No corporate welfare for the merchants of death
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: No corporate welfare for Planned Parenthood
From: Scott Tibbs <tibbs1973@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, November 05, 2013 9:14 pm
To: syoder@co.monroe.in.us, rlangley@co.monroe.in.us, mhawk@co.monroe.in.us, rdietz@co.monroe.in.us, gmckim@co.monroe.in.us, ljones@co.monroe.in.us, cmunson@co.monroe.in.us
Council members,
I attended the meeting of the social services funding committee and I have a question about the program as a whole. What is the purpose of the social services funding program? Is the purpose to give money to organizations that could use a helping hand, so that they can supply the needs of the less fortunate in Monroe County?
If this is legitimately the case, I have to wonder why you are considering funding Planned Parenthood. You have been presented with $192,109.00 in requests for funding - almost twice as much as you will be distributing when you cast your votes at your November 12 regular meeting. Given the large need demonstrated by the difference between requests and resources available, why would you give a $5,000 grant to an organization that has taken in over $169,000 more than it has spent thus far in its fiscal year?
Councilors, you know by now that Planned Parenthood's request for yet another handout - just five months after a similar handout from city government - has nothing to do with need or serving people who need health care. Part of PP's excuse for requesting this handout is testing for sexually transmitted diseases - something county government's health department already does through the Futures Family Planning Clinic.
So why is Planned Parenthood coming before county taxpayers and asking for yet another handout? The reason is they want a political endorsement, nothing more. This is a shameful and cynical abuse of the process, one that the council has been too willing to support three of the last four years. It is completely inappropriate to give this organization money it does not need simply to hand it a symbolic political victory.
Financially, it makes no sense to fund Planned Parenthood and it is an insult to the organizations that will be denied funding if you choose this irresponsible path again. But beyond the fiscal realities, there is another reason PP should be denied funding - Planned Parenthood performs abortions every Thursday at its facility on South College Avenue.
PP claims the money they are requesting does not go to its "abortion services." Even so, many of your constituents find the practice of abortion to be a moral abomination, a violation of basic human rights and an offense against the God who made us in His image. You should not be forcing your constituents to contribute to an organization we find morally abominable. The truly "pro-choice" vote here would be to deny funding to Planned Parenthood.
If you want to support Planned Parenthood, write them a check. Please do not force everyone else to do it.