In this episode, we talk with Anne Lamontano, the Associate Director for Education at the Connecticut Catholic Conference, about the Federal School Choice Tax Credit Program, which provides tax credits to families who choose to send their children to Catholic schools.
00:00:28.800I wish in my soul, I wish that any of these people had a conscience.
00:00:34.680Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose?
00:00:38.440If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.
00:00:44.760War Room. Here's your host, Stephen K. Bannon.
00:00:48.060friday 13th folks friday 13th and no domini 2026 harnwell here at the helm on steve
00:01:03.440bannon's war room um unlucky some people think this day is i'm not a particularly superstitious
00:01:11.520person let's see if it's going to be unlucky for our guest today as we dive in to the huge debate
00:01:17.920that's taking place right now over the U.S. Federal School Choice Tax Credit Programme.
00:01:23.820Our guest is going to be navigating the issue today is Anne Lamonica, who's the Associate
00:01:29.280Director for Education at the Connecticut Catholic Conference. Anne, thanks very much
00:01:34.480indeed for coming on the show today. I know this is a big thorny issue in the United States
00:01:40.300right now, pretty much dividing the country into the two equal halves, I think, between
00:01:45.160democrats and republicans um why don't you just i have some questions which we're gonna go into
00:01:51.980about how this and why how this affects catholics and why i think catholics should be interested in
00:01:58.540this but i think it's a wider issue to do with parental choice parental responsibility the right
00:02:04.120of parents to choose the formation of their children that obviously includes a largely
00:02:09.460evangelical audience as well why don't you just just give me two minutes before we go into this
00:02:15.200just break down what this issue is to do with the the federal tax credits and how it works
00:02:20.980because it's not totally understood by everyone um and why why what makes this different from
00:02:28.140in terms of the the the tax write-off ability when you make a standard when americans make
00:02:35.600a standard donation to a 501c3? Thank you, Ben, for having me. This is different than a standard
00:02:44.600tax deduction. In fact, it's a tax credit, which means that you'll have a dollar for dollar
00:02:49.720reduction in what you owe to the federal taxes starting in 2027 for up to $1,700 in donations.
00:02:59.180Now, the way it works under the law, which passed under the one big beautiful bill, is that there is a tax credit for up to $1,700 for donations to scholarship organizations.
00:03:18.180And then those scholarship organizations then go out and hand out scholarships to kids in need.
00:03:24.360Now, there's an income requirement. The children's families have to make under 300% of the gross median income. And in Connecticut, where I am, that's roughly $250,000 to $300,000 would be 300% of the gross median income, depending on your zip code or demographic area.
00:03:46.680So the one problem with this tax credit is that when it was drafted and passed that the parliamentarian was involved and as a result, the Senate parliamentarian was involved and as a result, it changed a little bit and governors have to opt in their state scholarship organizations in order to receive donations.
00:04:14.800So anybody in the country can make a donation to a scholarship organization.
00:04:19.840So if I'm in Connecticut, I can donate to an organization in Florida or Arkansas, and they can receive it and give out donations in their state.
00:04:31.620So here in Connecticut, we have to wait for our governor, Governor Ned Lamont, to sign in and opt our organizations in so that they can receive donations from all over the country.
00:04:44.300and those donors will receive the tax credit it's not the children that are receiving tax credits
00:04:50.240they're receiving scholarships and the scholarships are not limited to 1700 that's the limit on the
00:04:56.020tax credit to the donor and right now sure sorry carry on no go ahead go ahead um
00:05:06.780i'll take the breathing pause that you give to come in and ask a question that a natural
00:05:15.440observer might ask where were it not so politically loaded already but isn't the idea
00:05:23.180of giving states their own opportunity and decision to opt into this something that people
00:05:30.260on the right of the spectrum would broadly welcome which is which is basically freeing
00:05:35.120as it were, states from the Federal Department of Education's dictatorship over educational
00:05:42.920responsibility and authority. Well, actually, that's a great point. And I agree with that.
00:05:48.760And fortunately, this program is not run through the Department of Education. It's purely a tax
00:05:53.820credit. The Department of Internal Revenue Service will be administering the tax credits
00:05:59.940to taxpayers across the country. So this does not involve the Department of Education at all. It does
00:06:05.080not involve any federal funding, any state funding. It's all purely donor private donations.
00:06:12.380So with respect to states' rights, well, I've heard a lot about the lack of representation
00:06:21.660in New England in particular, the diversity of thought in our congressional leadership,
00:06:27.900you know, in the Senate and the House. There's not one member that supported educational choice
00:06:33.620in new england and that was a huge um block for us to get through last summer when the bill passed
00:06:41.080we realized that we had nobody to talk to in connecticut nobody would take our calls
00:06:46.520nobody would meet with us about it at the federal level and as a result we decided hey let's put
00:06:54.580together a petition we'll petition the ways and means committee before it comes out of um the
00:07:00.080committee to let them know we need this in new england new england is completely underrepresented
00:07:06.400and i think it would serve conservatives social conservatives especially very well to understand
00:07:12.920that there are people in new england that would support school choice and other initiatives
00:07:18.460um with the exception of jared polis i think in in colorado this is broadly worked out to be
00:07:27.600a partisan split has it not and uh in that republican governors opting in to the program
00:07:35.900and democrat voters are opting out on that basis can you just say a few words on why this is of
00:07:45.420interest specifically um to parents trying to get their kids into catholic school for example
00:07:52.280well at catholic schools we in the catholic schools we uh educate the children's whole
00:07:58.060body mind and spirit not just their minds and bodies we try to involve um faith obviously
00:08:06.020in their daily lives we don't well relegate faith to just sundays we relegate in everything we do
00:08:12.180in all our studies um and in our working lives we try to you know live out our faith in freedom
00:08:19.900and without the restrictions of the state
00:08:24.760or the imposition of state curriculum.
00:08:29.340So specifically in terms of Catholic parents, though,
00:10:13.120They understand the benefits that we have. But when it comes to voting on a measure, they'll vote against it or it just won't make it out of committee.
00:10:22.880You know, a bill might just not be raised and made out of committee. That's that's the reality that we're living in in Connecticut, in a blue state.
00:10:31.880So that is and that is also a problem for us in Connecticut is getting Democrats to support us at the local level.
00:10:40.180We have plenty of parents who are Democrats and Republicans. We try to focus on the children, not to make this a political issue.
00:10:48.220And unfortunately, that's where we it is a political issue, but we're trying to make it not a political issue.
00:10:53.040We want it to be about the proper education of children at the direction of their parents.
00:10:57.780of course i i get that but it is a political issue you know as pretty much everything that
00:11:05.380the state does vis-a-vis parental responsibility individual responsibility you have a philosophical
00:11:11.680difference here of whether the the formation of the the state the public provision of education
00:11:17.680is part of what should be bracketed under the the public good uh sort of the the the the formation
00:11:25.640of the nation's children together for social cohesion.
00:11:30.600Or you have a different philosophical approach
00:11:33.920which basically treats education like a commodity available
00:11:37.900on the free market, and therefore that would push
00:11:41.220very much more an individualistic, purchaser-led approach.
00:11:46.200Of course, the debate itself, as much as one tries to take it
00:11:49.640out of the hands of partisan politics,
00:11:52.200it is inherently a political situation,
00:11:54.780and people will come down on different sides on this.
00:11:58.080And this is really what my question to you is.
00:12:00.360I'll ask it now, and perhaps we'll pick up just in a moment after I do a quick ad read for one of our sponsors.
00:12:06.640But I have to ask you this question, Ann LaMonica, and it's this.
00:12:11.260Do you think that decades of leftward drift for the institutional Catholic Church
00:12:18.000has somewhat enfeebled its ability here to come down very strictly on a parental rights
00:12:26.400side in this policy debate. Well, in Connecticut, I would say that has not happened. Our archbishop
00:12:34.020and our bishops have been fully supportive of parental rights. We have actually made several
00:12:41.860pleas to the state government, the state legislature, about public education, how
00:12:49.580we need to respect parental rights in public education, include parents in what's happening
00:12:55.080with their children in terms of mental health consultations. We need to be aware of what's
00:13:00.060happening to the kids at our schools. And so we've fought for that repeatedly at the guidance of our
00:13:04.920bishops. And I just don't see that happening here in Connecticut. I feel like the bishops have
00:13:11.280you know they they have you know we do have um more or less a social justice catholics and then
00:13:18.020we have you know the other ones that are involved in um more the pro-life issues but that's okay
00:13:24.420that's the diversity of the catholic church we welcome both sides and there's there's value and
00:13:30.680good to both so we just have to you know concentrate our efforts where we can and make the changes that
00:13:36.540we can. And I think that the bishops have been fully supportive of this educational choice in
00:13:42.620Connecticut, especially. I'll come back for the wider US picture in just a couple of moments.
00:13:49.500First, I have to give a quick shout out to one of the war room's key sponsors, Birch Gold. Folks,
00:13:54.840think about this. Back in 2006, if you'd have spent $20,000 on buying gold, you'd have bought
00:14:01.160about 33 ounces at spot price 20 years ago well if you'd have bought those 33 ounces and put them
00:14:09.260on the market and sold them today what you bought for twenty thousand dollars 20 years ago you would
00:14:16.540be selling today for get this one hundred and sixty five thousand dollars that's why smart
00:14:26.100americans are diversifying a portion of their savings into precious metals and that's why you
00:14:32.280need to consider buying gold from our friends at birch gold group for thousands of years gold has
00:14:38.400been a store of wealth and today it's a crucial part of any balance strategy even better birch
00:14:44.340gold can help you convert an existing ira or 401k into a tax sheltered retirement account in gold
00:14:51.940Just text BANNON, that's B-A-N-N-O-N, to the number 989898 to receive your free info kit on gold.
00:15:01.180There's no obligation, just useful information.
00:15:04.200With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers,
00:15:10.940let Birch Gold help you diversify with gold.
00:15:19.660bannon to 989898 and folks I will be giving you that phone number again in the second half of the
00:15:29.780show if you want to put a pen and pencil and paper ready I'll give you that number again
00:15:34.520back with Anne Lamonica who is the assistant director for education at the Connecticut
00:15:42.380Catholic Conference Anne so you're saying that your bishops in Connecticut have been pretty
00:15:48.180resolute on this issue regarding the wider national position however um coming soundings
00:15:55.920coming up from the catholic bishops conference let me put it like this i don't see the same
00:16:01.580intervention in the media uh as i see for example on the immigration issue uh where i would think
00:16:10.500the bishops have spoken far more clearly on that what what do you make of that difference and do
00:16:16.680Why has the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference, if we're putting the immigration issue down as a model to measure it against, why isn't the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference doing a full-throated throwdown here on the Democratic governors who are obstacling Catholic parents to take scholarships at Catholic schools?
00:16:43.760um that's a great question i would defer to the usccb on that um but i can tell you i've worked
00:16:51.800with um the education office at the usccb uh during the time that this bill was passed and
00:16:59.220i think it's just so so much has happened and that they are kind of swamped with um regulation
00:17:07.040forming right now so they're working they've been working on the regulations but that's a great
00:17:10.620question. They've tried to intercede on our behalf, but they leave it up to us at the states.
00:17:16.460We know our states better than they do. Why at the national, just, you know, why doesn't it
00:17:22.460receive as much press or why don't we hear about it more? I think that's just a matter of the media
00:17:32.440picking up on the stories. I think immigration is more of a hot button issue than a tax credit,
00:17:37.140unfortunately. But I do want to add that these tax credits, these scholarships can be used in
00:17:43.400Catholic schools, but they could also be used for homeschooling. They could be used for tutoring.
00:17:47.480They could be used for special needs services. And public school students could benefit too.
00:17:53.480And as Bishop Frank Caggiano had said, this is for all students. And it's not just for Catholics.
00:17:58.080It's for all students. But we have our interest at the Connecticut Catholic Conference, obviously,
00:18:07.140Would you like to see church leadership challenging more frontally the democratic governors who are blocking this tax credit program in their state?
00:18:22.360I think I don't know how helpful that would be, actually.
00:18:25.800We shouldn't I don't want to, you know, I don't want anybody undermining our bishops coming from outside.
00:18:31.420I think they have full control of what they can do here.
00:18:35.600I do think it might be slightly helpful, but I question whether, you know, the governor would actually listen.
00:18:43.260So we don't want to go too heavy, I suppose.
00:18:46.620Just for the sake of clarity, you said you wouldn't want to see people undermining your Catholic bishops from outside.
00:18:55.580I shouldn't say undermine. That was a poor choice of words.
00:18:57.960I should say, you know, I think they can handle it.
00:19:01.820They have the reserves to handle it on their own.
00:19:04.200And I think they they should be allowed the freedom to do so.
00:19:09.300So you're not suggesting to be clear about this, you're not agitating the the the Connecticut Catholic Conference isn't agitating here for for the U.S.
00:19:24.100Catholic Bishops Conference as an entity to be intervening more vocally, more strongly
00:19:30.300in individual states where Democrat governors are blocking the program?
00:19:36.180I don't see what benefit that would do, actually. The USCCB has done a great job helping us in the
00:19:43.120first, you know, get this bill passed at the federal level. We're at the state level now.
00:19:46.860And I think that whatever they say will just, you know, be combined with whatever we're saying.
00:19:54.880So it's just going to get lost in the weeds. I don't think it's going to be all that helpful.
00:19:58.600um okay let me ask you this then if we're um and this is firmly part of catholic social teaching
00:20:08.900right that the parental responsibility for the educational formation of children and takes
00:20:15.340precedent over the state's role here um if we're assuming that that is true and i think you and i
00:20:23.780both take that as absolutely to be true in the natural order of things um the the ability for
00:20:32.320parents to to have the formation that they want for their children is really um it's a moral issue
00:20:39.800as well as a religious issue right um rather than just being say a policy issue correct a moral and
00:20:49.360government would encourage a parent to make the best choice for their child whether it be a
00:20:54.980catholic school evangelical school homeschool they would encourage that that government would do that
00:21:00.300and a governor that blocks the program in their state is effectively saying that they know better
00:21:08.780for the educational formation of the children than the parents correct that's right so if it's a more
00:21:17.060So if we're taking it as a moral and religious issue, and one here that is at the heart of Catholic social teaching, even though it's very rarely, I think, given the seriousness that it should have.
00:21:30.080But it was, you know, I think it was it Gravissimus, Gravissimum, the document from the Second Vatican Council on the formation of Gravissimum, was it Educationis?
00:21:46.320And you have Familiaris Consortio as well from John Paul II.
00:21:50.060These are serious sort of, there is a strong Catholic provenance here on these issues.
00:21:55.040I want to come back to the issue why the Catholic Bishops' Conference can't get into this a little bit more strongly,
00:22:08.100If it was simply a political policy issue, I could accept the arguments on prudential grounds that it might be counterproductive.
00:22:14.960But given that this is, as we've established, a moral issue here,
00:22:19.500I would have thought there was a wide open opportunity for the Catholic Bishops' Conference to come in and make a very clear case in widening this program, the tax credit program, allowing that in the states where democratic governors have blocked it.
00:22:36.820And even if that does mean that the Catholic Bishops' Conference is taking a more overtly political position, I think there's enough justification for it to do so.
00:22:45.780yeah that that would be great i mean i i think it would be helpful i guess i just
00:22:52.060i do think that the usccb helps direct the state level um the connecticut catholic conference and
00:22:59.480you know all the states are working together all the the executive directors of the
00:23:04.400state level um conferences are working together on this issue um and we are at the front lines
00:23:13.420in the states to make that. And, you know, coming from outside of Connecticut, we're not going to
00:23:18.460have that. That influence is not going to be as persuasive as local influence here, at least in
00:23:24.660Connecticut. Maybe it works differently in other states, but we're such a small state that we
00:23:28.640really, our legislators and our governor is going to listen to the people of Connecticut and they're
00:23:33.320not going to really pay attention to the people outside. I guess that's the point I'm trying to
00:23:37.500make. It's that it's more of a local issue here. I would ask Congress if, you know, the USCCB could
00:23:46.120help us here. I would ask Congress the next reconciliation bill that they consider is to
00:23:52.620remove this opt-in option for governors. Remove it from the law. It's unnecessary. It's unnecessary
00:23:58.340to create this division among the states in treating children differently in one state if
00:24:03.660live in a red state versus a blue state that that would be the easiest problem i think i think it
00:24:11.400was a requirement wasn't it to getting the the bill passed on that point it was a compromise
00:24:15.740um in order to get it passed and of course on a on a on a bipartisan issue it is a it is a strange
00:24:23.640inversion i think uh to have basically the the republicans um um the strange inversion for the
00:24:34.820catholics i should say uh to be in a situation where they're sort of really pushing for uh a
00:24:43.580sort of state rights position um whereas then as i as i was saying before earlier on in the show
00:24:51.500So after many decades, apart from the pro-life issue, the whole push of Catholic representation in politics has been towards state provision, which is, you know, and that's why I think it's my first question was trying to tease out of you whether I think, because it's my belief looking at this, that because of the leftward drift of the institutional Catholic Church since the 60s,
00:25:21.140since the mid-60s, we're now on this issue of Catholic education,
00:25:50.800And I would suspect, knowing something about the people who tend to populate bishops' conferences, is that they tend to have a left-wing bias.
00:26:02.780And I'm sort of thinking whether that might be an attention here in the bishops' conference on this issue.
00:26:09.520Just give me 30 seconds as your reaction to that, and then we'll go into the break.
00:26:13.780Well, back to the state's rights, I just say let's look back at our representation in New England.
00:26:18.400it's been an issue on this show. Vice President J.D. Vance has brought it up. And I think if you
00:26:23.600realize why we have the representation in Congress that we have, it might be a result of other
00:26:29.240factors. And I'd like to see the Republicans in the House support school choice for everyone
00:26:36.780and in the Senate to see that there are conservatives across the whole country,
00:26:42.500not just the red states. They have to look beyond because children in our states might
00:26:46.460move to their red state eventually perfect point to close and we're back in two minutes don't go
00:26:52.460away folks back with ann lamonica to discuss the issue of the federal tax credit here back in two
00:26:59.020minutes i've got a question for you how do you usually get your medication let me guess you call
00:27:05.080the doctor away from an appointment to get a prescription sit in a waiting room then you stand
00:27:09.760around in line at the pharmacy hoping they actually have what you need that's not convenient
00:27:15.040it, that's a system that doesn't work. There's a better way. And that way is where all family
00:27:21.880pharmacy comes in. They take the hassle out of the process. You go online, select what you're
00:27:27.320looking for, complete a short medical form, and a licensed physician reviews your request.
00:27:32.640If it's appropriate, they write the prescription and your medication is shipped straight to your
00:27:38.220home. They've got essentials like antibiotics, antivirals, ivermectin, NAD+, and hundreds of
00:27:46.640other prescription medications. It's simple, it's efficient, and it puts you back in control. Stop
00:27:53.760dealing with the old way. Get your medical freedom and do it today. Go to allfamilypharmacy.com
00:28:00.920slash Bannon and use promo code Bannon10 to get 10% off your order. Get your medical freedom
00:28:07.980today. Go to allfamilypharmacy.com slash Bannon and use promo code Bannon10 to get 10% off your
00:28:15.360order. Think about this. In 2006, $20,000 equaled roughly 33 ounces of gold at spot prices.
00:28:26.880At today's prices, those 33 ounces of gold will be worth $165,000.
00:28:37.260Smart Americans diversify a portion of their savings into precious metals.
00:28:42.840And that's why you need to consider buying gold from my friends at Birch Gold Group.
00:28:47.920For thousands of years, gold has been a store of wealth.
00:28:51.580And today, it is a crucial part of any balance strategy.
00:28:54.880Even better, Birch Gold can help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax-sheltered retirement account in gold.
00:29:04.420Just text my name, Bannon, B-A-N-N-O-N, to the number 989898 to receive your free info kit on gold.
00:29:12.060There's no obligation, just useful information.
00:29:16.040With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers,
00:29:21.880Let Birch Gold help you diversify with gold. Now that's peace of mind. Text Bannon to 989898. Again, my name, Bannon, B-A-N-N-O-N, to the number 989898. Do it today.
00:29:38.760fellow patriots the federal reserve has betrayed america for over a century printing fiat inflating
00:29:46.040away your savings serving globalist masters but president trump is ending it president trump is
00:29:53.540wielding a 112 year old law to reclaim control over the rogue federal reserve he's replacing
00:30:00.760jerome powell slashing rates and igniting america's re-industrialization this is in theory
00:30:06.700government-backed industry plus low rates unleashes super cycles history repeats
00:30:13.660gold's already exploding miners are up 400 percent in the last year what records is calling
00:30:20.520trump's gift is wealth for american patriots not global handouts now it's america's turn
00:30:27.920gold to 27 000 in the coming years jim rickard cia and pentagon veteran says act now go to
00:31:05.620today you want to know what steve bannon's thinking go to getter that's right you can
00:31:09.440follow all of your favorites steve bannon charlie kirk jack basoba and so many more download the
00:31:15.260app now sign up for free and be part of the movement welcome back well as you know folks
00:31:22.760like those of you who follow the war room regularly gold is a hedge it is a safe harbor
00:31:29.360in times of crisis so if you want to speak to philip patrick and his team at birch gold just
00:31:35.880text bannon b-a-double-n-o-n to 9-8-9-8-9-8 bannon to 9-8-9-8-9-8 and i'll give you that
00:31:44.960number once again very quickly at the end of the show back to ann lamonica the assistant director
00:31:50.660for Education at the Connecticut Catholic Conference.
00:31:55.400And thanks for staying with us as we dig into these issues.
00:32:00.400Now, it's often commented in the media that Pope Leo is the first American pope.
00:32:10.560So my question on this is seeing is that the pope is so keen to intervene
00:32:17.120in U.S. domestic political issues on the immigration issue,
00:32:22.860specifically dropping all the hints at his diplomatic disposal
00:32:27.980to indicate he doesn't quite think the Trump administration
00:32:31.060has understood the subtleties and complexities
00:32:36.200of Catholic social teaching on the issue.
00:32:38.800What can we expect, and I know you don't speak for the Pope or anything,
00:32:42.600But do you think Catholics might reasonably expect the Pope to intervene on this issue in favor of, as you say, not only Catholic parents, but evangelical parents, Jewish parents as well, to help guarantee for them the ability to pick the education that parents want for their children?
00:33:06.380I do expect that. In fact, you know, Pope Francis had done the same. It took a little while and, you know, a few years, but he was outright and outspoken about parental rights. And I suspect that hopefully it will do the same, probably before the end of the year, I would guess, before this tax credit kicks in.
00:33:29.920and what um well thank you for speaking so um so positively on that one um what kind of effect
00:33:39.500do you think that will have on the domestic political situation in the united states right
00:33:44.940now given the the the various uh positions that people are taking uh generally with regards to
00:33:52.580partisan split i would expect that would have a bigger effect actually i think that would be
00:33:58.780the best effect. Not that, you know, the USCCB is just, you know, the Conference of Bishops.
00:34:06.320They're not the local bishops, you know, in a state, in the archdiocese or diocese. So I think
00:34:13.760if you hear it from the top, people are going to listen. And Pope Leo, I'm sure, can draw an
00:34:19.240audience and people will report on it and they'll put pressure on legislators and we'll see what
00:34:25.800happens. I absolutely agree with you. I think it would be massive were he to do so because no matter
00:34:33.020how it's framed or how it's positioned or how much Vatican spokesmen or even the US Catholic
00:34:40.060Bishops Conference say that he's not making a partisan intervention here, it's absolutely clear
00:34:44.940given the split between Democrat governors and Republican governors in the country that this
00:34:50.480is that this will de facto be a position far closer to one political side than another.
00:34:55.840And for the reasons that we mentioned in the first half of the show, very much going against
00:35:00.480the general trend and current of the Catholic Church's activism in the political sphere.
00:35:07.600Of course, one criticism that will be made on this is that the reason why the Pope will be
00:35:14.160intervening on this and taking that particular position which has a particular affinity uh with
00:35:20.460the gop it's because the catholic and this is the point that the catholic church is desperate
00:35:24.380really the institutional catholic church is desperate that the point the church is desperate
00:35:29.800not to generate because the catholic church is is defending uh it has a direct interest in this issue
00:35:36.480are you suggesting that we're that the catholic schools would be profiting from the tax
00:35:44.040credit i've heard this i've heard this before and i know it's not you actually actually that's that's
00:35:52.560not my suggestion my mom though i though it is absolutely though it is absolutely my my position
00:36:00.260um that the catholic that the that the catholic bishops conference has a leftward progressive
00:36:05.860stance in the political sphere because of the huge subsidies and grants it takes from the federal
00:36:11.800government um to to deliver its various social uh services but that's not my argument on this issue
00:36:17.080i on this issue my issue is is that the catholic church will take what is a more individualistic
00:36:23.540position rather than state-led position on this issue because it has an interest uh in seeing as
00:36:30.580many catholics formed um as possible and it were it not to be were it not directly an issue
00:36:37.660affecting the formation of Catholics and Catholic family and Catholic youth,
00:36:42.400if you took the word Catholic out of that,
00:36:45.220the Catholic Church would almost certainly be landing up behind
00:36:47.640the Democratic governors on this issue.
00:37:04.060We have very small budgets than the public schools.
00:37:07.240But in terms of if it weren't Catholics involved, that the church would not be involved, I tend to disagree with that, because the church has a long history of academic and intellectual freedom and supporting intellectual freedom and diversity of thought, you know, 2,000 years worth.
00:37:23.880They inherited Roman and ancient Greek classical education and preserved it and refined it and use it as a tool for good.
00:37:35.900So I tend to disagree with that. I think the church would always support educational freedom, or it should if it doesn't.
00:37:43.540But I feel like that's the history of the church and will continue to do so.
00:37:49.240OK, then let me push back on that slightly.
00:37:52.340in that case why does the catholic church have a very different public policy position
00:37:57.580on the provision of health care from the provision of education in that sense
00:38:05.060um okay but you know but you don't understand why i'm asking the question right i do i do
00:38:12.700understand that there's a difference i i understand that um all right before we do the
00:38:19.360move move to the to the next um sponsorship question let me just ask you whether you think
00:38:27.560that um the church has underestimated somewhat over recent decades the degree to which aggressive
00:38:35.240secular public systems uh have wanted to compete against religious education
00:38:41.240oh no and well in fact they're fully they've been fully aware of it as it had happened
00:38:47.740And in 19, early 1990s in Connecticut, we used to be, the Catholic schools used to be part of an open choice network where students could attend if we had open seats and they could attend for free if they came from cities in need.
00:39:05.800And in the early 90s, we were removed from that program and magnet schools were created.
00:39:11.620And those magnet schools had a detrimental effect on enrollment in the Catholic schools.
00:39:18.380And along with the imposition of a new state income tax, those combined reduced the income of families to be able to send two, three, four children to school, to a Catholic school.
00:39:30.800And so they chose the magnet schools perhaps instead.
00:39:34.040So they've seen this effect for several decades now.
00:39:38.660And we're actually, our numbers are coming back after COVID.
00:39:42.540I think people have a renewed interest in Catholic education and what we have to offer students.
00:39:49.640All right. Well, seeing as we're on the issue of taxes right now, perfect time to shout out for Tax Network USA, of course.
00:40:01.960Do you owe back taxes or perhaps you haven't filed your taxes in many years?
00:40:06.740now is the time to resolve your tax matters with the national conversation around abolishing the
00:40:13.680income tax system the iris is fighting back and proving it's here to stay by becoming more
00:40:19.300aggressive than ever before they're sending out more collection notices filing more tax liens
00:40:24.960and collecting billions more than in recent years so if you owe the iris can garnish your wages
00:40:32.760levy your bank accounts seize your retirement and even your home if you owe or haven't filed
00:40:40.020it's not a question of if the irs will act it's when right now tax network usa is offering a
00:40:47.860completely free irs research and discovery call to show you exactly where you stand and what
00:40:54.420they can stop before it's too late their powerful programs and strategies can save you thousands or
00:41:01.680even eliminate your debt entirely if you qualify. Don't make a costly mistake. Representing yourself
00:41:08.740or calling the IRS on your own waives your rights and costs you more money. They are not on your
00:41:16.880side. So get protected the right way with Tax Network USA and start the process on settling
00:41:24.060your tax matters once and for all today call 1-800-958-1000 that's 1-800-958-1000 or visit
00:41:36.120tnusa.com slash bannon for your free discovery call with tax network usa don't let the irs be
00:41:47.260the first to act. Call 1-800-958-1000. Okay, back towards the closing segment of the show with
00:41:57.500Anne Lamonica. And I was looking at one interesting statistic here, and I was wondering whether you
00:42:03.440might just help break this down for me, because it sort of illustrates somewhat the implosion in
00:42:11.060Catholic formation since the Second Vatican Council, where we go to that final year of the
00:42:17.360council, the school year of 64 to 65. The nationwide network of Catholic parochial schools served
00:42:25.260around 5.6 million students. And today, its enrollment has dropped 70% to 1.7 million
00:42:37.000students today. Given that this is your area of concern, sort of education, Catholic formation,
00:42:43.980do you think the institutional Catholic Church has truly appreciated the enormity of what has
00:42:52.820taken place over the last 60 years? Has it directed its resources, its political capital
00:43:00.060in the political sphere, in engaging in the right issues such as this,
00:43:07.960or has it been distracted by other political concerns, do you think?
00:43:12.880Well, I can speak to Connecticut's situation.
00:43:16.260Other than the breakdown of the family over those same years,
00:43:20.360I think that has a direct effect on attendance and Catholic formation.
00:43:24.660But that aside, in terms of schools, you know, we did go through a period of contraction where we closed several schools and, you know, combine them into one in different towns.
00:43:37.260But we are currently in the Archdiocese of Harper. We're opening, I believe, two to three new schools next year.
00:43:44.920Two of them are classical academies. And that is something that I know there's growing interest in.
00:43:50.680And it has been. That's been a growing interest for the past, I'd say, 10 years.
00:44:05.800One of his first goals and one of the first things he did was declare that he was going to reopen a Catholic school in Hartford, the capital city.
00:44:14.820And they are on their way to opening that up either next year, at the end of this year, or next year.
00:44:21.160There'll be a new Catholic school in Hartford to serve Hartford residents who wish to attend on an income scholarship basis.
00:44:31.260the um in the beginning of the show we'd mentioned how the issue of parental choice
00:44:39.700has often been framed as a conservative issue a conservative policy cause um and we also
00:44:48.520mentioned earlier on in the show however that the the right of parents to form their own children
00:44:54.300it's come straight out of catholic social teaching um do you think the church has failed
00:45:00.040somewhat to lead a debate um where its own principles should uh have dominated um and if
00:45:09.560you don't want to answer the question like that let me reframe it would you rate the ability
00:45:13.980would you rate how well the church has uh dominated the debate on parental choice over
00:45:22.660recent years for me um well let's say uh like i said i'm going to focus on connecticut because i
00:45:30.640was you know i attended parochial schools here i graduated from catholic high school and i went
00:45:35.500away to catholic college and came back to connecticut um i would say that it's through
00:45:42.180no fault of their own that some of you know there's fewer people interested i feel like
00:45:47.200our education system is driven by property values, which is a whole other issue. People
00:45:54.920don't want to spend the extra money on Catholic education. And that turns into
00:45:59.700children without daily reminders of their Catholic faith throughout the day. And that has
00:46:07.160a long-term consequence. But I would rate it fairly highly. I haven't heard a time, I know
00:46:15.680the three archbishops, the last three archbishops have always concentrated and
00:46:20.160promoted Catholic education in Connecticut. And I just, I don't think it's through a fault of their
00:46:28.800own that people have not followed through and listened. I think regular followers of our
00:46:37.000Wednesday show, where we break all this kind of the positioning of the Catholic Bishops Conference
00:47:40.840I think they've responded. They can only do so much. The teachers unions in Connecticut have, and throughout New England, have a lot of control over our legislative leaders, and that's just a fact.
00:47:58.480And I guess I would think I think they've done their their part as a matter of people going to church, the parents of the students to act and listen to their bishops and perhaps even vote on certain issues a certain way if they could or choose better leaders.
00:48:20.500um okay that's pretty much all we have time for on the friday show today i have to respond
00:48:31.400um however we're just like 60 seconds of analysis based on what what you've been saying
00:48:37.360firstly i wonder thank you and la monica for coming on the war room somewhat because you
00:48:43.300know we we do take a very very strong position um against the the u.s catholic bishop conference
00:48:48.820against the vatican at times against the pope at times you have somewhat come into the lion's den
00:48:54.920today and i'm very grateful for that um for for helping us uh and our audience take a different
00:49:01.800perspective though i think there's a lot obviously on the issue itself that they're going to agree
00:49:05.580with you on and that is the insistence on that parents have their um have the first duty over
00:49:12.080the the formation of their children i when i say um somewhat that you've come into the lion's den
00:49:18.500I wouldn't be as personally as sympathetic towards the institutional American church for what has been a real collapse, I think, in terms of the provision of Catholic education since the Second Vatican Council has fallen down by about two thirds.
00:49:38.060If you look at those figures that I gave earlier. And like you, I would very much put that responsibility at the heart of the institutional Catholic Church, the Catholic Bishops Conference and individual Catholics.
00:49:53.340I think it's been if that kind of decline had taken place in a listed company, shareholders would have thrown out the management and voted in new management a long, long time ago.
00:50:05.960But that's the Catholic Church that we have. And it's not exactly doesn't respond to market forces, doesn't respond to democratic impulse.
00:50:15.280Anna LaMonica, very, very grateful for you to come on the show and help chew over this with us.
00:50:21.720Where do people go to learn more about this issue, perhaps to support the Connecticut Catholic Conference and the great work that you are doing there?
00:50:33.720Please go to ct4scholarship.org or ctcatholicpac on Twitter and Facebook.
00:50:40.940great and we've got those up just once again on on twitter what was that where do people go on x
00:50:46.560to to follow you ct catholic pack that's absolutely perfect and and quickly before
00:50:55.440the show goes i'd give another shout out to birch gold uh if you put your pen and paper
00:51:00.340aside earlier is you got a text bannon b-a-double-n-o-n to nine eight nine eight nine eight
00:51:07.140that's bannon to nine eight nine eight nine eight folks that's the end of the show that's it for
00:51:13.480friday steve will be back in the chair at 10 a.m tomorrow i'll be back with our weekly roundup of
00:51:20.200all developments in christianity with our regular wednesday evening gang uh next next uh next week
00:51:49.920or you haven't filed your taxes in years?
00:51:53.020Now is the time to resolve your tax matters.
00:51:55.900With the national conversation around abolishing the income tax, the IRS is fighting back and proving it's here to stay by becoming more aggressive than ever before.
00:52:07.380They're sending out more collection notices, filing more tax liens, and collecting billions more in recent years.
00:52:14.980If you owe, the IRS can garnish your wages, levy your bank accounts, seize your retirement, and even your home.
00:52:23.080If you owe or haven't filed, it's not a question of if the IRS will act.
00:52:32.140Right now, Tax Network USA is offering a completely free IRS research and discovery call to show you exactly where you stand and what they can stop before it's too late.
00:52:44.560Their powerful programs and strategies can save you thousands or even eliminate your debt entirely if you qualify.