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| Ground Zero Muslim center may get public financing |
| 2010-08-28 |
| The Muslim center planned near the site of the World Trade Center attack could qualify for tax-free financing, a spokesman for City Comptroller John Liu said on Friday, and Liu is willing to consider approving the public subsidy. The Democratic comptroller's spokesman, Scott Sieber, said Liu supported the project. The center has sparked an intense debate over U.S. religious freedoms and the sanctity of the Trade Center site, where nearly 3,000 perished in the September 11, 2001 attack. "If it turns out to be financially feasible and if they can demonstrate an ability to pay off the bonds and comply with the laws concerning tax-exempt financing, we'd certainly consider it," Sieber told Reuters. Spokesmen for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor David Paterson and the Islamic center and were not immediately available. The proposed center, two blocks from the Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, has caused a split between people who lost relatives and friends in the attack, as well as conservative politicians, and those who support the project. Among those who support it are the mayor, civic and religious groups, and some families of victims. The mosque's backers hope to raise a total of $70 million in tax-exempt debt to build the center, according to the New York Times. Tax laws allow such funding for religiously affiliated non-profits if they can prove the facility will benefit the general public and their religious activities are funded separately. The bonds could be issued through a local development corporation created for this purpose, experts said. The Islamic center would have to repay the bonds, which likely would be less expensive than taxable debt. New York City's Industrial Development Authority could not issue debt for the center because the state civic facilities law, which governed this type of financing for non-profits, was allowed to expire about two years ago. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #13 Do you know what's great about 29 year olds? Heh. I guess that joke doesn't work so well if they're 11 years old, does it? |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-08-28 23:22 |
| #12 Right you are Blondie. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-08-28 16:31 |
| #11 Muhammad: Do you know what's great about 29 year olds? There's twenty of 'em...! Thank you very much..try the veal.. |
| Posted by: Gomez Elmiling5146 2010-08-28 16:18 |
| #10 can prove the facility will benefit the general public Any chance the Orthodox Church that was not allowed to rebuild can use that arguement? Or does it only work if you're an enemy of the United States? |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2010-08-28 16:09 |
| #9 "can prove the facility will benefit the general public" It is written in the Koran that Muslims are not to befriend Christians or Jews. And the last time we saw outreach by a Muslim around these parts, it was the kind of out reach that ended up with dozens of troops shot up at Ft Hood. By a Muslim Psychiatrist at that. |
| Posted by: Ominenter Big Foot5292 2010-08-28 15:06 |
| #8 The separation of church and state in this case is New Yorkers fund the infrastructure and the Saudis fund the jihadi prostelizing. Insert note about money being fungible here. |
| Posted by: regular joe 2010-08-28 09:08 |
| #7 Dammit, hit submit too fast. Anyway, where's all the talk about "separation of church and state" from the usual suspects now? Or are they ok with the state and religion mixing as long as it is with Islamists? And speaking of cathedrals, I'm sure that John Liu would give the board of St Nicholas the same tax-favored consideration for their rebuilding plans, right??? Wouldn't want to give them a chance for a lawsuit against the city, now, would he? |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2010-08-28 08:09 |
| #6 Besoeker, two things wrong wih that: 1) If that was "The Rapture", I think the end times would have happened sooner, and 2) There are 19 who died that day who were far from sinless. I'm hoping they got an express ticket to the bottom reaches of Hell, but then again, I'm a blackhearted, evil-tempered little thing....maybe the Almighty would be more merciful than I am.... |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2010-08-28 08:04 |
| #5 Martha's Vineyard I hope. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-08-28 05:53 |
| #4 So Besoeker, you think this is next ? |
| Posted by: Goodluck 2010-08-28 05:47 |
| #3 The Democratic comptroller's spokesman, Scott Sieber, said Liu supported the project. The center has sparked an intense debate over U.S. religious freedoms and the sanctity of the Trade Center site, where nearly 3,000 perished in the September 11, 2001 attack. Not to be glib, but I am more beginning to wonder if the 3,000 who "perished" were actually a sinless remnent raptured by God, and we are now well into the 7 years of an Obama "Tribulation." |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-08-28 05:00 |
| #2 No, just obfuscation ..... Mohammedan (also spelt Muhammadan, Mahommedan, Mahomedan or Mahometan) is a Westernized term for a follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. |
| Posted by: Goodluck 2010-08-28 04:52 |
| #1 From Socialism Quotes: "The day has passed for patching up the capitalist system; it must go. And in the work of abolishing it the Catholic and the Protestant, the Catholic and the Jew, the Catholic and the Freethinker, the Catholic and the Buddhist, the Catholic and the Mahometan will co- operate together† For, as we have said elsewhere, Socialism is neither Protestant nor Catholic,Christian nor Freethinker, Buddhist, Mahometan, nor Jew; it is only HUMAN." -Connolly,James Labour, Nationality, and Religion. Seems the author left out one religion....hmmm |
| Posted by: Goodluck 2010-08-28 04:47 |