ACORN lawsuit raises question: Can it survive?

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NEW YORK ? ACORN has been cut off by banks, the government and most of its private foundation funders, severely hampering its housing operations and raising the possibility that it will not survive in its current form, according to a lawsuit the group filed Thursday against the U.S. government.



The lawsuit claims that Congress' decision to drop all funding to the group and its affiliates was unconstitutional because it punitively targeted an individual organization.



In affidavits accompanying the lawsuit, ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis and other employees paint a bleak picture of an organization damaged by a string of scandals and the loss of federal funds.



ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, portrays itself as an advocate for tens of thousands of low-income and minority homebuyers and community residents who are served by offices around the country. Republicans describe it as a pro-Democratic group that violated the tax-exempt status of some of its affiliates by engaging in partisan political activities.



The law that halted ACORN's federal funding took effect Oct. 1 and was extended at the end of the month. On Dec. 18, it will either expire or be extended again.



<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/ap_on_re_us/us_acorn_lawsuit">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/ap_on_re_us/us_acorn_lawsuit</a>
 
They were defunded, not "punished". Not one of them is in prison, dead, or otherwise deprived of liberty by losing a source of funding. That being said, if your ability to function depends solely on donations and politically expedient funding from the government, you had better take great care not to become an embarrassment to your benefactors or their bosses. This is the last gasp of an organization that only existed because of federal programs designed to help people, and was corrupted by the same people they were supposed to help.



Now, if we could catch Citi, JPM, and BofA advising people on subverting public programs to enable child prostitution, maybe we could cut them off the public funding too.
 
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