The Warren Record, Warrenton, North Carolina, Wednesday, September 19,1984
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A Change Of View
The Constitution of the United
States of the Confederacy
provided c line veto for the Pres
ident. At one time we believed
that our own Constitution should
be amended to include a line
veto, as is favored by President
Reagan. More mature reflection
has caused us to change our
views.
The advantage of a line veto is
that it would allow the President
to veto objectionable portions of
an act without vetoing the entire
act. The disadvantage, it seems
to us, is that it would enable a
President to practically write a
bill, which should originate in
the House of Representatives.
The same good results could
be obtained by the Congress
adopting a rule, that while a bill
may be amended following
discussion, that it would be
illegal to add a "rider" to such
bill when such rider is not ger
mane to the original bill.
Abortion Amendment
Sponsors of a proposed
Amendment to prevent legal
abortion have suggested that the
bill be amended to permit abor
tion by a mother who has been
raped. The purpose of the
proposed Constitutional Amend
ment is to save the life of an in
nocent baby and not to save an
unfortunate mother. The baby is
innocent.
Exempt Status Risked
By J. MARSE GRANT
In The Charlotte Observer
While a healthy dialogue on the
dangers of mixing partisan politics
and religion continues, an important
question could be shunted aside:
How much can a church, as a non
profit, charitable organization, be
involved in supporting a candidate
for political office and still maintain
its tax-exempt status?
It can't, according to Section 501
(c3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The wording is specific. Organiza
tions may "not participate in, or in
tervene in (including the publication
or distribution of statements) any
political campaigns on behalf of any
candidate qualifying for public of
fice."
As this applies to the church or any
other organization qualifying for the
exemption, it is a sharp, two-edged
sword. Loss of this status means
taxes must be paid on income. Fur
thermore, under the code's Section
170 (a), gifts cannot be deducted on
donors' tax returns. This double
blow could be critical for those ac
customed to the exemption advan
tages.
A Church Lawyer's Advice
At first glance, the restrictions
seem unusually tough. Yet, if the
wording were vague and meaning
less, tax-exempt groups soon would
far outnumber businesses which
have to pay taxes. For a church or
synagogue in this highly emotional
election year, an unusually heavy
responsibility is put on pastors,
priests and rabbis. John W. Baker,
veteran attorney for the Baptist
Joint Committee on Public Affairs in
Washington and one of the nation's
leading authorities on church-state
separation, puts it straight to them:
"When you step into your pulpit
and endorse or oppose a candidate,
there is some difficulty in distin
guishing between your personal
views and those of your church. The
IRS has tended to assume the min
ister speaks for the church. If, as
happened to Billy James Hargis'
Christian Echoes National Minis
tries, the determination is made that
the church has beat involved in par
tisan politics, the church will have
its 501 (c3) status removed."
Can issues be discussed? Yes,
Baker says, adding that churches
"may legally campaign for social
change or for rights or liberties of
people. They may serve to register
voters of all parties...The list could
go on, but the emphasis must be
made that the endorsement or op
position to candidates is forbidden to
churches....Do not get the church in
volved in partisan politics," be
Remember Bflly James Hargls
Stripping away legal verbiage, a
church cant have It both way*. As I
understand the mission of the
church, Its main thrurt or purpose is
not political; it's spiritual. When a
church dips into partisan political
waters, it's destined for trouble, not
only in maintaining unity in the
fellowship, but there's a risk of
losing tax-exempt status. Billy
James Hargis of Tulsa, Okla., can
testify to this reality.
Granted, the IRS c$n't audit every
congregation and obviously doesn't
want to anyhow. It depends on the in
tegrity of a church to oversee its own
actions in compliance with the law.
This places the responsibility where
it should be — on that local
congregation. If the church doesn't
conduct itself in accordance with the
demands of the IRS code, it should
lose its tax-exempt status.
The church's membership is likely
to be a starting point for close
scrutiny since there are Democrats
and Republicans, plus some indepen
dents, in every church. All of them
rightly resent an invasion of their
autonomy.
Freedom of religion is assured in
the First Amendment. Those who
tinker with it for political gain are
weakening the principle of church
state separation which has served
this nation well for over 200 years.
The proper role of the church is to
teach and inspire, among many
other tasks.
The church is not designed to be a
partisan political outpost for an in
dividual or party seeking to capita
lize on its influence. The Internal
Revenue Service will see that this
doesn't happen if self-discipline
fails.
Compliment Given
From State Magazine
We vacationed in North Carolina,
attending my 40th Class Reunion at
UNC-G, and as a Tar Heel, it is
always great to come bade home.
The Tourist Welcome Center at
Norlina (exiting from Interstate 85)
provides the finest service for tourist
information that I have ever exper
ienced.
We enjoy The State more with
each Issue—Sarah Hopper Harvie,
Fishkill, N. Y.
The praying mantis eats nothing
but live food, mostly insects.
National Geographic says that prey
is taken only from flowers, leafage,
twigs, bark, or the ground—never
while the potential victim is in flight.
The idea of awarding degrees
dates from the 1200s when schools in
Europe won the right to examine and
license their graduates.
The United States Postal Service
assures its customers that they will
not get fat licking stamps. There is
no more than one-tenth of a calorie's
worth of glue on every stamp.
Mostly Personal
Bishop Is Interviewed
By B1GNALL JONES
People are to me the
most interesting things
in the world. This is
why, I suppose, that I
like to read biographies
and to watch interviews
of famous people on TV
programs, and to read
"The Tar Heel of the
Week" in Hie News and
Observer each week, as
well as "Letters to the
Editor" in a number of
newspapers.
in "The Tar Heel of
the Week" this past
Sunday was Methodist
Bishop Carlton P. Min
nick of Raleigh, who is
leading an interesting
life, and whose prime in
terest is in teaching the
Bible. "It takes five
years to take a congre
gation through the en
tire scripture," said
Bishop Minnick, who
came to North Carolina
this month after serving
as bishop in Jackson,
Miss. "My style is
sharing with the class
and enabling them to
share back with me."
He is booked solidly for
each Sunday through
Spring.
Bishop Minnick was
born in Greensboro on
Sept. 8,1927.
Other personal infor
mation include:
Family: wife, Mary
Ann Adams Minnick;
children, Gregory,
Jonathan, Pattie M.
Martin, Ann M.
Wheeler.
Edication: University
of Virginia, B.A. (1954);
Union Theological
Seminary, Richmond,
Va., bachelor of divinity
(1957), Master of
theology (1958).
Career: pastorates at
Ferum, Richmond, Wil
liamsburg and
Arlington, Va., district
superintendent, Arling
ton District 1978-80;
elected bishop 1980,
assigned to Jackson,
Miss., area, 1980-84;
now bishop, N. C. Con
ference, United Metho
dist Church.
Honors: honorary
doctor of divinity
degrees, Randolph
, Macon, Millsaps and
Rust colleges.
The article pointed out
that: "Family is ex
tremely important to
the bishop. Despite the
pulls that all pastors
feel, he said, he always
tries to set aside time
for his wife and
children. Some of the
time that he and his wife
most enjoy is spent ball
room dancing. Veterans
of the Arthur Murray
School of Dancing, the
Minnicks enjoy twirling
on the dance floor when
ever they can. Other
favorite activities are
bridge, golf and specta
tor sports. One sidelight
of being back in this part
of the country, said
Bishop Minnick, is the
welcome return to
Atlantic Coast Con
ference sports.
"But North Carolina
is not Virginia.
"One of the big adjust
ments," he said, "will
be adjusting our ACC
allegiance."
Any action should be
judged by its time, but
as I read about the
bishop's fondness for
dancing, bridge and
sports, I was reminded
of the hot Sunday morn
ing as a youth and
listened to sermons
about the sin of dancing
and card playing — and
fishing on Sunday, and
listened to the sad tale of
how Little Bill went
fishing on Sunday and
drowned. That was
when the church
dictated our social and
buitnew life. Puritan
ism ended in the Metho
dist Church here when
the liberal Dr. J. T.
Gibfas came to Warren
ton to serve as pastor of
Warrenton Methodist
Episcopal Church. His
daughter, Mrs. Virginia
Pearsall, and grand
daughters, Eunice
Adams and Helen
Gibbs, entered into the
social life of the town,
which included both
dancing and card play
ing. That has been more
than 60 years ago, and
while change is not
always progress, it was
in this instance. Maybe,
that is one reason,
although still a church
attendant, that I still
feel that it is so impor
tant to keep state and
church separate. We
called it religion; it was
a form of tyranny.
News Of Yesteryear
Looking Back Into
The Warren Record
September 22,1944
Establishing a record price of 44 cents average,
the Warren ton tobacco market sold 200,000 pounds
of tobacco in the three and one-half hours of selling
time on the opening day of the season Thursday.
The ability to work out a suitable program will
determine the future of cotton in the South, Joe
Williams, assistant secretary of the N. C. Farm
Bureau, told Warren County members of this
organization at their meeting at the courthouse on
Monday night.
Miss Sarah Miles left this week for Wake Forest
College. Mrs. Miles and Mr. W. A. Miles accom
panied her to Wake Forest.
September 18,1959
Warrenton's governing body is dissatisfied with
the unmowed condition of a number of vacant lots
here. The board at its Monday meeting ordered that
owners of vacant lots again be notified that the law
requires that all vacant lots be mowed twice a year.
Alarm over the large number of young people who
yearly leave their community and state was ex
pressed by a district governor of the Rotary
organization here on Tuesday night.
Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Thompson of Franklinton
visited relatives in Inez on Sunday.
September 19,1974
An innovative plan to provide home health care in
Warren County progressed appreciably this week
with the announcement of the hiring of a project
director with wide experience in the field of nurs
ing.
Patricia Odom of Warrenton has been selected as
a member of the 1974-75 Peace College Choir.
Henrietta Katherine Burwell, of Warrenton,
returned to her home from Natal, Brazil after
working over two years with Project HOPE as. a
pediatric nurse.
School Presented Gift
From Officials Of Bank
Typically, people
have had to go to banks
to learn about banking.
Recently, however, it
has become common
practice for banking
representatives to assist
teachers in our schools
with the technical
aspects of banking.
This is evidenced in a
new filmstrip program,
"Banking Is...," which
the Branch Banking and
Trust Company present
ed recently as a public
service to the students
at Warren County High
School. Cal White, vice
president, and Mrs.
Elsie Weldon, business
services officer, made
the presentation on Sep
tember 13. Receiving
the multi-media film
strip unit at a presenta
tion meeting at Warren
County High School
were Mrs. Susan
Dickens, head of the
business department,
and James Wilkerson,
principal.
In making the presen
tation, White said, "The
program 'Banking Is..
gives the students first
hand experience with
the basic banking activi
ties they will use
throughout their lives.
"Writing a check, ap
plying for a loan, com
(Continued on page 5B)
The Federal government's budget has been in
balance only once In the past 24 years and has in
creased sevenfold in that time, to $769 billion.
The budget deficit has topped $100 billion this year
and similar record-shattering deficits are forecast
for future years.
The national debt, as of July 31,1964, is exactly
one trillion five-hundred-thirty-eight billion, six
hundred and two-million dollars ($1,538,602,000,
000), doubled what It was Just ten years ago. The
government will pay an estimated $149.8 billion just
in the interest on that debt this year, compared to
$22 billion ten years ago.
It should be no surprise, then, that the product of
this financial recklessness by government "big
spenders" has been the devastating economic con
ditions of recent years — high unemployment, in
terest rates and inflation. Obviously a new course is
needed and the Tax Limitation/Balanced Budget
Amendment is the course the government needs to
take.
There are more than 160 cosponsors to this Consti
tutional Amendment in the 96th Congress and more
than 160 signatures on Discharge Petition No. 10 to
bring the Amendment to the House floor. I strongly
support the Amendment and the Discharge
Petition.
It is clear that the pressures for ever-increasing
spending are just too great for Congress to resist It
is time to alter our basic instrument of government
spending so that the relentless expansion of govern
ment can be curbed. The Balanced Budget/Tax
Limitation Amendment provides a reasonable
means for doing this.
Letters To The Editor
Hospital Praised
To The Editor:
I am writing to you in hopes that you will publish
my letter for all the people in Warren County.
I live in Richmond and have been in lots of
hospitals. My mother had a stroke and went to
Warren General Hospital this past summer. Her
stroke was very bad and she never knew where she
was. Her mind was gone, but her body was in
heaven from July 5 until she died September 17. Of
all the hospitals I have been in, that was the best. It
was spotlessly clean. In her room, I never saw any
dirt and her bed was snow white at all times.
Her trays of food were beautiful and delicious and
the kitchen was spotless. I know because I went in
and looked.
Those nurses, around the clock, couldn't have
been topped by anyone. They took such good care of
my mother and did their best to make her comfor
table. She was turned every two hours in her bed
with regularity.
The people in the business office helped us under
stand all the paperwork.
And Dr. Kirit Trivedi, who has a heart of gold, did
all he could for mother. In all my life, I have never
seen a place like Warren General Hospital.
While there I heard it was about to close and I
would like to tell you and all the people in Warren
county what a big mistake it would be to lose it
Those who have never been there should go and see
for themselves. The ones who have been there
should be heard and keep Warren General where it
it It is beautiful and it's like having heaven here on
earth when you are sick.
I couldn't go to Richmond without letting my
thanks go to each and every one at the hospital. May
God bless them, and I thank God they were there.
MRS. EDNA WILLIAMS MUSTIAN
Richmond, Va.
Lacks Compassion
To The Editor: .
The Republican Party is devoid of compassion. If
you want to set Warren County and the great state
of North Carolina back 40 years, support Jesse
Helms and President Reagan. A man 73 years of
age has no business whatsoever running for a
second term.
A. WELDON HALL, JR.
Durham
Mra. Sasaa Dickeaa, head of the bastneee depart
meal at Warrea Coaaty High School, accepts a aew
fflaartrip program ea haaMag from Cal While, vice
timlilial of Branch Baakiagaad Trust Coopaajr la
Warreatea. Leehlag ea an Priadpal Jamea Wilier
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