Steve

The World Magazine Blog cites a situation in Janesville:

Good news about the faith-based initiative
After its very rocky start, two good things are happening with President Bush's faith-based initiative.

First, the use of vouchers is growing: "In the coming year, a $100 million drug treatment program that allows addicts to use their government money to seek treatment from religious groups will also get started.... Called Access to Recovery, it gives drug users vouchers to take to any organization they choose -- including those that rely on a religious conversion to break the addiction. Because the program uses vouchers, it can legally fund explicitly religious activity."

Second, the White House is fighting harder discrimination against religious groups. Jim Towey, who heads the faith-based initiative, "cited a case last fall in which the city council in Janesville, Wis., was urged by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a group that opposes Bush's initiative, not to give the Salvation Army $250,000 to buy a building for a homeless shelter because worship activities would also take place inside. Towey's office told city officials that federal regulations allowed the grant to go forward. 'When it's brought to our attention that a group's being discriminated against, the federal government's going to weigh in,' he said."

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