Bush to Americans........"seperate this pal"
Bush Touts Grants to Religious Charities
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 10, 2006; Page A05
President Bush said yesterday that the federal government gave more than $2.1 billion in grants to religious charities last year -- a 7 percent increase from the prior year and proof, he said, that his administration has made it easier for faith-based groups to obtain taxpayer funds.
Speaking to a White House-organized conference of 1,200 charity leaders from across the country, Bush said the administration is creating "a level playing field" for religious organizations to compete with secular groups to run drug treatment programs, homeless shelters and other social services.
Government's role is "to fund, not to micromanage how you run your programs," he said. "I repeat to you, you can't be a faith-based program if you don't practice your faith."
The speech, accompanied by a blizzard of statistics on federal grants, was partly an appeal to religious supporters and partly a response to rising criticism.