Obama walks the walk?

[Duncan]

Way to back up your rhetoric Obama. I’m sure if he wins the Presidency he will be very generous with MY money.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0704250022apr25,1,5497052,print.story

“Giving, service and compassion are recurrent themes on the campaign trail for Sen. Barack Obama, but the Democratic presidential contender has only recently dug deep into his own pockets to support charitable causes.

Obama has enjoyed a robust household income throughout his political career in the Illinois Senate and the U.S. Senate. But for most of that time he has reported comparatively little by national standards in charitable contributions on his tax returns, records released by Obama show.”

“In 2002, the year before Obama launched his campaign for U.S. Senate, the Obamas reported income of $259,394, ranking them in the top 2 percent of U.S. households, according to Census Bureau statistics. That year the Obamas claimed $1,050 in deductions for gifts to charity, or 0.4 percent of their income. The average U.S. household totaled $1,872 in gifts to charity in 2002, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The national average for charitable giving has long hovered at 2.2 percent of household income, according to the Glenview-based Giving USA Foundation, which tracks trends in philanthropy. Obama tax returns dating to 1997 show he fell well below that benchmark until 2005, the year he arrived in Washington.

Both Obama and his wife, Michelle, declined to respond to questions about their charitable donations.”

[SkinsOrlando]

Liberals believe in charity they just refer to it as higher taxes and instead of giving it's taking.

[GoSkins561]

Liberals believe in charity they just refer to it as higher taxes and instead of giving it's taking.

Hit the nail on the head.

[mjah]

This might be the only yardstick in the Universe by which Bush looks like a better president than Obama would be. (See the article for why this statement is relevant.)

So... congratulations?

Honestly, charitable donations aren't a very effective direct measure of worthiness to be president. It's primarily a public relations gambit, not a reflection of how much somebody truly cares about the world.

Obama wouldn't have spent time serving as a community organizer if he didn't care about the greater community. As an attorney, he represented community organizers and worked on voting rights cases. That's a fair sight better than Hillary's record of supporting childrens' advocacy groups (we've all read that anecdote, which doesn't cast her in the best light) while serving on the board of Wal-Mart.

I'd also like to know the breakdown of others' charitable gifts. Are they giving to charities that are basically religious advocacy groups? Political advocacy groups? I have no idea, but it would good to know the breakdown. Not every "charity" is a charity.

Let's at least get the entire picture first.

[Duncan]

Honestly, charitable donations aren't a very effective direct measure of worthiness to be president. It's primarily a public relations gambit, not a reflection of how much somebody truly cares about the world.

Well if you think giving money to charity is a "public relations gambit" then it is obvious you hoard you money and have never experienced the joy of helping others. Putting your money where your mouth is tells a lot about a person but I guess hiring a tax attorney and pulling the lever for candidates that pay lip service to "caring about the world" is enough for you.

Liberalism as fashion at it’s finest.

[Runs with Scissors]

My deductions for gifts to charity,is always zero.I didn't even keep track of what I gave last year.So,I better not ever run for president.

Do people really keep track of every dollar they give?

[Thiebear]

0 is fine and by far the best way to do it....

Claiming 1050 is no different than claiming 20k. If your claimin your claiming most..

I claim: (missing childrens fund) (Blind workers)(AER)(Church-when i go) etc. and its not a lot either...

and the MC is because i have children= a little self serving...

[RDSKNfaithfull]

No wonder the other canidates don't even release their tax records :doh:

If people on extreme think this is so bad I think they should list in this thread every charitable contribution they have contributed too in the past 15years.

[Tastes Like Chicken]

No wonder the other canidates don't even release their tax records :doh:

If people on extreme think this is so bad I think they should list in this thread every charitable contribution they have contributed too in the past 15years.

Good post.

Isn't there a cap on what you can claim on certain charitable contributions, like church for instance?

Whatever the cap is, my family well exceeded it in 2007.

No one should be criticizing the Obamas until they, themselves, post some tax statements online; then let's talk!

So walk the walk. Post up your tax statements, critics!

:soapbox:

[Midnight Judges]

I'm surprised the Obama's only made $260K in 2002. That really isn't very much for 40 something Harvard grads with two kids.

[flashback]

I bet McCain's wife earns more than that on interest alone.

btw, I have nothing to base that on, I'm just talking out of my ass, or 'pulling a jbooma', as I like to call it.

[twa]

I'm surprised the Obama's only made $260K in 2002. That really isn't very much for 40 something Harvard grads with two kids.

I knew it...tax evaders ...story @ 9:silly:

On their just-filed 2006 tax return, Obama and his wife, a hospital administrator, reported taxable income of $983,626 and claimed deductions for $60,307 in charitable donations. In 2005 they earned a combined $1.65 million and gave away about $77,300.

And people wonder why they go into politics.

[gbear]

My wife and I rarely give much to charitable donations that will make it to our IRS.

They did when we gave all the money we were given from our wedding to a camp for disabled kids, but that's pretty much the only year they were above the 50% mark for our income according to turbo tax...Some how the money we spend raising sick foster kids or the pay cut to be able to do so or the money given for care of a dog whom the owners can't afford etc. isn't counted. Measuring somebody's charity from their tax returns is a pretty poor way to go about getting an informed idea.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

I heard Obama picks his nose more than McCain too.

[SkinsOrlando]

Most of my donations are not eligible for tax deductions.

Salvation Army

USO

Paralyzed Veterans

Operation AC - might be tax deductible but what would be a deduction for 500 bucks, not worth the time of filing it

OWRV - operation we remember vietnam

Boy Scouts

So it's possible they donated money that was not tax deductible, this I will concede

However, I still stand by my earlier statement. They believe in chairty forced through the federal taxation and state taxation laws.

[PleaseBlitz]

I'm surprised the Obama's only made $260K in 2002. That really isn't very much for 40 something Harvard grads with two kids.

Politics doesnt pay much. That's why it doesnt attract many good people.

[PleaseBlitz]

I knew it...tax evaders ...story @ 9:silly:

On their just-filed 2006 tax return, Obama and his wife, a hospital administrator, reported taxable income of $983,626 and claimed deductions for $60,307 in charitable donations. In 2005 they earned a combined $1.65 million and gave away about $77,300.

And people wonder why they go into politics.

They just filed their 2006 return?

[Zguy28]

Most of my donations are not eligible for tax deductions.

Salvation Army

USO

Paralyzed Veterans

Operation AC - might be tax deductible but what would be a deduction for 500 bucks, not worth the time of filing it

OWRV - operation we remember vietnam

Boy Scouts

So it's possible they donated money that was not tax deductible, this I will concede

However, I still stand by my earlier statement. They believe in chairty forced through the federal taxation and state taxation laws.

Why aren't those tax deductible?

[mjah]

Well if you think giving money to charity is a "public relations gambit" then it is obvious you hoard you money and have never experienced the joy of helping others.

Bad move.

Making really, really poor assumptions about me is only going to make you look like an idiot. Don't do it.

I give thousands and thousands of dollars to charity each and every year. I only claim a fraction of them on my taxes. If you looked at my tax returns, you'd think I only give maybe 2% of my income to charity annually.

In your eyes, apparently that would make me a money-hoarding, selfish lib-er-ull who expects the government to do my charitable giving for me. Let's see -- that's one, two, three, ...yep, four ways you'd be wrong, all in one post. That's some good police work there, Lou.

Putting your money where your mouth is tells a lot about a person but I guess hiring a tax attorney and pulling the lever for candidates that pay lip service to "caring about the world" is enough for you.

Second verse; same as the first.

Your mouth is writing checks that reality can't cash. Give it up.

By the way -- maybe you can put your money where your mouth is. How much did you give to charity last year, and what percentage was that of your pre-tax income?

Or are you, just like Hillary, "too busy" to share that information?

If you don't post an answer to this question, I think we'll all be able to read between the lines.

[SkinsOrlando]

Why aren't those tax deductible?

I wish I knew but the disclaimers on every single one of em - this donation is not tax deductible. I really don't know why they aren't, I just know I can't file them as tax deductions.

[Predicto]

I knew it...tax evaders ...story @ 9:silly:

On their just-filed 2006 tax return, Obama and his wife, a hospital administrator, reported taxable income of $983,626 and claimed deductions for $60,307 in charitable donations. In 2005 they earned a combined $1.65 million and gave away about $77,300.

And people wonder why they go into politics.

That's what happens when you write two best selling books.

Their 2002 incomes are far more representative.

[alexey]

How dare Obama contribute only $1,050 to tax-deductable charities!!!

[alexey]

I am sad for perverted minds to which this seems like a valid point.

[Popeman38]

I wish I knew but the disclaimers on every single one of em - this donation is not tax deductible. I really don't know why they aren't, I just know I can't file them as tax deductions.

They aren't tax-deductible because they are paying a service to do the advertising. If you contact the actual office of the charities, they will most likely be tax deductible. Anytime a for-profit third party is involved, you won't get the deduction.

CAVEAT: They have to be registered as a 503©(3) organization with the IRS.