Polygamist sect got millions from U.S. government

Speaking of taxes, were you aware that your tax dollars went to support the polygamist sect that's now being investigated for child sexual abuse in Texas? McClatchy Newspapers report:

The ability of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or FLDS, to operate and grow is largely dependent on huge contributions from its members and revenue from the businesses they control, according to a former accountant for the church, and government officials in Utah and Arizona, where the sect is primarily based.

One of those businesses, NewEra Manufacturing in Las Vegas, has been awarded more than $1.2 million in federal government contracts, with most of the money coming in recent years from the Defense Department for wheel and brake components for military aircraft.

A large portion of the awards were preferential no-bid or "sole source" contracts because of the company's classification as a small business, according to online databases that track federal government appropriations.

NewEra, previously known as Western Precision Inc. and located in Hildale, Utah, also received a $900,000 loan in 2005 from the federal Small Business Administration, the data show.

Saying the revelations make her "very uneasy," U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, a Texas Republican who sits on the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees military spending, has called for an investigation.