Not only did scientology New York get $184,000 from the Coronavirus slush fund to “pay” their “staff” even they claim to OTHER government agencies that they don’t have any employees, only “volunteers” in order to skirt labor laws, they are now also telling their people to turn over their stimulus checks because it’s an “extended Holiday Bonus” for the staff.
This “holiday bonus” is a joke — I don’t mean for the staff, it is VERY important, as it might be the one time in a whole year that they get more than $50 a week. It’s a joke because of the AMOUNT of the income that is allocated to “staff pay” or once a year “staff bonuses.” If a family donates all of their $2400 stimulus payment (assuming they have 2 kids), the amount that will be denominated for the “staff bonus” might be $200. Or perhaps $400. The rest will go to “supporting management”, paying bills and sending out more useless junk mail.
So, as usual, this promotional piece is deceptive at best and plain dishonest at worst.
Money-grubbing is an art form in scientology.
Wow! As a resident of NY, I now plan on writing NYS officials about this BS.
Speaking of New York, does anyone know if John Carmichael is still going ?
Thank you for exposing the lies and abuses of this “religion.” I’m shocked this group is given tax exempt status.
Hey Mike. I’m not sure if this is the right place to post a question for you and Leah to answer on the podcast but I’m hoping you see this. I’ve watched Going Clear, the Aftermath, and recently saw the doc you did with BBC Panarama after you left. Near the end of it you and Marty Rathbun demonstrate how the E meter works. At the time of that filming did you still believe in the practice of Scientology? How does the E meter work? Is it similar to a polygraph test where it basically tests stress level? I hope you see this! Keep up the great fight!!
YEs, I did at that time still believe in at least some of the “tech” and the E-Meter. ANd yes, it is similar to a polygraph. We have had some great discussions about this on this blog with some excellent comments from a number of people including Bruce Ploetz who is an electronic genius and spent years as the go-to guy for all things A/V technical at Gold.
How absolutely disgraceful and dishonest of New York Org. And, unfortunately, how utterly predictable of New York Org.
At my little org we would get squeezed at this time of year – of course, we got squeezed for money all the time but at year’s end the reasoning was that it went for staff bonuses.
I would feel sorry for them. I always felt sorry for them, actually, but particularly over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
And now we see how little of this money fleeced from the public at this time of the year actually GETS to staff.
Wow.
You know, I’m fine with donating per se.
I’m not rich, not by a long shot of a long shot.
I’m just comfortable.
I don’t have a lot.
I have enough.
Being rich was never a goal of mine.
(And I achieved it 🙂 )
Anyway, point being, I think giving is good.
Its good to give.
I’ve always thought so.
Its a way of giving thanks for what one has.
Spreading around life’s bounty, etc.
Not giving it ALL away.
Just some.
I’ve read that the Rockefeller’s had a simple policy which by way of vast understatement was:
“Spend some, save some, give some”.
Not that I’m any fan of the Rockefellers but it sounds sensible.
Scale it way up or scale it way down, or anywhere in between, its sensible.
Ok, so I’m fine with donating per se.
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its nice to know that what one gives away is really HELPING someone else, or some group, etc.
Its nice to know that money given is doing GOOD somewhere.
Which brings me to the point…aren’t you glad? 🙂
I don’t regret any money I gave to Scientology.
What I regret is that it did ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD WHATSOEVER.
Oh, it made a few staff members less stressed and more relaxed.
It gave them some “stats” that they desperately needed at the time.
So I suppose one could point to that as a little kind of “good”.
But, for the most part, whatever I gave, did nothing. Meant nothing. Made no difference whatsoever.
Not that it was a lot, by the way.
Compared to what other exes have given, it was VERY little.
But, still, it could have done a lot of good, if it had been given to groups that actually help people. It was enough to have been able to have changed some lives. Fed some people. Educated some people. Healed some people. Overall, after 25 years, there was enough given so that I could say today, “Yes, I made a difference in some peoples’ lives.”
But I can’t say that.
It did nothing for nobody.
I could have just accumulated all the bills, kept them under the mattress, and then, one day, taken them all out, and lit a match to them.
So that’s what I regret.
I suppose I have this on my mind because of Covid now.
I really wish I had that money back, that IAS money and Ideal M’org money, the Library Donations, all the bullshit cult scam donations.
I would do something sensible, very sensible with it:
I’d “Spend some, save some, give some”.
Actually no; superstitiously I’d have to donate it all to something, some group or groups that REALLY help people.
That would make me happy.
I’m ready to sign up on any Class Actions to recover money from the Cult’s scams 🙂
End of rant and thanks for reading it if you’ve managed to do so 🙂
I read it Aquamarine 🙂 and I think you are doing a lot to help now.
A while back I read one of your posts and thought “that gal has spunk!”. That’s a compliment by the way.
Thank you, Peggy 🙂
“Money-grubbing is an art form in scientology.”
Art, as done by a three-year-old finger-painting for the first time, that is. They SWEAR they’re SO good at things when in reality, they hardly understand the first thing about the subject; a lot like Hubbard and ANY “science”. And because most scns are so woefully uneducated in real life, they’re easily taken in by the slightest subterfuge. Eternally suckers for any con-man’s lines.
Jere, Scientology seems to virtually produce Dunning-Kruger effect:
‘The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.’
Dunning-Kruger Effect | Psychology Today
Or a particular phase of it sometimes called Mt. Stupid
‘Often charts that feature Mount Stupid place “knowledge” or “experience” of a given topic on the horizontal X-axis and “confidence” or “self-perception of competence” on the vertical Y-axis. Mount Stupid is an anomalous region of the graph where the Y-axis is a lot higher relative to the X-axis. In short, it’s a peak where people are overconfident in their competence despite lacking significant experience or expertise.’
> https://maekan.com/2019/11/how-to-avoid-climbing-up-mount-stupid-or-into-the-fraudsters-cave/
In all my years in the SO I NEVER got a holiday bonus. This was back in the 70s & 80s. The only time anything such as a bonus came close was on one Christmas the Hubbard family gave me a present. It was a leather wallet but of course there was nothing inside it. My “pay” at the time was $17.20 a week. So the wallet had money in it for maybe a day or two.
Glenn: You must have joined after I did. My pay was 12.50 a week.
Bill,
Yep, I tumbled down the rabbit hole into the SO in 76. I climbed out 7 years later and was so broke had to borrow $ from Mom to start over from scratch. And MAN, The real world was so different after 7 years!
This was so wrong. You – never getting a bonus. You – making $17.20. Its just so…WRONG. So unjust. You and all the other staff and SO, SLAVING those hours, receiving so little in exchange.
A good deal of the money I donated, if I were honest, were not for the causes themselves, although I did believe at the time in their worthiness.
But the truth was that mostly I pitied the staff.
Not in a condescending way.
I liked them. I’m talking about the Class V staff in my org, mostly. And a few SO I knew who were always very warm and kind.
They worked so hard and they were always so…cheerful.
So happy, working those hours, so unselfishly, for – nothing, practically.
Yes, I did pity them and in my heart considered that I myself was not in their league “purpose-wise”. Because I was too selfish to join staff. Too practical…”PTS to the Middle Class”…I just wouldn’t. I refused, repeatedly, year in and year out, to sign that contract.
So I had this GUILT.
A staff member would be in front of me…I knew I could make him or her INSTANTLY happy by buying something he or she was selling.
On the other hand, impulse buying of something I didn’t even want was stupid, wasteful and financially irresponsible – that I knew!
But!
But, I had the money there, I could do it…I could make this person INSTANTLY happy for a while…Many times over the years, did I find myself in this mental dilemma! And not always, but enough times, my good sense did NOT win out and I bought all kinds of books and other crap (“New Releases”) that I didn’t want, had ZERO desire for, just to create this kind of happy effect.
This is embarrassing to admit and by the way, there ARE other ways I know of to make people happy! You can make them laugh; you can listen to them and understand them, you can…well, there are no shortage of WAYS, but BUYING something from someone who really wants to sell you that thing causes this INSTANTANEOUS ( albeit temporary) happy effect – their eyes light up – they just light up in front of you – its fun, what can I say)
As a cult member I was pretty much of a soft touch when it came to Class V staff selling me things. Good thing I never had any serious money.
Sorry,but I need that stimulus check to partially pay one quarter of my real estate taxes.
They are demanding money for staff pay. This is utterly against hubbard policies at 360 degrees.
Probably he would get another serious heart attack to see the orgs begging at their public for some dollar to survive.
What about just delivering scn as he said?!?
An additional ‘squirrel’ activity made and/or approved by RTC and DM.
And they trust you.
Well done👍 guys!
Minor item, LmR: 360 degrees is circling all the way around and getting bak on track. I believe you meant 180 degrees off or going exactly backwards.
And HOW would the “donations “Help” the NY Orgers? Most likely, they’d get tossed in with the rest of the GI, get confiscated by the FBO, and a small percentage come back to pay the staff, or buy toilet paper, or anything useful. About the ONLY thing that orgs have “unlimited” is paper for advertisements or auditing session notes, or KRs or other “necessary” reports filed away for all eternity.
Jere. Laughing. I meant what you said.
The total income is never the amount the org can count on. Once one takes off from above many items you get the CGI (correct gross income) then percentages are counted on it. Staff pay is the 30% of it. Peanuts.
I was the HGC Admin 4A FSO and one of my functions was to get paper and pens for the AO auditors. I never had any trouble getting hundreds of pens and many cases of paper each week.
I wrote a few KRs with them myself.
I was once given a Condition of Liability for going to study by the Tech Sec 4A Milt Wolfe (names not changed to implicate the Guilty). This was lowered to Confusion the next day when AGAIN I went to study.
I wrote a vicious KR to the newly posted RTC rep in 1984. I say vicious because it contained LRH quotes about what he said about execs who did not get their juniors to go to study. The newly formed RTC sent out an issue fining FSO 10 dollars a day per staff member who did not turn in an attest that he had gone to study that day. Poor Milt, excuse me Mr Wolfe, now had to spend hours each day chasing up attests from each of his staff that they went to study that day.
What they all had missed which I got off years later is that on KTL I had just been twinned with a girl that I had had a serious crush on for years, a whole track terminal who later told me that she recalled me from last lifetime, long after I remembered her.
They could have placed a 45 to the back of my head and I would have just laughed and said “Go ahead, pull the trigger”.
For the majority of the 23 years I was in the S.O. I preferred to be on post than go to study
That was back when there was at least a pretense going on that they were following policy.
Later they didn’t give a fuck; if you did not do what they wanted you would be shot.
(Continued)
I would have died for LRH or the S.O. (and very nearly did).
I would have volunteered to burn in hell for all eternity for that girl. She knew it, too.
OK Jere so it is apparent that LMR does not have a PHD in Geometry. And LRH died of a stroke, (according to Dr Gene Denk, who was the person the ship originally sent me to) no doubt received when he saw what DM had done to his legacy.
I would be more concerned of a person who claims to have “Loosed” this religion on us. I thought that that was DM.
Loosing:
I must have you confused with someone else. Either way, you are a friend of mine.
I had thought you were a never-in but your comment sounds like someone who really knew, i.e. experienced what you were talking about.
Dear Bill you are my friend too and you have a good humor by the way. Yes I was in the SO for 15 years. So I got some experience about it.
PS. In origin Loosing my Religion was meant like ‘getting rid of it’ or ‘releasing something from me’. But as Italian I have my spaghetti – English. Do well.
So the children of the staff workers starve while the super-creep at the top of the heap enjoys his thousand dollar shoes and five thousand dollar suits.
IMHO, the very worst part of all of this is that when he dies, they won’t even be able to donate his clothes to anyone because they won’t be able to find anyone else who is his size. They will just burn them all or throw them all away.
They could make life size mannequins of DM and dress them up in his clothes which would be a nice remembrance but it might key in incidents of “doll bodies”.
I just looked up “fear of mannequins” on the internet so cancel the above idea. It would be very “restimulative” to some people. It might also scare children.
Automatonophobia is a fear of human-like figures, such as mannequins, wax figures, statues, dummies, animatronics, or robots. It’s a specific phobia, or a fear of something that causes significant and excessive stress and anxiety and can negatively affect a person’s quality of life.
I am reliably informed that the Church of Scientology is contacting parishioners and asking them to make donations pursuant to the extension through 2021 of the CARES Act two charitable contribution tax deduction provisions explained below.
(1) Before 2020, charitable contributions could only be deducted if the taxpayer itemized their deductions.
Under the CARES Act, taxpayers who don’t itemize deductions may take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualifying organizations. For the purposes of this deduction, qualifying organizations are those that are religious, charitable, educational, scientific or literary in purpose, such as the Church of Scientology.
The year-end Coronavirus relief bill extended the $300 charitable contribution deduction for nonitemizers through 2021. The bill also increased the deduction to $600 for married taxpayers filing jointly.
(2) Before 2020, an individual taxpayer making itemized deductions couldn’t claim charitable contribution deductions in excess of 60% of such taxpayer’s AGI (Adjusted Gross Income).
The CARES Act increased that limitation to 100% of AGI for the 2020 calendar year, allowing individuals to offset all of their income with charitable contribution deductions.
The year-end Coronavirus relief bill extended that rule through 2021
*****
As indicated above, I am reliably informed that the Church of Scientology is asking parishioners to take advantage of the extension through 2021 of these tax deduction provisions.
Personally, I don’t think that the increase of the deduction limit for itemizers from 60% of AGI to %100 of AGI will make any difference. (At least I hope not.) However, the $300 deduction for nonitemizers, $600 if filing jointly, may snag some additional annual or other IAS donations. The annual IAS membership fee is $250. Perhaps parents will be convinced to obtain those first annual memberships for their children. (Yes, I am aware of that pitch.)
Sources:
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-the-cares-act-changes-deducting-charitable-contributions
https://www.mossadams.com/articles/2020/12/covid-related-tax-relief-act-overview
https://www.plantemoran.com/explore-our-thinking/insight/2020/12/final-covid19-relief-bill-of-2020-provides-tax-support
https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2020/dec/tax-provisions-in-covid-19-relief-bill-ppp-and-business-meal-deductibility.html
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/covid-related-tax-relief-act-summary-49412/
/
Regarding scientology and staff pay, here’s the actual, invariable, super-satan bottom line:
Miscavige is the Pimping Pope with expensive, custom-made shit and a dizzying plethora of numbered accounts in undisclosed banks around the globe, while the rest of y’all staff members are…
his nut-sack-nibbling, arse-licking, penniless, utterly degraded and delude bee-otches.
Cap’n Davy:
The Diminutive, Dastardly Despot
The Hubbard Golem Gangsta
The Punchin’, Pimpin’ Pope of a Crappy, Criminal Cult
Hello Mark.
So very nicely put.
You have such an abundance of style!
Thanks, Skyler✌🏾😁
In $cientology, it is always about the Benjamins. unless it is about fealty. In which case, you better have lots of Benjamins.
Right, Zee: in scientology, your only proof of fealty or upstat-ness is lots and lots of Benjamins. Money talks, all else walks
Unbelievable, and yet very believable. And to think if they weren’t tax exempt how much more money could have been given to the people who really need it during this time!
I thought the “Dead Prophet” sketch was absurd.
(https://lesbates.blogspot.com/2020/09/sketch.html for those who haven’t read it yet.)
Yeah. Some of their donation will go for staff bonuses but just so the org does not have to pay any. And what the hell are they doing rewarding an implant, anyway. In my 23 years in the SO my main use for Christmas was the bosun’s party. It was the only time of year that I could get FUBAR. Then they took that away in 86. Had a few more good ones on the Freewinds. Then they cancelled the party and had skits put on by the crew. I never went to one of those. When we went to the West Coast in 1993 I went to a store in Ensenada and got a big bottle of 196 Proof “Potable Alcohol”. At Christmas Eve the plumber asked for it. I gave it to him. He got too drunk and was calling security and threatening to kill them.
I got the bottle back and never drank any of it. I used it to clean parts. In 98 I had a brutal case of shingles and was in tremendous pain. I actually had AIDS then. The Medical Officer kicked me out of the hospital on the ship so she could claim it was empty and take off. I went to the party and got drunk but was still in a lot of pain and even more miserable. I crawled back to the hospital
Excuse me, it was 1997.
I could have used that big bottle of 196 proof alcohol in 97. I would have chugged it all and keeled over dead. With the pain I was in it would have been a merciful way to die. That does not mean that now I wish that I had died then. I would have missed the opportunity to tell all you fine people about it. I had borne the pain too long alone. You share it with me now”. LRH said something in RJ 67 similar to that. So, as a former member of das cult, I still remember the words of my Fuehrer, both of them.
LRH said in Dianetics . Life is an adventure. Treat it as an adventure. And may you never be the same again”.
I hope I got that quote right. I could be declared for getting it wrong. Someone please tell me that I got it wrong. I am tired of being right. My 1st wife, Sharron Petersen Cornell Kimball Straass Webber told me that I was a walking tape-recorder. Isn’t that basically what LRH said?
Shingles is one of the most painful things that one can have. I used to work in health care and I have heard people that had cancer say that shingles was way more painful. I couldn’t imagine suffering through the shingles out at sea in that floating madhouse. I’m glad you escaped with your sanity intact. What you went through would push many people over the edge. Glad you’re here to give us the details of daily life (if you can call it that) aboard the Freewinds.
Bill Straass –
“I hope I got that quote right. I could be declared for getting it wrong.”
You are hereby absolved, my Son.
Father Richard
………………………………………………
Actually I’m not a priest but a “Scientology Minister Of The Church”. I still have the certificate! The absolution still applies.
Bring back the 1950’s. I remember when Eisenhower was president. The economy tightened up but some minor cult in New York did not get $184,000. I worked for $1 per hour and managed to save $1600 which Scientology in New York got for “Life Repair”. Psychology at the time was primitive and very disorganized. Scientology filled a gap. It was unfortunate that Scientology was not required to advertise
their fascistic, demonic, Satanic and anti-natural law foundation. But “Life Repair” was somewhat of a success, I guess. I had the cognition that some people were giant mosquitoes the size of cattle. But I figured it was the price we pay in Western Civilization.
The Marcabs are pretty well disguised but OTs and “sensitives” can detect them.
Yes, Richard more TA on Life Repair after fifty years!
laughter!
“Psychology at the time was primitive and very disorganized. Scientology filled a gap.”
By the time you and I entered scn in the 1970’s psychology had advanced but as an auditor I still had the idea that auditing was senior to psychology. People went to a psychologist and “talked about stuff” for an hour and then see you next week. pfft
I now realize that psychologists offer rational solutions to problems people have but I didn’t know then what I know now. The auditing on the lower levels seemed rational and I didn’t know it lead to the space opera which was well hidden back then.
I quit before doing the OT levels. Don’t know if I would have bought into it. Coin flip, I guess.