Time for the Catholic Church to move on

Dear Editor:

The recent controversy between the President Obama's Healthcare mandates for employers has caused quite the uproar within the Catholic Church. Can the government force the church to provide benefits that conflict with the beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church? This is an issue that will not be resolved quickly or easily.

The precedent, set by practice, that the church may not engage the state without violating Constitutional rights has been around for quite a few years, i.e. eliminating school prayer and not allowing any religious based teachings into public school curriculum. But the question remains, can the state engage the church and subsequently violate its Constitutional rights by mandating the coverage of contraception for employees of the Catholic Church? That is a difficult question.

Is the Catholic Church viewed as a church or a business? For argument's sake, let's agree with President Obama and view the church as a business. Just like you and I have choices, so does the church. Let's take a look.

Where is it written by law that the church has to be in the heath care business or operate any charities for that matter? It isn't, the church chooses to be in those operations because it wants to. The only duty the church owes to its members is to provide a place for members to worship. Well Catholic Church, why not implement a turnaround strategy like any other business? Retrench, restructure and move in a different direction.

Take the hospitals and sell them off. Companies such as Tenet Healthcare, Ascension Health or any regional health care network will be glad to pick up the market share today's competitive market. Better than anyone, these firms know how to get the most for the Medicare and Medicaid dollar. How about the Skilled Nursing Facilities, Personal care Homes and Assisted Living Facilities? No problem there either, Beverly or HCR Manor Care will be glad to pick up the market share as well as the Long term Care Medicaid (Medical Assistance )beds.

You know, those beds that are used for residents in Skilled Nursing who have used up all their money and can't go home, Medicaid beds aren't exactly easy to come by here in Pennsylvania or anywhere else for that matter. Right, Gov. Corbett? Let's get all of these facilities into the for profit system where there is always a dollar to be made.

How about it President Obama, Sen. Pelosi? Think the Medicare and Medicaid (Medical Assistance) budgets are overwrought now? Well - What if?

Now what to do with the charities, those non performing assets on the church's balance sheet? Shut them down, after all the name of the game here is making money not losing money.

Well that might seem a little harsh, but then again a dollar saved is a dollar earned. But what are we to do with the needy, displaced and poor people. No problem there either, our leaders in Washington have figured out how to turn the Constitution into a one-way street and sell it to the American public at the same time, (remember church to state and state to church) taking care of a few more financially indigent people should be relatively easy.

How about it Washington? Think the Health and Human Services appropriations are a mess right now? Maybe, Maybe not?

Perhaps the church might decide not to go in this direction, and stay in current operations.

There's still that little problem of employee coverage. Have no fear; the church has options there as well. Close for a day or two and the rehire employees under part time status or better yet sub contract them. Provide the new employees with no benefits or the benefits the church chooses to provide. Where did we come up with this idea? Big Business of course, they've been doing this successfully for years. Just ask your labor activists or union leaders, better yet look at the increase in profits. If that doesn't do the trick, the church can always outsource.

Come on Catholic Church you're being looked at as a business, start acting like a business. The Constitution may be viewed as something that must change with the times, but good old fashioned business practices will always stand the test of time. Good for one good for all, nothing levels the playing field better than the almighty dollar. Stop worrying about everyone else and look out for Number One, time to move on.

Joseph J Pavlis

Lansford