The case against Obama: Part I
Barack Obama recently made several years of tax his personal returns available to the public. There is some very interesting information in there.
| Year |
AGI |
Charity Donation |
% |
| 2006 |
$983,826 |
$60,307 |
6.1% |
| 2005 |
$1,655,106 |
$77,315 |
4.7% |
| 2004 |
$207,647 |
$2,500 |
1.2% |
| 2003 |
$238,327 |
$3,400 |
1.4% |
| 2002 |
$259,394 |
$1,050 |
0.40% |
| 2001 |
$272,759 |
$1,470 |
0.54% |
| 2000 |
$240,505 |
$2,350 |
0.98% |
Obama signed a book deal just before he entered the US Senate in 2005. That is where most of his new found weath is coming from. He said he would donate $200,000 to charity. That hasn't happened yet.
According to Charity Navigator, the average US household donates 3.2% of income to charity each year. From 2000 to 2004, Obama fell way below average. In 2002 the Obamas donated just $1050 to charity even though they were in the top 2% of wage earning households. The average US household, regardless of income, donated $1872 (according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University).
From Obama's official election web site: "Barack Obama has been a lifelong advocate for the poor…"
Dickran Gobalian
Dickran Gobalian (if that is indeed his real name) has been called 'the most famous non-famous American musician.' Those that are familiar with Mr. Gobalian know him better as the Panama hat wearing, baritone voiced, guitar playing, Leon Redbone. 
Mr. Redbone rose to prominence during the 1970s in Toronto and later as a frequent guest on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Rolling Stone magazine did a feature article on him in 1974 - a full year before he got his first recording contract. If you still can't recall Mr. Redbone and you are at least 30 years old, check out the YouTube videos of his Budweiser commercials. That will certainly jar your memory.
Mr. Redbone seems to relish in the mystery surrounding his background once saying: 'This mystery about me is something I should bottle and sell to the public. It seems to be the way I communicate with people.'
Check out his discography on his official site.
Electoral Vote
One of my 'addictions' is following the politcal process. Although I am a staunch conservative, there is a web site run by a democat that I follow: Electoral Vote Predictor. He claims to be a libertarian that leans toward the democrats, but over the last couple of years of reading his commentary, I think he is a democrat that leans libertarian. Nonetheless, he has put a lot of work into a pretty impressive site.
57 States???
You may have heard that Obama has been to "all 57 states" during the campaign thus far with one to go. He also said he had not been to Alaska or Hawaii because "my staff would not justify it."
While every school child knows there are only 50 states, can you image the media coverage if any other candidate had made these remarks? Why are the media so infactuated with Obama?
President Bush today while in Israel said: "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along." ABC and CBS covered Bush's speach, not as US foreign policy or President Bush meeting with the Knesset, but rather about Obama's outrage at the comments. Come on people!
Back to the "57 states" comment. If I were a resident of Alaska and Hawaii I would really be upset by Obama's comment. He basically said that those two states aren't important enough to worry about.
