BloggeRhythms

Many news agencies reported yesterday about the Obama’s filing their taxes for the past year.

 

According to bloomberg.com, “President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, reported adjusted gross income of $477,383 for 2014, down 0.8 percent from last year, according to tax returns released Friday by the White House.

 

“The Obamas paid $93,362 in federal taxes for an effective income tax rate of 19.6 percent. They made most of their income from the president’s salary, plus about $16,000 in interest and $88,000 in book royalties.

 

“In his sixth year in office, Obama’s earnings continued to decline and the couple reported their lowest income since 2004, before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.”

 

Reading the story, the first thought arising was: “What difference does it possibly make how much these two earn each year when it’s taxpayers that bear most of the expenses the couple creates?

 

A quick search in that regard found an article by Alex Pappas who writes in dailycaller.com/2012, that: “Now another author, John F. Groom, explains in “The 1.4 Billion Dollar Man: Costs of the Obama White House” exactly how researchers came up with that $1.4 billion estimate.

 

“One of the most important things to note about the $1.4 billion figure is that it specifically does NOT include the cost of running the White House’s policy operations – the $1.4 billion is money that is directly related to the president and his family,” Groom writes in the book.

 

• President’s salary and allowance: $450,000
• White House building operating expenses: $14,658,000
• White House Grounds: $6,057,000
• Vacations: $20,000,000
• Health care for the first family, including traveling medical staff and equipment: $7,000,000
• Campaign expenses not reimbursed to government: $311,000,000
• White House staff: $7,985,420
• Office of Administration budget: $14,481,000
• Special missions including White House Communications Agency: $161,252,000
• Military salary costs: $153,441,360
• Salary costs for presidential airlift squadron: $75,000,000
• Presidential plane fleet: $44,000,000
• Presidential helicopter fleet: $300,000,000
• Ground transportation: $2,200,000
• Transportation total: $346,200,000
• Secret Service: $259,152,884

 

Which means that, compared to the $1.4 billion described above, the taxable income earned by the couple is chump change. And if they were as concerned about humanity as they claim, they should have given it ALL to charity.

 

Which brings us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife.

 

Anita Kumar, McClatchy Washington Bureau, wrote an article on mcclatchydc.com titled, “How Hillary Clinton will launch differently this time.”

 

Ms Kumar writes that, “in a recent cover story in Town & Country magazine, former President Bill Clinton acknowledged that his wife needed to speak directly to people if she decides to run. 

 

“I think it’s important and Hillary does, too, that she go out there as if she’s never run for anything before and establish her connection with the voters,” he said”

 

Now, if nothing else, over the years there’s probably been more said, written, and publicized about the Clinton’s than any other couple in history, including Adam & Eve, which would make it extremely difficult to start over from scratch.

 

However, Bill’s wife might still get away with his idea that she “go out there as if she’s never run for anything before,“ because she really hasn’t. Up to now, everything in her career's been handed to her because of her husband.  

 

The only problem with that approach she’ll have to overcome is that the few times she’s been on her own, such as when asking: “What difference does it make?” about Benghazi were disasters. And thus, she’s probably better off remaining aloof and away from the common ear and eye, as usual.  

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios