Obamas Gave Less Than 1 Percent of 2000-2004 Income to Charity

[DeepModem Mom]

Bloomberg News: Obamas Gave Less Than 1 Percent of 2000-2004 Income to Charity
Obamas Gave Less Than 1 Percent of 2000-2004 Income to Charity
By Ryan J. Donmoyer and Julianna Goldman

March 25 (Bloomberg) -- 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 one percent, according to tax returns for those years released today by his campaign.

The couple earned more than $2.6 million in 2005 and 2006 after the Illinois senator published a bestselling book in 2005. They donated $137,622 over those two years and made their church, Trinity United Church of Christ, one of the biggest beneficiaries of their philanthropy, donating $27,500. Obama is under scrutiny for his ties to the church because of comments made by its senior pastor.

The Obamas' charitable giving history was revealed as he became the first presidential candidate to release his tax returns for the decade and called on his rival for the Democratic nomination, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, to do the same....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHdvU_NJzIcI&refer=home

[LisaM]

1. How can anyone give $27,500 to a church? That seems like a lot.

My church is lucky if I throw more than $5 in the collection plate (at Easter, I gave $20).

[Saturday]

4. If you made 2.6 million it's a pittance. What? St. Obama doesn't tithe?nt

[DJ13]

2. Where the Clinton tax records for an honest comparison?

:shrug:

[panader0]

3. I personally do not give jack to charity

When I saw how much the leader of the Red Cross and some of the other charities make, I said no more. I will give on a local level. Most of my taxes could be considered charity, since my Reps and Sens don't do anything to earn it.

[LisaM]

10. I don't give much either.

A few years ago, when they were doing the annual United Way drive at our work, the person who was leading it made the statement that he didn't used to support United Way because he thought it fed into the Reaganesque view that government should not provide support services and that community support should depend on the generosity of the wealthy.

I realized how right he was and have not given a nickel to United Way since. I'll occasionally give money or time to a volunteer organization, but I believe we need to force the government back into a position of responsibility. My discretionary charitable income mostly goes to things like the Sierra Club.

[Danieljay]

11. we don't either, we give breaks to patients without health insurance at our clinic....

We can pick and choose who we believe benefits the most.

[shireen]

15. good point, some of those charity CEOs make obscene amounts of money

I always check the salary of top management before donating to an organization. The only national org. I give to is Doctors without Borders because their CEO gets paid a reasonable salary. All the rest go to local groups.

[rateyes]

5. Or, they are like me, and they

don't itemize every possible charitable deduction. I don't usually get receipts for my donations, and therefore don't claim them as deductions. The only deductions I take are those that the charity themselves acknowledge with a receipt mailed to me at the end of the year.

[Saturday]

8. They're not like you. Rich people have accountants to find every possible deduction.nt

[Danieljay]

12. Its not just rich people. My wife and I do the same thing just to stay afloat..

and we aren't exactly rich. Most of our patients drive nicer cars and live in nicer houses than we do.

[rateyes]

14. And, what would make you think that I'm not rich?

:shrug:

[flor de jasmim]

6. As his cousin would say, "SO?"

[Justitia]

7. And the Clintons gave Paula Jones almost a MILLION BUCKS - why??? -eom

[azmouse]

9. I didn't realize there was a set amount that someone had to give.

OTOH... being a politician who knows his returns will be scrutinized, he should have been more generous.

My husband and I probably gave the same percentage of our income to charity. We do want we can, but we need to take of ourselves first and foremost so we are not a burden on anyone else.

[madrchsod]

13. what is the point?

they made more from 2005 and 2006 so they gave more money...