TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! KANSAS CITY URBAN CORE FAITH LEADERS ENDORSING MLK BLVD RISK ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER POLITICS FROM THE PULPIT?!?!?



A quick preview of a Kansas City "historian" shaking his fist at a faith community as tensions rise and debate intensifies amid the street debate.

Here's the word . . .

"Churches and other nonprofits are strictly prohibited from engaging in political campaigning. This prohibition stems from the requirements of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (“Code”). However, we all know there has been a great deal of leeway granted from authorities when a cause has popular support. What we're seeing now, as this vote approaches, is outright lobbying and what looks like a brazen fundraising call to congregations from SOME faith leaders who need help getting people out there to vote in this low turnout election. It's a thin line, churches regularly drive people to the polls and it's kosher as long as they don't tell their congregants how to vote. 

This is part of the reason we haven't seen much campaign material. It provides proof that faith leaders are using their position to influence elections. Word of mouth might be enough to win this vote either way. And we've heard from "Save The Paseo" supporters that they'd rather not press the issue even if the public shaming from ministers they're currently taking has really disheartened their ranks. However, that might change if ministers keep calling them 'racist' via the local media."

And so . . .

ARE KCMO FAITH COMMUNITY LEADERS RISKING THEIR NON-PROFIT STATUS BY SUPPORTING MLK BLVD?!?!

Here's a quick guide to church politics from a denizens of our blog community . . .

In order to remain tax-exempt under 501(c)(3), churches must abide by strict guidelines that prohibit election activity.

The Code states in relevant part that 501(c)(3) organizations cannot “participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” I.R.C. Sec. 501(c)(3). Thus, as a 501(c)(3) organization, churches are strictly forbidden from supporting or opposing a candidate for public office. To do so jeopardizes their tax-exempt status. 

Churches cannot engage in any of the following activities under the federal tax law:

- Cannot endorse or oppose candidates for public office
- Cannot make any communication—either from the pulpit, in a newsletter, or church bulletin—which expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a candidate for public office
- Cannot make expenditures on behalf of a candidate for public office or allow any of their resources to be used indirectly for political purposes (e.g., use their phones for a phone bank)
- Cannot ask a candidate for public office to sign a pledge or other promise to support a particular issue
- Cannot distribute partisan campaign literature
- Cannot display political campaign signs on church property

Under current law, churches, as well as other 501(c)(3) organizations, may engage in nonpartisan campaign activities, primarily consisting of voter education. Thus, they may organize and coordinate nonpartisan get-out-the-vote and voter registration drives; sponsor nonpartisan candidate debates or forums, so long as all legally qualified candidates are invited to appear and wide spectrum of issues are covered; educate all candidates on issues of public interest; and create legislative scorecards or voter guides. All of these permissible activities must be done on a nonpartisan basis. A 501(c)(3) entity should not even tacitly express favor or disfavor of a particular candidate or election issue.

You decide . . .

Comments

  1. Evangelical churches do the same thing for President Trump. If that's okay then the KC faith leaders don't have much to worry about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ^^^ two wrongs don't make a right. It's time to get politics out of the church and vice versa.

      Delete
    2. Problem Solved10/24/19, 5:53 PM

      End ALL TAX EXEMPTIONS for Churches.

      Delete
  2. I've got a better idea. Maybe we can all just start our own religions and everybody gets to be tax exempt! That might be the best solution for all of us so we can live together in peace with Xenu.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I believe churches can speak on issues but not candidates or parties. Then again, I've never seen any consequences for violating this law.

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  4. The fat fake revs have been “ preaching from the pulpit for politicians” for decades now and in return the city gives them money, as a prime example look no further than the fat fake rev miles who cleaver promised back when he was mayor to tear down all those buildings around his church, and they did, then cleaver promised to build them a community center, and the city just did that a couple years ago, now they have big fancy retirement condos that are owned by the church, it wasn’t there money that built it either. How do you think sLIE and q and reed and all the other black clowncil members get voted in? Bribery for getting their congregations to vote for certain people. This has been going on for evar.

    Bout time they get called out for these crimes.

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  5. They can go fuck themselves with their shaming and their Jesus bullshit. Seriously, nobody should take those Jheri curl slinging crooks. Rational people will not be moved by this stunt. It’ll all come out in the wash soon enough. Vote Yes to change it back.

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  6. Experience clearly demonstrates that the word "ethics" and all its implications has not been a part of the "urban core faith leaders'" vocabulary for a very long time.
    Intimidation, shakedowns, self-dealing, insider exchanges, threatening, and even outright corruption?
    Now you're talking!
    Sad how often the very people who could do so much for their own community throw those very same people under the bus.
    Shameless.

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  7. This is a ponzi scheme to pay the MLK family foundation over $300,000 annually for the privilege to use their name on a street that should remain named the paseo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah you said that already tkc reported it months ago get a new line already you racist sumbitch.

      Delete
  8. Why don’t they just rename fucked up nigger shithole boulevard and just send me a grand every now and then problem solved

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  9. So who in hell hatched this idea inside their addled brain to begin with?

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    Replies
    1. Read the news much? It was a coalition of black clergy from the East side who don't like all of the new gentry moving to "their" neighborhoods.

      And then councilman now mayor Quinton Lucas sponsor the ordinance to push it Forward by Council vote and not a vote of Casey. That's why the November 5th decision is such a big deal

      Delete

  10. I think if the vote doesn't turn back to Paseo the people of KC need to get together and talk to a lawyer about a class action suit against the city. This was done without the people's vote and uses the people's tax dollar to pay the King family annually and also to change street signs, that's a lot of money every year and they aren't even telling the people how much of their tax dollars are going to the King family every year.

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  11. As usual the city has worded the vote backwards so yes means turn it back into the Paseo.

    VOTE YES TO REMOVE MLK AND CHANGE IT BACK TO THE PASEO!

    ReplyDelete
  12. ^^^^ No grounds for class-action. No one has been injured or harmed in any way by the name of a street. Any lawyer who took that claim would risk his license and a review from the state bar. .

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  13. Return the name The Paseo!!

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  14. Poor people get preachers while rich people get lawyers and Senators.

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  15. Free Speech for Churches! Quit trying to tax them into silence!

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  16. Quit trying to politic from the pullpit when they enjoy a gratuitous, no accountability existence. They should have consequences and the large majority of churches doing this are effective at doing much of anything religiously. Tax the hell out 'em, biotch!

    ReplyDelete

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