WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear an appeal from the Boy Scouts over what the organization claims is discrimination because of its policy against hiring gays.
The case revisited the gay rights fight surrounding the high court’s ruling four years ago that the Boy Scouts have the right to ban openly homosexual scout leaders. This time, the question was whether states may treat the Scouts differently than other organizations because of that policy.
Eh, OK, another Scout discrimination suit. While that sort of nuisance suit gets my Irish up, it’s only to be expected in a blue state. But this may actually create an opportunity.
The Scouts asked the justices to hear a case from Connecticut, where officials dropped the group from a list of charities that receive donations through a state employee payroll deduction plan.
This is the part I don’t have a problem with. For years I have shunned the United Way and given directly to my local Scout council via the Friends of Scouting program. I figure, why not cut out the middleman? (Especially since the United Way used to be such an EXPENSIVE middleman…and for all I know they still are.)
The problem is that the Scouts have to totally rethink their charitable giving program. A checkoff program is essentially painless because it’s a small amount each month and you just never really think about it. (For instance, the $125 level of FOS is about the same as what I was letting the university check off my payroll at a rate of $10 a month.)
What’s wrong with FOS as currently implemented is that you have to pay it either in 3 or 4 installments (I don’t remember which) or pay it all at once.
Now I realize it’s expensive to bill people every month till their pledges are paid, but they also give you the option of using MasterCard or Visa. Why not let people who use a charge card (or a debit card) check an option to donate once a month?
I’ll bet the Scouts would get a lot more $125 donations that way, from families on limited income to whom it’s easier to give $10 a month than it is to give $30 quarterly or $125 annually…