Wednesday, January 25, 2012

PRESIDENT OBAMA HONORS CATHOLIC STUDENT


Archbishop Carroll High School Student Thrilled To Be Honored at the White House


On January 25, Bertha Castaneda was honored at a White House reception by President Barack Obama and received a private tour of the White House before the ceremony.

The White House Champions of Change program honors citizens across the country who are using projects and initiatives to move their communities forward. The honorees have each taken great strides to improve the lives of others through charitable work, faith and advocacy.

The child of hard-working Salvadoran immigrants, Bertha Castaneda attended Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School prior to attending Archbishop Carroll High School in northeast Washington, a Catholic high school of the Archdiocese of Washington. Asked what she was most looking forward to about the White House, she said she was most excited about meeting President Obama. She mentioned that all of her classmates at her Catholic school really appreciate President Obama and that they wanted her to convey their best wishes to hi.

President Obama recognized Bertha as an example of the hardworking students of Archbishop Carroll. She tutors as part of the National Honor Society and serves as a peer minister, seeking out students who are struggling with the social and spiritual crises of adolescence and counseling them. In addition, she, coaches younger students as part of the Augustine Scholars and started her own day camp when she was in 10th grade, recruiting neighborhood children to participate. On top of all of her extracurricular activities, Bertha has maintained a 4.07 GPA and like many immigrant students, Bertha serves as her family’s primary translator, handling bureaucratic responsibilities for her family that other teens don’t have to contend with.

Archbishop Carroll High School serves minority students with limited financial means and provides them an excellent Catholic education.

15 comments:

Kathy said...

And what of the HHS mandate? Does that honor the Catholic Church?

Max said...

Archbishop Carroll High School will have to drop health insurance for its employees and be fined because of the anti Catholic Obamacare. Thanks Barak for caring! But you will always have some catholics to shill for you. Right Katherine?

John said...

There is no fine. Carroll (which currently offers a lousy plan)can just allow its employees to buy insurance on the exchange with no fine.

After all, conservatives believe that insurance is just an optional perk that people might willing forgo. Why should it be forced on anyone?

Max said...

Excuse me John, there is a fine. If the employer drops its coverage they are fined. Of course this won't kick in till after the election.

BTW John did you actually read what you posted in the last paragraph? Speaking of force, why should Catholic Institutions be forced to offer health coverage that is against the doctrine of the Church?

Catholics for Obama have made their choice, Obama over the Church

Max said...

Ok John here is the how the fines will work, starting in 2014:

If employees must obtain a subsidy to purchase coverage, employers will be fined, the penalties are: $3,000 for every employee not covered, or $2,000 for every employee, minus the first 30 workers, whichever is less.

Kurt said...

Max,

The fines only apply to large corporations. Not to church affiliated charities.

Max said...

Kurt:

Please provide link on charitable employer exemption from fines. Only exemption I coould find was employer with under 50 employees.

Max said...

Employer Mandate Tax (Jan 2014): If an employer does not offer health coverage, and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit, the employer must pay an additional non-deductible tax of $2000 for all full-time employees. Applies to all employers with 50 or more employees. If any employee actually receives coverage through the exchange, the penalty on the employer for that employee rises to $3000. If the employer requires a waiting period to enroll in coverage of 30-60 days, there is a $400 tax per employee ($600 if the period is 60 days or longer). Bill: PPACA; Page: 345-346

Please show me where the exemption is for charitiies.

Kurt said...

Max, the exemption is that charities are not subject to taxes. I note you corrected your misuse of the term "fine" and correctly called it a "tax" in your last post.

damien said...

"One can hardly tell the difference between a tax and a fine, except that the fine is usually much lighter."
- G. K. Chesterton

Have any bishops supported the contraception mandate?

Catholics for Catholicism

M ax said...

Kurt:

Tax or fine its still imposed under Obamacare if insurance is not provided by the employer. Charatible organizations are excempt from income taxes. They are required to pay fica taxes. Properties of these organizations, such as parking lots, are subject to real estate taxes.

I was reading a magazine on line called Chronicles of Philanthopy, where the fines/taxes were mentioned. If you can provide any link to a reputable source Ill concede the point.

However as Archbishop Dolan said , speaking for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable.It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

Kurt said...

Max,

The tax is part fo the corporate tax, not FICA tax to answer yoru question.

Archbishop Dolan has a valid point. He does not say these institutions would be taxed. Instead he speaks of dropping health insurance.

What would be great would be to combine the hoped for lawsuit against the contraceptive mandate and the challenge to the health care mandate in the Affordable Care Act. The challenge to the mandate is based on the theory that health insurance is simply a commercial product that people might legitimately purchase or not purchase. It’s a private choice.

The opposition (of which I am part of) to the contraception mandate is that it simply is not possible for Catholic auxiliary institutions to not offer insurance to their employees as a way to avoid financing contraception.

If one is opposed to the insurance mandate, then what is virtuous about an employer "forcing" employees to take part of their compensation in the form of a private, commercial product rather than cash?

Max said...

Kurt, I actually agree with the vast majority of your last post. I realize Charatible organizations pay no corporate taxes, however they are not excempt from all taxes, thats why I referenced FICA, and certain property taxes. Anyway we may actually agree on something. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

David said...

Catholic for Obama? That likes Christians for Caligula! We support the Emperor for creating jobs for Roman citizens but disappointed when sent our Christian martyrs to the lions.

Anonymous said...

And at least Caligula was a Roman man, unlike the Kenyan monkey we have as a president