Fellowship Foundation, also known as the prayer breakfast groups, is an international organization founded in 1935 by Dr. Abraham Vereide in Seattle, Washington and incorporated in the central United States city of Chicago. Its participation includes a vast array of high ranking government officials, corporate executives, heads of religious and humanitarian aid organizations, and ambassadors, spanning the globe. It has been described as one of the most well-connected ministries in the US.

The core purpose of this group is to provide a fellowship forum for decision makers to share in Bible Studies, prayer meetings, worship experiences and to experience spiritual affirmation and support. In Newsweek, Lisa Miller writes that the common love for the teachings of Jesus binds this group together and all approaches to understanding him are acceptable.

And you are wrong about working on Mackinac Island.

People/owners here work really hard and do their best for their employees and for their business.  If you need extra help for 6 weeks in the middle of the summer, and you pay really well for that help – what more can you do?  Its the nature of the beast.

Our company does have health insurance, zero co-pay actually, and many year-round employees.  Many of our workers do support their families with the pay the earn here.  We have not taken any profits form the company for a decade, beyond a pay check, so there is no settling in 'nice and cozy'.  It would be nice though.

Best,
Lynn

The reason you seasonal business owners can't get workers is because you don't want to pay them squat, offer no benefits, lay them off before they can work up unemployment benefits to get them through the winter again, and therefore make it impossible for them to make a living with you if they try.

They don't have the option to go back to Jamaica when the season's over to make beds and serve drinks to the snow birds and jet set. They've got homes and families right here in the first district to try to support through some tough winters. Their bills and mortgages and rent payments and need to put food on the table doesn't stop just because the season's over and the business owners are settled in nice and cozy and living off the season's profits.

Stupak better start thinking about THOSE people for a change, and he needs to stop voting with his crucifix and his prayer beads and his bronze-age mentality towards social issues, and get with the program of serving THE PEOPLE of his district. I can tell you right now that I'm ready to do everything I can to influence others to vote him right the heck out of office, especially after this latest fiasco of the “Stupak amendment” that was like shooting a torpedo into the health care negotiations.

A lot of people I've talked to are already appalled at ol' Bart for some of his bone-head moves up there on the Hill, and this latest one got WAY too much negative attention to easily forget.

And I'll tell you something else: After listening to him on the first district conference calls, there's no doubt in my mind that he's a theistic nut-job who needs a new employment path. I'm thinking making beds and serving drinks on Mackinac Island would be a good career move for him.

As for support of seasonal H-2(b) visas: That is about Mackinac Island, a beautiful summer resort island area. We need to import workers for the summer. Our family businesses are in critical need of summer workers – college students won't do the work, auto workers won't, and there is not enough local population to fill all the need.

It seems counter-intuitive with the unemployment in Michigan, but our situation is pretty dire. Every season we all struggle to open our doors because we do not have enough workers. Before 9/11 many hospitality workers came from winter resort areas, Jamaica, etc. Now they are not allowed and we are all going to go down if we don't get some of them back!!

As much as I love a good conspiracy, Stupak is trying to help real people and their businesses in our District – not some nutty group!

November 16, 2009 at 8:55 am

Here is some great news. I reported above, June 26, 2009 at 10:09 am, that the religious retreat on Capitol Hill was nothing but a tax dodge: “The property is Tax Type E1, Religious. It is tax exempt. No tax payments are shown. The Members live in a tax-free property. Most of those who live in the District have to pay property taxes, or pay rent to landlords who pay property taxes. These Senators and Representatives say some prayers in the dining room, claim their flophouse as a church, convent or monastery, and pay sub-market rent for their rooms. They are sponging off the taxpayers of the District, and will not even vote to give them representation in Congress.

”This does not even sink to the level of hypocrisy. It is pure, simple, unadulterated, unmitigated gall.”

So the right-wing residential “church” on Capitol Hill at 133 E St SE, where Mark Sanford and John Ensign mulled over their respective adulteries, used to be exempt from property tax as a religious property.

Well, at least one complaint just happened to be filed a few months ago, by some anonymous citizen who will remain nameless “”wink, wink,” with the taxpayer hotline at the DC tax office.

The property has now been reclassified as residential, with a taxable assessment of $1,834,500.

They paid their property tax on October 21, 2009, in the amount of $1,714.70.

https://www.taxpayerservicecenter.com/RP_Search…

(Just plug in the address 133 C St SE, then click on “square/lot” in upper left, then click on “view payments” in lower right. It is all there).

Owner Name: YOUTH WITH A MISSION WASHINGTON DC INC C ST CENTER
Tax Class: 001 – Residential.