Posted on 07/19/2017 8:01:54 PM PDT by Rebelbase
I’ve posted before about how Williamstown (Kentucky) officials are instituting a “safety fee” for ticket-taking attractions in the city.
If implemented, the city would charge Ark Encounter 50 cents per ticket to go towards things like fire trucks and police cars — all the things that make the city a safer place for residents and tourists. Using the estimate of 1.4 million visitors a year, this would amount to approximately $700,000 that Ark Encounter would owe the city annually.
The Creationists at Ark Encounter, however, say they should be exempt from that charge because they run a non-profit ministry. You wouldn’t force a church to pay taxes, now, would you?!
The problem is that up until now, Ark Encounter has legally been a for-profit business in order to receive a number of tax incentives from the city and state. That’s why officials in Williamstown figured they could ask Ark Encounter to pay up. It’s not a church; it’s a money-making tourist attraction. They recently went ahead with their plans to make Ark Encounter pay the fee.
City leaders are now bracing for a lawsuit from the very organization that was supposed to save the local economy.
Meanwhile, Ark Encounter just took the boldest step yet to avoid paying the 50 cent surcharge.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader‘s Linda Blackford, the team behind Ark Encounter recently sold the land on which the giant boat rests for a whopping $10.
… Ark Encounter LLC sold its main parcel of land — the one with the life-size Noah’s Ark — for $10 to their non-profit affiliate, Crosswater Canyon. Although the property is worth $48 million according to the Grant County Property Valuation Administrator, the deed says its value is only $18.5 million.
That’s the latest salvo in an escalating argument between local officials and Ark Encounter, but some are worried Ark Encounter’s maneuver is a precursor to declaring itself exempt from all taxes, including property taxes that help fund Grant County schools.
Just to summarize here, Ark Encounter used its for-profit status to receive all sorts of tax breaks. Then the Creationists told Williamstown officials that they ran a non-profit ministry to avoid paying more taxes. And now they’re basically confessing that they were a for-profit business this whole time because they just sold the boat to the non-profit entity that oversees it.
If that’s confusing… well, welcome to how Creationists think.
Let’s suppose for a moment that all of this is legal. At best, it suggests that Ark Encounter is incredibly unethical. Williamstown gave the Creationists cheap land and tax breaks galore over the next few decades with the hope that Ark Encounter would eventually create lots of jobs and bring in tourists who would spend money at surrounding businesses.
Ken Ham is paying them back by restricting jobs to his anti-gay Creationist buddies, threatening to sue the city over the safety fee, and finding a way to possibly withhold taxes that would fund local schools.
[Mayor Rick] Skinner said losing all of Ark Encounter’s property taxes would hurt the city, county, and most of all, schools.
“It would be a huge hit to the schools,” he said.
Skinner said he is “disappointed” in how much the town’s relationship with Ark officials has deteriorated, but said he would wait to comment further until Tuesday’s meeting.
Here’s a statement that will surprise nobody: Ken Ham doesn’t care about public schools. When you’re playing the game of Christian indoctrination, education is the enemy. You think Ham gives a damn about public schools not getting money from his business? Not a chance. He’ll consider that a victory.
Once again, Creationists are screwing over the city that bent over backwards to give them a home. Critics have been saying that for years. Unfortunately, it looks like local officials are finally realizing it when it’s too late.
(Thanks to Matt for the link. Portions of this article were published earlier)
Yes, that’s most likely just how it really is.
I say good for them.
Doesn’t The Bible say that God uses the rainbow as a sign that he will never wipe out man again with the flood?
Note the “When I see the rainbow, I will remember”. It is a reminder to Him, not to us to. Also it is conditional to flood waters only.................................
Awfully proud of your Biblical ignorance, aren't you!?
That photo is the first salvo in the campaign for Christians to take back the rainbow
State and local governments went out of their way to invite the building of the ark, with tax incentives that are available to other non-profits. Then, during the building process, they began changing the tax governing rules, specifically for the Creation Museum and the Ark, resulting in taxes being applied where they were not applied, originally.
The author of the article is clearly anti-Christian, and not to be believed as a credible source or reporter. Exceedingly biased against the Creation Museum and all associated with it.
Ken Ham is honorable, God fearing, and seeking to tell the story of creation, in an interesting and visual manner that will enhance learning among the public. His entire organization is about helping people believe the very foundation of God’s Word, the Bible, which consists in the first eleven chapters of Genesis, the first Book of the Bible.
Satan is working overtime to defeat, slow down and impede the work of the Creation Museum. In the end, God wins.
“As biased as this comes across, I would like to see some independent verification from different sources.”
Exactly. After all, the article comes from an atheist site. I’m not sure “give a fair shake” is even in their lexicon.
I perceive the photo to represent “Taking Back the Rainbow”, which is important in the fight against the homo agenda.
The rainbow represents God’s promise to us, not fudge-packing, turd-burgling butt pirates engaging in coprophilia.
And then there’s that. Cautionary tale repeated once more.... *sigh*
“We’ve become so disturbed as a society that we automatically see a Rainbow as a homosexual symbol.”
Or it is being used as a homo symbol and naive people don’t see that.
Amen!
...and Solyndra and Tesla and .....
“No...... imbicile writer, this isn’t how “creationists” think.
Frankly, this creationist thinks if this is true, those are some shady people running that Ark attraction. It just sounds plain wrong.”
Don’t let this author think for you - know who you’re reading and use some critical thinking for yourself. The author has an agenda and it’s not in line with conservatism or belief in God.
And now we see the author's real agenda. He's a faggot promoting faggotry. Ken Ham may be unethical. I don't know. I certainly don't take the word of a faggot on the matter. Because nothing says "unethical" quite like pushing the social acceptance of sodomy.
well Shem Hamm,Japeth and Noah should share. I’m sure it’s hard to find “clean” family in these days of Noah.
So much for “Render unto Caesar”...
For all the haters, go to their website.
Ham debated Bill Nye.
We are going to the Ark this August; it’s an hour drive.
Are tax laws only for non-Christians?
The rainbow was a sign from God; take it back from the homosexuals. That is what Ham is doing.
Read the bible; it mentions a rainbow - is that a gay rainbow, too?
The town attracted the Ark with tax breaks in the first place. Now they are trying a switcheroo to milk the golden goose further because, obviously, the Ark can't now be moved to another location so they go after a direct revenue stream by passing a ticket tax just for that one business. There is no doubt the attraction brings into town millions of dollars of business every year but they just got greedy and wanted more moolah.
They deserve the legal finger.
:)
yeah, it’s not believing in God’s rainbow that makes one perverted
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