Go for the vouchers

Time to cut through the malarkey and give them a test | Joel Belz

WORLD's editor, Marvin Olasky, keeps reminding everyone that while involved in the debate over public support for faith-based charities, we should use a logical three-step sequence to engage the argument.

First, he stresses, we need to comb through all the existing laws and administrative rulings on the books and weed out everything that needlessly gets in the way of effective programs being attempted by private initiative.

Second, Mr. Olasky says, provide tax credits for support of private agencies engaged in useful social and welfare programs. If you decide this week, for example, to send your personal check for $500 to a Christian center treating alcoholics, it should be no big deal for the government to credit you with $500, and to let you deduct that amount from the taxes you would otherwise owe next April 15. Such tax credits are already used for a whole list of efforts; they tend to be much less controversial than outright government grants.