The Mormon church reported $190,000 in expenses for promoting Prop. 8, the narrowly-passed ballot intiative that amended the California State Constitution to invalidate gay marriage. Do you think this invalidates their tax-exempt status?

My inclination is to say yes, but then I'm biased for gay marriage (and against the Mormon church, although considerably less so). So I'm trying to think of a parallel situation where my sympathies would support the church. Quaker abolitionists?  _
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04:47:42 PM, Monday 2 February 2009

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 A break in the frivolity: The Big Fix, by David Leonhardt in the Times. An in-depth article on using the current financial crisis to remake the US economy, looking at green jobs, energy, health care and education. 

Leonhardt argues that we've caused this mess through years of consumption over investment; he makes some interesting observations about the power of social norms in economic decision-making. I've noticed the popular media encouraging frugality lately: the three free weeklies in the SF/East Bay area have all published special issues on dealing with unemployment, budgeting, etc. I'd always thought of myself as a frugal person --- I've been lucky enough to never have to live beyond my means -- but now I'm wondering how much our consumption-oriented culture influenced me. I certainly ate out regularly and bought things I didn't need, and even now that I'm unemployed and living off my savings I find it hard to socialize without spending money.  _
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