That Barack and Michelle Obama gave a little over $77,000 to charity in 2005 when they earned over $1 million?
I don't know if it does or not. The Obamas were quite stingy with their largesse when they were struggling to get by on a quarter of a mil. And, seemingly, they've given more money as Obama's presidential prospects have become clearer. Perhaps I'm just cynical.
Byron York at National Review points out something different that the tax returns reveal.
Something else that strikes me about the returns is their relation to Michelle Obama's tales of her and her husband's struggle. When I saw Mrs. Obama at an appearance in Zanesville, Ohio last month, she was telling a group of low-income women — the median household income in the county in which Zanesville is located was $37,192 in 2004, well below the state and national medians — about how hard it can be to keep things together. Her talk often touched on money. "I know we're spending — I added it up for the first time — we spend between the two kids, on extracurriculars outside the classroom, we're spending about $10,000 a year on piano and dance and sports supplements and so on and so forth," she told the women of her own household expenses. "And summer programs. That's the other huge cost. Barack is saying, 'Whyyyyyy are we spending that?' And I'm saying, 'Do you know what summer camp costs?'"
The women nodded in agreement, although the Obamas were spending what amounted to nearly a third of a Zanesville resident's annual income on piano and dance lessons. Nevertheless, Michelle Obama portrayed herself and her husband as going through a lot of the same struggles as the women and their families. She conceded that she was doing fine financially, but only after Barack Obama hit it big with his books.
But that's not exactly true, Michelle. Most people would live quite comfortably on a quarter of a million dollars, as I pointed out here. Even with their student loans, the Obamas did quite well. Complaining about $10,000 for extracurricular activities probably won't resonate well with average Americans.
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