Iowans Asked “Should USA Help Pay for Notre Dame”?

In an opinion piece recently posted in the Washington Examiner, editorial writer Tom Rogan says the USA should offer to pay 17.83% to help restore the severely damaged Notre Dame cathedral. Rogan says that France is one of the oldest allies of the US, and that 17.83% was a symbolic amount to honor the year the Treaty of Paris was signed.

We asked our listeners, who strongly disagreed with this idea. In fact nearly 100% of callers said that the US could certainly offer to help raise private funds and donations from companies and individuals seeking to support this worthy cause, but they were adamant about NOT using US tax dollars to pay for it.

The main reasons given were:

1. Notre Dame is a Catholic Church, meaning it is a privately-held institution and not a state or country that withstood a natural disaster.

2. There are too many other needs within our own borders that need repair or restoration like American highways and roads, bridges and buildings.

3. Companies are racing to donate and have already raised over $700 million to the project. Let the private sector do it's work to get the job done.

We think our listeners have it right. What do you think?