxpayer dollars while respecting civil rights and maintaining a clear
separation between providing services and religious activities. I
believe it is unnecessary, as well as harmful to our citizens, to implement
any policies that allow for employment discrimination, and I strongly urge
you to reexamine your position.
If
we truly respect the Constitution and, as you said, “recognize that government
has no business endorsing a religious creed,” we must ensure that federal
taxpayer dollars are not used to support any type of explicitly religious
work. We must be vigilant in protecting all Americans’ rights and
prohibiting any type of employment discrimination when federal funds are
being spent. Anything less would be to cross a line that Americans
from all political and religious spectrums have long supported – the line
that separates our democratic government from our freedom to practice and
believe in the religion and lifestyle of our choice.
I
appreciate your willingness to hear my views.
Sincerely,
Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress
cc:
Jim Towey
Director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives |