During these dog days of summer when the legislature hasn't been around much, capitol correspondence are eager to cover anything that moves so when the social safety next crowd showed up the other day, everybody and his uncle was there to cover them.

    The message from the "net" folks was not really news:  They want lawmakers to stop cutting social welfare programs.  But then something curious occurred.

    When you are doing TV news, you are also looking for something visual, so why not ask the 12 or 13 folks standing at the podium to raise their hands if they supported a tax hike on beer and smokes?  Since the coalition was already on record backing the sin taxes, you expected to see very hand shoot up like a 4^th of July Roman candle.

    Most of the hands did, except for the guy who was anchoring the news event.  While all the other hands waved in the air, Paul Long from the Michigan Catholic Conference stood mute with hands at his side.

    When the gig was over, being a curious sort, the question was asked, "So.  Your hands?  You couldn't lift them or what?

    "The Michigan Catholic Conference does not take a position on tax issues," came the startling response.

      They don't do what?!

     The affable Mr. Long asserts that the board of directors has a long-standing policy to stay out of tax fights, so Long pleaded the Fifth.

     OMG seems an appropriate response. Her e was the church calling for lawmakers to stop hurting the poor and one of the only ways to do that is to raise more money to protect them, and Long was punting on the critical tax hike issue.

     "We'll leave that to the governor and lawmakers to figure out," he sheepishly smiled without acknowledging the absurdity of the no tax stance.

     No guts…no money for the needy.