Driven to Drink

New York's Cardinal Dolan was all over the news yesterday talking about how the Archdiocese of New York (among other Catholic entities) is suing the federal government.

They're doing that, he smirkingly revealed, because they are not going to have enough money to help the poor because they have to pay for their employees' contraception.

Of course the first thing that came to mind upon hearing this insane statement was, "If you didn't have to pay off all the children your priests buggered up the ass, you'd have plenty of money to help the poor."

The cardinal's statement struck us as a) a lie and b) holding the poor hostage.

The Catholic entities are suing because the legislature will not let them off the hook when it comes to providing health care for its employees and that includes contraception.  They call this an unprecedented attack on their religious liberty.  The fact that is not the employer but the insurer who is going to have to foot the bill sort of blows the 'not enough money to help the poor' argument out of the water.

We think the solution is perfectly obvious and sensible.  Remove the tax exempt status of religious organizations and permit them to do whatever the hell they want as long as they pay their fair share of taxes to the government.