What should churches do?

Care of Drudge, a two page article in Politico about some church pastors daring the IRS to revoke their tax-privileged status for their campaigning directly for candidates from the pulpit. I haven't excerpted any of it, mainly so that you can find those parts you feel are most important to you.

So how should churches deal with this sort of thing?

I'll tell you how I feel. On the one hand, I'm tickled pink at extra voices working to defeat some of these idiot Democrats. On the other hand, I'm not too sure how I feel about these guys double-dipping, not only with respect to me but also with respect to their own congregants and their sister churches. By double-dipping, I mean they're getting some envious financial and tax benefits (like Rod Dreher's church not having to report much on any of his personal money which may or may not slosh through it) for agreeing to certain terms, then deciding to forsake those terms while keeping the benefits. Me, I'd like that deal, too.

Keep in mind that being the beneficiary of a tax expenditure (the formal term for these church exemptions) is no less a case of being on the government teat than receiving a welfare check; you just pocket the money other people including your congregants and parishioners don't get in a different way.

So what should churches do?

Should they play by the rules they originally agreed to?

Should they even be making deals with the government at all?

IRS Director Lois Lerner To Plead Fifth

Lois Lerner, Director of the IRS Exempt Organizations division, will plead the Fifth rather than testify before the House oversight committee. John Nolte at Breitbart has the scoop. Excerpt:

Lerner has retained defense attorney William W. Taylor 3rd, who sent a letter to Darrell Issa, the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. In the letter Taylor said, "She has not committed any crime or made any misrepresentation but under the circumstances she has no choice but to take this course.”

Taylor is hoping Issa will excuse his client from having to testify in order to save her the embarrassment of having to invoke the Fifth in public. Per The L.A. Times, the committee hasn't yet answered her request one way or the other.

ADDED: National Journal reports that Issa "has issued a subpoena to Lerner anyway."

Since the IRS scandal broke wide open ten days ago, Lerner has been at the center of the controversy. She is not only the head of the division that oversaw the Kafka-esque harassment of President Obama's political foes; she has also been caught on numerous occasions making misleading statements.

Oh, love it: "Taylor is hoping Issa will excuse his client from having to testify in order to save her the embarrassment of having to invoke the Fifth in public." Well we are all happy to announce to the public that Lois Lerner is pleading the Fifth Amendment so she won't have to incriminate herself.

I wonder how we should interpret this silence from Director Lerner. Maybe we should ask Attorney General Eric Holder—he's the expert on the matter of silence interpretation.

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