Please read the story from New York Times. New Obama's directive fails to
correct employment discrimination based on religion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/opinion/22mon3.html
R. Singh
A Flawed Faith-Based Fix
Published: November 22, 2010
President Obama has issued an executive order revamping the rules covering
religious-based and neighborhood programs receiving federal dollars. It makes
some good changes to better ensure that the faith-based initiative begun by
George W. Bush and extended by Mr. Obama respects religious liberty.
Most notably, last Wednesday's order requires that government grants to
religious organizations and other groups providing social services be listed on
federal Web sites. The order also requires that agencies offer referrals to
alternative service providers when individuals object to receiving services at a
religious charity.
But the revisions have a glaring omission. Ignoring one of Mr. Obama's own
important campaign promises, and a large coalition of religious, education and
civil rights groups, the new decree fails to draw a firm line barring employment
discrimination on the basis of religion. The order leaves untouched a 2007
Justice Department memo that dubiously concluded that the government cannot
order religious groups not to discriminate as a condition of federal financing.
That memo should have been withdrawn long ago by this administration.
Missing, too, from the new decree are any standards to govern the Justice
Department's promised "case-by-case" review of employment practices by
religiously affiliated grantees. It remains unclear how many such reviews have
been conducted since Mr. Obama took office, and whether groups that engage in
religion-based discrimination are in any real jeopardy of losing money.
What is needed is a careful constitutional balance. Groups running worthy social
service programs should not be disqualified from receiving federal financing
simply because they have a religious affiliation. But they should get no special
exemption from antidiscrimination laws. Public money should not be used to
underwrite discrimination.
President Obama firmly asserted that principle on the campaign trail in 2008. He
seems to have forgotten.
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