ACORN already has the networks and staff and basic expertise....seems to me it would be better to HELP them, if they are stretched thin, rather than shutting them down.

But that isn't the real issue, is it? The basic issue is: what they are doing, when they do it well and legally and carefully, automatically helps Democrats more than Republicans. Getting them to fail is a goal for certain parties, even if the good done by ACORN falls in the process.