God-men don’t need no steenkin’ charitable deductions
March 26th, 2008 by joe
This would only be considered unfair if Barack Obama had not positioned himself as the know-it-all god man … but there it is.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife Michelle gave $10,772 of the $1.2 million they earned from 2000 through 2004 to charities, or less than 1 percent, according to tax returns for those years released today by his campaign.
The article goes on to note that after they sold a best-selling, ludicrously titled and interpreted book, they cut a nice check for charities which brought the percentage to 5%.
The paltry giving for someone who positions himself as eminently, didactically progressive is one thing. My family made a lot less money than the Obamas during that period, and gave more to charity, and we were not particularly charitable. We give a ton more nowadays, and have not sold any books in the meantime.
Besides a rather ungodly, pedestrian strain of stinginess, what the Obama family’s paltry level of charitable giving reveals is a disturbing level of normalcy. They have been doing the same stuff you and I have, and probably less of it.
So when the anointed one lectures America, America is right to ask “who made you Jesus?” All you fellow 1 percenters should ask where this guy gets the authority to demand we elevate our moral code.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 12:19 am and is filed under Campaign 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:16 am
I’m guessing that if someone were to ask Obama “Who made you Jesus” he’d have a level headed response that would make the asker look kind of kooky, like one of those right wingers in the blogosphere who insist that global warming is a liberal conspiracy
March 26th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Joe, it is well established that conservatives give more to charity than the socialists (a.k.a., Democrats) give. Socialists think it is the government’s job to take care of the people. Thus, they consider their taxes as their “charitable giving.” Conservatives, however, realize that God has put that burden on us as individuals, and on the Church.
March 26th, 2008 at 7:56 am
If I recall from an article about a year ago, the right thing to do is not give $200 yourself, but find a way to get the government to take $200 from someone else. The government knows best on how to spend our money. Take one look at medicare, and social security and it is self evident that the government is very wise in its management of wealth.
March 26th, 2008 at 8:30 am
This also brings up the question of who among our wealthy liberal friends who say they didn’t deserve a tax cut (say like William Jefferson Clinton) has ever written a check to the U.S. Treasury for more than their tax liability.
(crickets chirping)
March 26th, 2008 at 9:42 am
I’m poor as a churchmouse compared to the Obamas (but rich compared to most of the world). I’m not bragging here because I’d like to give a lot more, but let’s just say that percentage wise, I give a whole lot more than that in real dollars and even more if you count donated time, used goods, short term hospitality to those in need and other things that are difficult to quantify. And, Jacob’s right, that’s because I believe that it is my job to be my brother’s keeper and to love my neighbor in tangible ways — my job, not primarily the government’s job.
By the way, for those of you who do believe that it’s the government’s job to meet every human need, Virginia has it’s very own “tax me more” fund to allow you to overpay on your taxes for the benefit of your fellow wo/man. Last I heard, there weren’t very many contributions to the fund and I’m sure your generosity would be appreciated, if, that is, you really believe that government is the most efficient supplier of human needs and wants.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Joe… for all the years inclusive, the average was 3.8% , and only one year grought that up. That was 2006, IIRC…and the percentage of salary that year alone was 6.3% .
March 26th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Loudoun Conservative , last year the fund took in $16.00.
March 27th, 2008 at 12:57 am
I’m wondering if the saint is actually going to end up being the candidate. A month ago, I thought that would have been a disaster for the GOP (among whom I am not certain I still count myself).
Now, I don’t know if it would be so bad.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I don’t want to be flippant, but hey, Obama seems to have missed the Biblical story of the widow’s mite. He quite clearly gave only from his surplus and even then he was a cheapskate about it.
Wealthy Democrats still coast off this “we are for the little guy” song and dance, but their tune sounds more and more elitist and socialist every day. Yet, we Republicans somehow let them get away with looking like the party for the little guy. The same little guy who gives generously to charity and gets his pocket picked by the taxman.