Notre Dame is burning

[SteveinMN]

oh no! Disagree! It seems reasonable to not want tax dollars to go to certain things that the feds cover and instead use that money for issues dear to our hearts. I find that neither hypocritical or wrong.

Notre Dame is an unusual case in what the building is used for, ownership, etc. The whole issue of taxation and what it pays for is a mine field I’m not going to wade into here. Nor am I so familiar with French politics that I can recite the taxation preferences of the billionaires who have opened up their chequebooks for ND restoration.

I’m simply saying that this is a very generous response by people of substantial means who (at least in the US and, if human behavior extrapolates, France) tend to vote for politicians with a skewed view of what is worth repair and what is not. The ones passed over certainly notice.

Then they vote the same people back into office...

[Alan]

Notre Dame is an unusual case in what the building is used for, ownership, etc.

It's not unusual for France, it seems that after the glorious Revolution and Napoleon's rise to power all churches and cathedrals were seized and made the property of the state. This monopoly on public churches remained until 1905 when the government realized they may never have nice things again if they didn't allow non-state actors to get back into the business of salvation. Of course, the state kept all the good historic ones but after that point allowed the church to build new ones of their own.