Too Hot for ABC-TV: You Get What You Pay for In Taxes

While Congress postpones resolving the contentious issue of taxes until after the November elections, Ethics Daily has stepped forward to put a spotlight on what has become "The Forbidden Topic" of fair taxes. Meanwhile, ABC television has decided that an authentic moral witness on the issue is too controversial for them to broadcast.

Over the past several years, Ethics Daily has produced a number of highly acclaimed documentaries on moral issues. Earlier this year their documentary on Baptists and Muslims working together for the common good entitled "Different Books, Common Word" aired on ABC Television stations around the country. Their new documentary on fair taxation was scheduled to air this month. ABC, however, refused to air the documentary when the documentary's producers -- Robert Parham and Cliff Vaughn -- refused to gut the documentary of specific moral critique in regard to tax policy. A press release from Ethics Daily explains,

"Sacred Texts, Social Duty" was originally produced as an ABC-TV interfaith special. However, network gatekeepers refused to air the program without the removal of the 10-minute segment evaluating regressivity/progressivity, sales taxes on food, and the lottery as a predatory form of taxation.

EthicsDaily.com was unwilling to gut the program of its moral witness.

"Broadcasting an hour-long documentary on sacred texts without an application of moral teachings to the public square says that religion is irrelevant, that faith has nothing to say to social justice, that the current tax system is a good one from a faith perspective," says Robert Parham, executive director of EthicsDaily.com. "Watering down the moral witness for the sake of an ABC broadcast is too much of a compromise."

An essay today by Robert Parham reveals how contentious honest dialogue about taxes has become in our society. Responding to a Tea Party suggestion that the government turn all charitable work over to the churches, Wayne Flint responds in an interview for the documentary:

He responded, "OK, I accept your argument. There are 10,000 communities of faith – Muslim, Jewish, Baptist, Baha'i, Buddhist, Shintoist – in Alabama... Let's divide 10,000 communities of faith into the 740,000 people and how many does your church get?"

Noting that many of these communities of faith have less than 100 members, Flynt said each house of faith would get roughly 50 to 100 poor people for whom it would be responsible.

"We won't have to have Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, taxes of any kind... We can abolish taxes. We can abolish the IRS. And all you have to do is for your congregation to adopt 50 to 100 poor people, and mentor them, and love them, and educate them, and nurture them," said Flynt.

Here's a link to order the DVD or view additional clips from the DVD.