FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE BRINGS RESULTS
Opinion/Editorial

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The House of Representatives passed a bill on July 19 to rally the "armies of compassion," as the president calls them, to fight poverty and addiction while increasing charitable giving. The legislation we passed will allow faith-based organizations to create a partnership with the federal government in order to help those who need it the most.
The Community Solutions Act, H.R. 7, would put groups who are faith-based on a level playing field with other organizations in the quest for government grants on everything from shelters to addiction counseling.

I, like many Americans, believe the government should not have a monopoly on compassion. Local community organizations know the ills and problems of a neighborhood far better than any government agency in Washington, D.C. Faith-based groups have been getting results the social scientists could only dream of. Compassionate intentions are not enough when dealing with children and the downtrodden. Our goal ought to be compassionate results.

The federal government has been giving money to faith-based groups overseas for years in order to do everything from assisting with earthquake relief to feeding the poor. Helping to fight poverty domestically using this same model is a natural extension of what already works well.

The faith-based groups who will voluntarily compete for federal money will use their know-how to reduce the crime rate, bring down the drug membership and gang membership.

In addition to the community solutions partnership with the federal government, charitable giving is promoted in our faith-based legislation. It offers over $13 billion in tax relief over the next ten years, providing incentives for charitable contributions by individuals and businesses.

For taxpayers who do not itemize their IRS forms, we allow a charitable deduction that gradually rises over ten years. We promote a number of initiatives for companies to donate food, equipment and money to charities. We allow traditional or Roth IRA holders to donate withdrawals tax-free to charities. And we encourage people trying to make their way into the middle class to save money through initiatives like Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), which are matched savings accounts restricted to buying a first home, receiving post-secondary education, or starting or expanding a small business.

Faith is a powerful thing, a virtue that cannot be bought, bartered or borrowed. Charity is a kindness that ought to be encouraged and promoted. Combined together, faith and charity can work miracles and bring hope to our inner cities, our suburbs and everywhere new solutions to old problems are needed.

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