THE BIG CON - 3

THE BIG CON – 3
In pursuit of the truth – www.cinopsbegone.com – Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009

Special Report by Anne Hendershott continued

(Error in The Big Con -2: Catholics for the Common Good should be “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.” Catholics for the Common Good is a very worthy and legitimate Catholic Organization which shared leadership in the battle for Proposition 8; whereas “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good “ is the phony “Catholic” organization.) We continue verbatim from the article.

In contrast, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good emerged in 2005 as a kind of sister organization to Catholics United. A 501c(3) organization, donors can claim a deduction against personal income tax when they donate money to Catholics in Alliance. But, unlike Catholic United, Catholics in Alliance is restricted to how much political and legislative lobbying activities they may conduct.

(The next two paragraphs deal with a review of 2007 IRS 990 forms for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and for Catholics United and payment of $84,821. to Chris Korzen. In 2007 Catholics in Alliance reported a total of $1,129,338 income from gifts, grants and contribution…)
SOROS, AN EARLY DONOR:

Despite their inability to engage in extensive lobbying, Catholic in Alliance has been extremely successful in attracting large donors. In fact, Catholics in Alliance has enjoyed the financial support of some of the biggest in progressive causes. Never a friend of the Catholic Church , George Soros, one of the earliest donors, contributed $50,000 to Catholics in Alliance in 2005 and another $100,000 in 2006, through his Open Society, Likewise Smith Bagley, a major Democratic donor and fundraiser, whose wife Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, is Chairman of the board of Catholics in Alliance, came close to matching Soros with grants from his family’s Arca Foundation.

With a long history of supporting progressive organizations like ACORN, the Gamaliel Foundation, People for the American Way, and Planned Parenthood, Arca contributed $50,000. to Catholics in Alliance in 2007 & another $75,000 in 08.

It is clear that for the Democrats, this has been money well spent… Catholics in Alliance has enjoyed tremendous success in neutralizing abortion a campaign issue… Catholics in Alliance has enjoyed tremendous success in neutralizing abortion as campaign issue. The did this by persuading voters that progressive policies would reduce abortions.

Supporting a study by Professors Michael Bailey of Georgetown University and Joseph Wright of Notre Dame that claimed that increasing economic assistance to low income families results in substantial reductions to abortion rates, Catholics in Alliance spent months declaring that the data demonstrate that progressive policies on income distribution – rather than abortion restrictions – reduce abortion.

Unfortunately for voters, while Catholics in Alliance touted the abortion reduction report as a reason that Catholic voters could vote in good conscience for a pro-choice candidate, the study was quietly removed from the Catholics in Alliance website in November 2008 when its faulty methology and erroneous conclusions were pointed out by several social scientist.

Professor Bailey, the first author of the initial study, removed his name from the revised report. Joseph Wright remains as the sole author - and is listed as Chairman of the board of Catholics United on the Form 990 EZ submitted by the organization in 2007…
George H. Kubeck, to be continued