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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2008-04-05

A Contrast: "Darth" Cheney vs. "Bubba" Clinton 

Since the story seems to be the headline in the major dailies, let me just remind you of a widely-overlooked point of comparison.

Clintons Earned $109 Million in 8 Years

In the past eight years, Bill and Hillary Clinton earned a combined $109 million, with the former president collecting nearly half of that money as a speaker hired at times by companies that have been among his wife's most generous political supporters. . . .

The Clintons paid $33 million in federal taxes during the eight-year period and donated $10 million to charity, . . .

I think it's admirable that the Clintons have parlayed their political success into a financial empire; and I think it only appropriate that they give back: that $10 million to charity is roughly the amount of the traditional tithe. Good for them.

But you would imagine that a couple so focused on the plight of the poor, who has been called the "first black President", who are famous for "feeling your pain", might just have found a way to make a bigger charitable give than that. Perhaps they could stand to learn the lesson from one of the most reviled men in America:

Dick Cheney Donates Millions to Charity

. . . .Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne gave away nearly $7 million last year to help the poor and to medical research.

According to income tax information released by the White House on Friday, the Cheneys' adjusted gross income in 2005 was $8,819,006.

I don't begrudge the Clinton's success, and it's wonderful that they give as much as they do to charity. But every once in a while it's good to remember that there is (even for a man of Bill Clinton's appetites) a limit to how much you can spend, and that great wealth brings great opportunity to affect the lives of others.

A lesson, clearly, the Oh-So-Hated Vice President learned, and the ex-President and Senator have yet to learn.
Posted by: Michael / 4/05/2008 01:06:00 AM

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