I was wondering if anyone else saw the write-up on Obama's tax returns? I found it interesting that all the articles (USA today, Wall Street Journal, TV) focused on his rise in fortunes (went from $200k to $1.6M two years ago). However, what I found extremely interesting and what was not even touched upon in any of the articles was his (lack of) charitable giving. Here is a guy who was voted the most liberal congressman and a guy that admittedly is in favor of raising taxes, giving healthcare to everyone, helping the poor, etc., yet his charitable giving only ranged from 1% ($2,300 of his $200k) to 3% ($60k of his $1.6M) of his gross income. This seems a little hypocritical to me. Maybe that is why he feels we as a society can give more (because he isn't and only will if forced by the government).

Blah-


With all due respect. Who cares? I don't give much to charity. A couple of hundred to the BG athletic Dept. 500 to my local school's athletic dept, that's about it but I think taxes should be raised. We should balance the budget. Either cut spending or tax more. You can't have it both ways. I swear I don't get you guys. If you spend then you need to tax. We need a balanced budget. It used to be tax and spend liberals. Now it's cut taxes and go deeper into debt and spend like there's no tommorrow conservatives. I don't get it. I certainly wouldn't champion it either.

Matters as much to me as the drugs he took when he was younger. I.e., not a damn bit.

I really don't have a huge issue with Obama's charitable giving. Giving to charities is a personal decision. I would assume that a fairly sizable chunk of his earnings came from book sales & it might be hard to judge just how much income was going to come from those sales.

I actually like the fact that he has put it out there for public scrutiny, but I assume it was done to try & force Hillary to to likewise. He actually appears to have put Hillary under the gun by calling for her to "open the books". If she refuses, it gives the impression of having sleazy dealings to hide (wouldn't surprise me in the least). If she does open the Clinton books, it could open up a can of worms as to just where their income has come from.

Maybe Obama feels as I do...that he has already given plenty at the door(of government) though immoral taxation.

I give only to local causes that directly effect the people in my community.

His wife's income jumping from $100k to over 300k, after the Hospital she works at received a $1 Million dollar Earmark courtesy of Obama Pork, is interesting. Guess thats a net of $800k for the hospital, while diverting around $200k back into the obama household courtesy US Taxpayers.

Fo Shizzle Wrote:Maybe Obama feels as I do...that he has already given plenty at the door(of government) though immoral taxation.

I doubt that is the case.

In what way is his private giving even slightly related to running for President?

I hate Obama's economic policy, and lack of resolve to do anything about my eroding civil liberties. But DAMN the non-stop Obama bashing by other conservatives on here is tiresome. You could have a field day with his economic policies alone ... but nooooooooo we're gonna spend all day talking about his preacher or what he does with his own personal money or his private time or what his wife says. Good grief. Give it a rest. Some of you have the deer-in-the-headlights look for the 2008 election already. If the Republicans get slaughtered by Obama*, they are only getting what they damn well deserve for not being in the least conservative anymore.

* And I believe that will happen, because:
1) Blacks will vote for him just because he's black
2) Casual voters won't bother to study the real impact of his policies, and will gush over his rhetoric, which is quite good.
3) Fiscal conservatives and civil libertarians long ago wrote this election off as a waste, and will largely either not vote or vote for a third party.
4) Campaigning against GW Bush will be HIGHLY EFFECTIVE among many voters.

Well, one could argue that if he's so damned adamant about taxing the hell out of the rich and middle class to prop up all of the leeches, it might be a little less hypocritical if he had been a little more generous with his own money.

Conservatives give more to Charity than Liberals, so of little suprise.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=1


the double standard is the media/Left have tried to bash Republicans in the past on this issue and paint them as "uncarring" while no mention of Dem giving.

then a couple years ago Dick Cheney gave nearly his entire income to charity and no news reports on that of any prominence. something around $7 Million bucks in 2006.

Fiscal Cons. have no reasonable measure to not support McCain. That is one of McCain's strong points in his career, last year alone he took $0 in Earmarks and was one of the most powerful Senators around and chose not to.


Which when Fiscal Cons like Mark Sanford endorsed him recently he talked up McCains Fiscal Record. Plus if he's president he'll have an easier time vetoing some spending with a Dem congress vs. confronting your own allies like Bush was forced into. and noted that the only way any real progress will be made there is for a potus that uses the bully pulpit to make it happen.

Gov. Mark Sanford: The Conservative Case for John McCain

I pray to GOD Sanford is his running mate.

Bourgeois_Rage Wrote:

Fo Shizzle Wrote:Maybe Obama feels as I do...that he has already given plenty at the door(of government) though immoral taxation.

I doubt that is the case.

Oh no...I feel that way!

How much of that tax return is Capital Gains? Reason I ask is Obama's "solution" to the economy is to nearly double the Cap Gains tax.

BRILLANT!! Let's strengthen the economy by taking money out of it and sticking it in his pocket.

Ninerfan1 Wrote:How much of that tax return is Capital Gains? Reason I ask is Obama's "solution" to the economy is to nearly double the Cap Gains tax.

BRILLANT!! Let's strengthen the economy by taking money out of it and sticking it in his pocket.

The definitive liberal solution...More money!!..More Money!!..More Money!! If we can just get some more money we can solve all the worlds problems

Machiavelli Wrote:Blah-


With all due respect. Who cares? I don't give much to charity. A couple of hundred to the BG athletic Dept. 500 to my local school's athletic dept, that's about it but I think taxes should be raised. We should balance the budget. Either cut spending or tax more. You can't have it both ways. I swear I don't get you guys. If you spend then you need to tax. We need a balanced budget. It used to be tax and spend liberals. Now it's cut taxes and go deeper into debt and spend like there's no tommorrow conservatives. I don't get it. I certainly wouldn't champion it either.

I don't necessarily care what he gives to or how much he gives. I do applaud him for releasing this personal information (although I think he did it to stick it to Hilary). But what I found hypocritical is his stance that we need to raise taxes to essentially help the poor, which differs from what you are saying (i.e. raise taxes to balance the budget) (I disagree and would argue for cutting spending, but oh well). The part I found hypocritical was that he himself really hasn't done anything personally to help the poor in his own giving. Why then take the stance that taxes should be raised? Is his stance, "Well, I know that I personally won't do "what is right" unless forced by the government, so everyone else is the same way too."?

RebelKev Wrote:Well, one could argue that if he's so damned adamant about taxing the hell out of the rich and middle class to prop up all of the leeches, it might be a little less hypocritical if he had been a little more generous with his own money.

That was my argument.

It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his ability to be President as GTS asked, but I sure as hell think it points to a flawed logic.

Now I have to take up for Obama on this one, it looks like he may have given lots of money to the poor.

10,000-plus square foot home

Damn, now I can see why he is so down on on the United States. Hell, how's he supposed to live in a paltry 10K square foot home? Damn this country has been harsh to him. If it weren't for the white devil, it would have been 20K.

georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:In what way is his private giving even slightly related to running for President?

I hate Obama's economic policy, and lack of resolve to do anything about my eroding civil liberties. But DAMN the non-stop Obama bashing by other conservatives on here is tiresome. You could have a field day with his economic policies alone ... but nooooooooo we're gonna spend all day talking about his preacher or what he does with his own personal money or his private time or what his wife says. Good grief. Give it a rest. Some of you have the deer-in-the-headlights look for the 2008 election already. If the Republicans get slaughtered by Obama*, they are only getting what they damn well deserve for not being in the least conservative anymore.

* And I believe that will happen, because:
1) Blacks will vote for him just because he's black
2) Casual voters won't bother to study the real impact of his policies, and will gush over his rhetoric, which is quite good.
3) Fiscal conservatives and civil libertarians long ago wrote this election off as a waste, and will largely either not vote or vote for a third party.
4) Campaigning against GW Bush will be HIGHLY EFFECTIVE among many voters.

Ah GTS, remember that Obama hasn't had the "Lee Atwater Treatment" yet...

At this point in 1988, Mike Dukakis was up 20 points over Bush 41 or any likely Republican nominee. Look what happened.

Obama has large vulnerabilities... "hope and change" are cheap.. but when pressed for details on what this will cost the taxpayer... the empty suit and the house of cards will start to crater.

Question 1: "Senator Obama, if elected President, will you raise taxes??"

How many candidates have been elected President after promising a tax hike??

Issue 2 is Hillary. She has promised to "fight to the end"...and essentially bring "murder-suicide" to the Democratic Convention in Denver. She will leave the party divided, and I don't see her labor supporters voting for Obama. Some Democrats will cross over for McCain, or stay home. If Hillary can't have the nomination, she will not hesitate to take the rest of the Party down.

I feel in my gut that McCain will win... and by a decent margin.

And while McCain is not my top choice.. he beats the Wicked Liberal Witch of the North and the Empty Suit from the South Side of Chicago hands down....