Missourians brow-beaten by Texas attorneys

A Texas law firm has been sending letters to churches, trying to say that "..."criminal penalties apply to the collection of signatures for an initiative petition. It also warned that religious organizations trying to influence legislation 'may lose their tax-exempt status.'" Why would this law firm do this? Why, because churches, statewide, have been organizing and collecting signatures to propose a vote on the regulation of payday loans in Missouri. You know, the people who charge upwards of 400% in interest rates for their loans? A little data: "A Missouri Division of Finance study conducted in 2007 found the average age of consumers taking out payday loans was 43 with an income of a little more than $24,000. The average interest rate for a payday loan in Missouri is 445 percent annually. The national average is 391 percent." As Rev. Richard Creason, pastor of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in St. Louis said, "It's an effort to intimidate and pretend that we have no First Amendment rights as citizens of this country." Personally, I'm all about churches staying out of elections of individuals but this is utterly different. This is about helping people on an issue about the poor. They shouldn't tell anyone for whom to vote in an election but this is about organizing for an issue. From the article (link at bottom: The IRS prohibits political campaign activity on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office by houses of worship that are tax-exempt through their status as a 501(c)(3) organization. But the IRS defines political activities and legislative activities — or lobbying — as different things. Religious organizations can engage in "a limited amount" of lobbying, including ballot measures, and can advocate for (or against) political issues. Hopefully this will blow up in the faces of the attorneys in Texas. Regardless, this initiative should go forward. Link to original post: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/letters-warn-against-petitions-on-payday-loan-fee-issue/article_d7b08603-b0f4-5dda-a085-d66c4efb29ff.html