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Fiscally Conservative? GOP Pushes Bill To Put ‘In God We Trust’ On All Federal Buildings

video

by Jon Bershad | 11:21 am, March 23rd, 2011

» 19 comments

Finally, the Republican-run Congress will do what the Democrats couldn’t; make new jobs. A powerful bill is set to be voted on by the full House after being passed by the Judiciary Committee last week. This legislation will reaffirm “In God we trust” as our national motto and support slapping the slogan on the side of all federal buildings. So, yes, unemployed people who formerly made building signs for a living, you’re gravy train just came in. As for the rest of you…well, I bet the army’s hiring.

The bill is being sponsored by Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia who told Politico that the phrase is just as right for America today as when it was first made our official motto in 1956. Before 1956, apparently, America didn’t trust God, wouldn’t loan Him money, and would never ask Him to pick them up at the airport.

The bill has faced its share of detractors. Many secularists have claimed that the motto breaks the division of church and state while an earlier version that Forbes sponsored while the Democrats were in power didn’t make it through at all. However, just as the Supreme Court rejected a suit to remove the phrase from American currency earlier this month, the House Judiciary Committee passed the measure and its picking up steam in the House proper. Besides, Forbes has said that the motto isn’t just “about Christians” and addresses many religions. Which, I suppose, means the “God” in “In God we trust” is more vague and can mean whomever you want from Yahweh to Thor to Bruce Almighty. Who wouldn’t want to spend time declaring our faith in “Whomever Whoever Is Talking At the Time Wants”?

Others have questioned the financial sense of putting up a bunch of signs in times of such dire straights (watch as the Left inflates sign-making costs as well as the Right inflated tape-removal costs). Sure there are cheaper ways to affirm the nation’s religious nature (like, just having faith in your heart and not needing a sign to prove a fundamental belief you hold strongly enough that it’s a part of who you are), but there are also more expensive ways. There would really be reason to complain if Congress wanted to bus all federal employees out somewhere to hold trust-building exercises with a holy power (“These footsteps in the sand are where I was walking, and this imprint is where You put a bunch of soft sand to catch me during trust falls”).

All of this is, of course, very, very pressing. If a few hours is all it takes to run a war, then surely Congress can spend a little time and money to prove how religious our buildings are.

Watch U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) speaks in support of the bill below:

God, Gregg Harper, In God We Trust, Randy Forbes

skyfet

Someone needs to remind these Folks about the separation of Church and States. You can practice your religion freely (except Muslims), but you don’t have to shove it down everyone’s darn throat.
http://www.swissarmyjew.com Keeva

Seriously? More of the commitment to deal with the economy, budget and jobs? And these clowns want to know why Congress is so widely disrespected.

In God We Trust, but Congress…not so much.
skyfet

Why do they have to use Govt. money, let one of the private firms do it (for the love of the country). They complained about construction works being provided via the Govt. yet they want to give out silly contract to post this everywhere.

Follow the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.swissarmyjew.com Keeva

skyfet said:
Someone needs to remind these Folks about the separation of Church and States. You can practice your religion freely (except Muslims), but you don’t have to shove it down everyone’s darn throat.

This one is not really about Church and State since the Supremes have already rules that the “In God We Trust” motto is OK. This is about priorities that this new Congress promised and promptly set aside for goofy stuff like this. They promised to tackle spending, deficits and jobs, NOT pointless symbolism. However, who are we to expect a bunch of corrupt lying politicians (BOTH parties!) to actually keep a promise without some pocket lining.
The_Reasonable_Lib

Right-wing hypocrisy at its best. What if people who don’t believe in God don’t want their tax dollars to go to this?
Jackie_Treehorn

Sweet love these Tea Party politicans working hard on job creation and the economy and not debating silly semantics! Watch out lib scum finished in ’12!!!!
Barack Must Go

Dear Jon, I’ve got a couple of questions for you:

1. What did God ever do to, or not do for you to make you pick on him like you’ve done here?

2. Did you not mention ( make fun of ) mohamed, along with the others, because you’re afraid of loosing your head?

3. How loudly did you protest when the ‘ chosen one ‘ spent hundreds of thousands of borrowed from China money designing, fabricating, then installing all those signs, along every highway from sea to shining sea, just so he could rub it in by reminding us of all of the quid pro quo ( union only need apply ) jobs he alone was responsible for creating?
http://www.swissarmyjew.com Keeva

Jackie_Treehorn said:
weet love these Tea Party politicans working hard on job creation and the economy and not debating silly semantics! Watch out lib scum finished in ‘12!!!!

Ummm. Not to burst your bubble, but it is the Tea Party House of Representatives that passed this and not “liberals.” It is the entire Congress – both parties including the Tea Party folks – that have turned their back on the real business of the country.
same2u

So this is their idea of Job Creation Bill? Go to HELL you righty a$$holes. Go build your fu**king CREATIONIST museums using private investors funds, instead wasting the taxpayer dime on this God Squad bullshit.
moriarty70

Barack Must Go said:
2. Did you not mention ( make fun of ) mohamed, along with the others, because you’re afraid of loosing your head?

Well… Mohamed isn’t a god/saviour he’s a prophet, I think you meant Allah. Considering Allah is just the modern (Islam is the youngest sibling) version of the Abrahamic diety, and Yahweh is listed, I’d say it’s covered.
Darr247

I think it should say “In Allah We Trust” instead.
Nachi

Now there’s an idea that should definitely appeal to all Murcuhns who are intellectually, morally, ethically weightless. Wrap yerselves in thee flag & thee Bible. Yup!! That’ll work!
Yoda002

Where are the jobs that they were going to create? Boehner was talking about it all the time when he was in the minority. So far its been to defund Planned Parenthood, Make sure there is no abortions funding in the health care bill, emergency NPR vote, and going McCarthyism on muslims. But nothing to do with jobs.
jrcmi

John Boehner and Eric Cantor have the House working diligently . . . THREE days a week . . . on vital issues of national importance. Like this one.
CosmosDan

I’m a little confused by the exact details of the bill. The speaker in the video speaks of one building only, the visitor’s center, and the articles speak of supporting having IGWT put on public buildings and schools. Supporting doesn’t mean mandatory, and It isn’t clear to me if they are asking for any funds for this.

According to this
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42376

Rep Forbes has been working on this for around four years but it goes on to say,

“We’re not forcing anybody to do anything,” said Forbes. “But at the same time, we want to stand there to protect people who want to say God in a public building. And we don’t want some government agency telling them that they can’t put the national motto in their buildings or classrooms.”
What does that mean? Any teacher who feels like it can put this up and can’t be told no? I’m predicting local people will still have their say.

He also says
““This is not just about Christians. This is about a number of different religions across the country,” said Forbes. “We simply recognize the importance of God in this country, all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, through all the Presidents, to the Supreme Court, to the actions of Congress, and the actions of the Senate.”

That’s nice but some religions don’t believe in a supreme deity, and more than a few Christians would argue that the “God” that other religions trust in is not their God, {theirs being the only true one}

I’m still unsure exactly what the legislation is supposed to do other than stir up controversy.

sure doesn’t seem like a priority of any sort. It’s clear that our founders didn’t want any religion to have dibbs on America, and individuals and groups are free to trust in God or not as their heart dictates.
Jayson

Barack Must Go said:
Dear Jon, I’ve got a couple of questions for you: 1. What did God ever do to, or not do for you to make you pick on him like you’ve done here? 2. Did you not mention ( make fun of ) mohamed, along with the others, because you’re afraid of loosing your head? 3. How loudly did you protest when the ‘ chosen one ‘ spent hundreds of thousands of borrowed from China money designing, fabricating, then installing all those signs, along every highway from sea to shining sea, just so he could rub it in by reminding us of all of the quid pro quo ( union only need apply ) jobs he alone was responsible for creating?

Do you realize you don’t make any sense?
X-3

I wouldn’t mind Congress passing a bill to do this for so long as the work to make the inscriptions are paid for by donations.
chicgoods36

welcome:
( w w w)(chic-goods)(com)
http://www.dandyid.org/id/okami okami

i’d say the engraving should be made only by ordained priests, preachers & ministers, with no monetary renumeration. they get their motto; the people save money. might be the first real work some of them have ever done.

(note: i’ve known many who have done hard physical labor for decades in addition to preaching; i just don’t see any evidence of it in the past ten-twenty years or so. especially among the right-wing loudmouths & media darlings.)