I think some scrutiny of whether a religious organization is really the equivalent of a charity (Scientology?) is reasonable.
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I think that whether a non-profit organization is a charity or not often depends on whether you think it is run by scammers. Determining that the leadership of a religious body are scammers is a pretty difficult.
An organization being a charity does not mean that the majority of people supports the organizations philanthropic goals. Only that the organization has them and is pursuing them.
How can you determine if a nonprofit is a charity? The answer is reliably found in the organization’s purpose. Read more on the differences.
"What most clearly distinguishes 501(c)(3) charities from other nonprofits, however, is that donations to 501(c)(3) organizations are tax-deductible to their donors."
"So, what is the actual trick to determining if a nonprofit is a charity? The answer is reliably found in the organization’s purpose. If the nonprofit’s purpose is educational or religious, if it provides funds or services to help support medical research, or if it promotes a cause that in some way could benefit the general public, 99% of the time that entity is known as a charity."
As far as religious scammers like many of the televangelists, I think it is the media's job to bring them to light. And if they are scammers, likely they are doing shady dealings in other areas, where the FBI can investigate them.
Obviously the key point of a charity versus a non-profit would be removed if tax deductions were removed from the tax code.
JMJon Miller-
I AM.CANADIAN
GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
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Originally posted by Dauphin View Posthttps://www.vox.com/2018/10/19/17990...tion-tampering
THat was a two second search from the description you gave. "twitter troll farms 100k". Just to see what came up. Shrug.
I've not read the details, but it looks like the data is available if you are so inclined to read them.
The Twitter dump encompasses 10 million tweets since 2009 — 9 million of them from the IRA, the rest mainly from the suspected Iranian accounts.
The IRA is a known Russian troll factory, and it’s responsible for the vast majority of the flood of troll content that’s been unleashed across social media in recent years — as well as a significant amount of direct campaigning in the 2016 US election.
many of the campaigns undertaken by the IRA involved anti-Clinton propaganda
Earlier this year, special counsel Robert Mueller indicted the IRA for its actions, including a charge for “conspiracy to defraud the United States.” However, there’s little evidence that the IRA’s agitation was directly responsible for shifting election results.
Though most of the tweets about the US election involved stirring up anti-Clinton sentiment, the trolls deployed a wide range of political rhetoric, ranging from tweets supporting the Black Lives Matter movement to spreading conspiracy theories and hoaxes.
This often involved stoking both sides of a political controversy at the same time, as well as capitalizing on current news, events, and hashtags for maximum efficacy. The trolls also engaged with pop culture and internet memes to seem more authentic.
4. Equal-Opportunity Troll Farms
The Russian trolls were non-partisan: they tried to inflame everybody, regardless of race, creed, politics, or sexual orientation. On many occasions, they pushed both sides of divisive issues.“Mass shooting occurs even in #GunFreeZones so people is the problem not guns #Prayers4California” ( @micparrish, December 3, 2015)
“mass shooting wont stop until there are #GunFreeZones #Prayers4California” (@LazyKStafford, December 3, 2015)
It is vital to recognize this factor to end the partisan perception that Russian influence operations focused on one side of the political spectrum. Focus shifted over time or at specific moments based target audience.
These opportunistic attacks had little to no discernible impact on the target populations’ political behavior, indicating the limitations of online troll operations.
So, how many ads targeted Clinton and how many targeted Trump?
and can we see them ourselves?
Meanwhile the Israeli lobby has Congress by the balls and the Democrats asked Russia and Ukraine to interfere in our elections. The Steele dossier was largely Russian disinformation and it was sold to the FBI who took it to a Fisa court to spy on Trump. These are the people complaining about foreign influence helping Trump.
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Originally posted by Jon Miller View Post
Believers still pay the same taxes as unbelievers. Churches just do not pay taxes that non-religious non-profit organizations do not have to pay.
JM
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Originally posted by Berzerker View Post
But I cant start a church of the non-believers and get an exemption from taxes. I gotta subsidize the believers and their churches.
I don't understand how you are subsidizing believers, other than the way you are subsidizing all charities.
JM
(It comes across as if you don't understand how taxation works in the US.)Jon Miller-
I AM.CANADIAN
GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
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We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. - Abraham Lincoln
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So the choice is a narcissistic old man enamored with the sound of his own voice and a senile old man who just sits there and drools?
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Originally posted by Jon Miller View PostYou can start a philanthropic institution dedicated to supporting humanism/etc (or a support group for leaving cults) and get it classified as a charity.
I don't understand how you are subsidizing believers, other than the way you are subsidizing all charities.
JM
(It comes across as if you don't understand how taxation works in the US.)
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Originally posted by Berzerker View Post
Thats a good argument, but the 1st Amendment specifically protects me from having to subsidize your religion and I'm not okay with subsidizing charities and their wealthy benefactors either.
As far as the charitable deduction (which decreases not the amount of taxes that charities pay but rather the amount of taxes that those who give to charities pay, in other words, you are subsidizing those who value that charity), I can appreciate your position and think that it is reasonable to remove it. Other countries (in Europe) do not have charitable deductions and I think overall that this is more equitable.
As far as property taxes go, I think it is defensible to tax it.
JMJon Miller-
I AM.CANADIAN
GENERATION 35: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
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Speaking of cults...
This newspaper Epoch Times is a pro Trump news outlet. Lots of Trump supporters are very traditional so haven't migrated to all digital, so still love newspaper. Your typical right wing shill nonsense, so not a big deal, garbage in one ear and out the other.
But here's where it gets REALLY WEIRD
This paper is funded by FALUN GONG
For those who don't know, these guys and the CCP haaaate each other.
I'm no fan of the CCP, but these guys are no angels either, and are a weird Chinese cult, and do lots of information warfare with their dance shows, it reminds me alot of Scientology.
Ana Kasparian tells more below
We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. - Abraham Lincoln
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Originally posted by giblets View PostSo the choice is a narcissistic old man enamored with the sound of his own voice and a senile old man who just sits there and drools?
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Biden R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagnJohn Brown did nothing wrong.
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Originally posted by Ted Striker View PostSpeaking of cults...
This newspaper Epoch Times is a pro Trump news outlet. Lots of Trump supporters are very traditional so haven't migrated to all digital, so still love newspaper. Your typical right wing shill nonsense, so not a big deal, garbage in one ear and out the other.
But here's where it gets REALLY WEIRD
This paper is funded by FALUN GONG
For those who don't know, these guys and the CCP haaaate each other.
I'm no fan of the CCP, but these guys are no angels either, and are a weird Chinese cult, and do lots of information warfare with their dance shows, it reminds me alot of Scientology.
Ana Kasparian tells more below
One day Canada will rule the world, and then we'll all be sorry.
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I also think the creation of so much paper junk mail should be outlawed...the amount of crap that gets pushed through our letterbox we don't want and the wastefulness of the resources required to produce millions of free newspapers, flyers, etc. Ban it, and fine the bastards if they continue making it.Speaking of Erith:
"It's not twinned with anywhere, but it does have a suicide pact with Dagenham" - Linda Smith
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