Corruption? Obama earmarks $1 million to wifes non-profit hospital; Michelle gets massive pay raise.

[removed account per user]

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/o...mo_code=4736-1

Obama's Earmarks: $1 Million for Wife's Hospital


Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has released a list of $740 million in earmark requests he made in the past three years, and it includes $1 million for the hospital where his wife Michelle is a vice president.


The request for $1 million for the University of Chicago Medical Center was to help pay for construction of a new pavilion.



“I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that Michelle Obama was not part of our lobbying over the request, not in any way,” Kelly Sullivan, another vice president at the medical center, told the New York Times.



In any case, the 2006 request for the hospital was not approved by the Senate, as was about $7 out of every $10 the Illinois senator asked for in earmarks.



Bud he did manage to secure $1.3 million for a high-explosive technology program for the Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The program was overseen by General Dynamics, and one of Obama’s top supporters, James Crown — a member of Obama’s national finance committee — serves on the board of General Dynamics.



Obama also secured a $750,000 earmark for renovation of a space center named for Crown’s grandfather, Henry Crown, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.



And Obama secured several million dollars for a project at Chicago State University. Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a close personal friend of Obama and one of his benefactors, has been a strong supporter of Chicago State, according to the Times.



Other earmarks sought and secured by Obama include more than $10 million for a military arsenal in Rock Island, several million dollars for research on soybean disease and livestock genes, and $100,000 for after-school programs at the Chicago Jesuit Academy.



Michelle Obama is on leave from her job while her husband campaigns for president, but after Barack was elected to congress, she received a big raise.



USA Today reports that officials at the University of Chicago Hospitals told the Chicago Tribune that Michelle is "worth her weight in gold."

"She's terrific," added Michael Riordan, who was president of the hospital in March 2005, when Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and had her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962.



Hospitals spokesman John Easton told the Tribune that Michelle Obama's salary is in line with those of the 16 other vice presidents at the not-for-profit medical center.

[MR. VEGAS]

Must be nice to a husband in the senate. I am always amazed at people who make great money like them always complain about how bad things are in the country and how this administation keeps people down. It hasn't kept her down.

[cowpoke]

Wow, you would have thunk she would have been PROUD of her country back in 05 for that pay raise we gave her...
That's gratitude for ya.

[DinarNewb]

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/o...mo_code=4736-1

Obama's Earmarks: $1 Million for Wife's Hospital


Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has released a list of $740 million in earmark requests he made in the past three years, and it includes $1 million for the hospital where his wife Michelle is a vice president.


The request for $1 million for the University of Chicago Medical Center was to help pay for construction of a new pavilion.



“I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that Michelle Obama was not part of our lobbying over the request, not in any way,” Kelly Sullivan, another vice president at the medical center, told the New York Times.



In any case, the 2006 request for the hospital was not approved by the Senate, as was about $7 out of every $10 the Illinois senator asked for in earmarks.



Bud he did manage to secure $1.3 million for a high-explosive technology program for the Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The program was overseen by General Dynamics, and one of Obama’s top supporters, James Crown — a member of Obama’s national finance committee — serves on the board of General Dynamics.



Obama also secured a $750,000 earmark for renovation of a space center named for Crown’s grandfather, Henry Crown, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.



And Obama secured several million dollars for a project at Chicago State University. Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones Jr., a close personal friend of Obama and one of his benefactors, has been a strong supporter of Chicago State, according to the Times.



Other earmarks sought and secured by Obama include more than $10 million for a military arsenal in Rock Island, several million dollars for research on soybean disease and livestock genes, and $100,000 for after-school programs at the Chicago Jesuit Academy.



Michelle Obama is on leave from her job while her husband campaigns for president, but after Barack was elected to congress, she received a big raise.



USA Today reports that officials at the University of Chicago Hospitals told the Chicago Tribune that Michelle is "worth her weight in gold."

"She's terrific," added Michael Riordan, who was president of the hospital in March 2005, when Michelle Obama was promoted to vice president for external affairs and had her annual salary increased from $121,910 to $316,962.



Hospitals spokesman John Easton told the Tribune that Michelle Obama's salary is in line with those of the 16 other vice presidents at the not-for-profit medical center.

I generally stay out of these political threads and I am an undecided voter as of yet, but spin like your thread title (intentional or not) really pisses me off.

According to the article, Michelle Obama was promoted/received her pay increase BEFORE the money was earmarked for the hospital, not after as your title to this post suggests. (see bold/colored in quote)

The last sentence of the article says her salary is in line with the standard for her position.

[removed account per user]

I generally stay out of these political threads and I am an undecided voter as of yet, but spin like your thread title (intentional or not) really pisses me off.

According to the article, Michelle Obama was promoted/received her pay increase BEFORE the money was earmarked for the hospital, not after as your title to this post suggests. (see bold/colored in quote)

The last sentence of the article says her salary is in line with the standard for her position.

Sure... maybe it was a prepayment...? The hospital has to make a gesture towards the Obama family before they receive their kickback?

The point is, why is Obama making special requests to send money there at all?

If you are truly independent, you would acknowledge that this kind of deal gives the appearance of wrongdoing and in general doesn't pass The Smell Test.

[Daddy Needs Mils]

I generally stay out of these political threads and I am an undecided voter as of yet, but spin like your thread title (intentional or not) really pisses me off.

According to the article, Michelle Obama was promoted/received her pay increase BEFORE the money was earmarked for the hospital, not after as your title to this post suggests. (see bold/colored in quote)

The last sentence of the article says her salary is in line with the standard for her position.

She got a raise of 175% in one fell swoop that just happened very close to that same time frame. Dirty deals are always thought of and planned for way in advance no matter what side of the red/ blue fence line.

The question should be..."how many years did it take her the reach that pay level (government funded of course), as compared to the others at the hospital making that kind of money?

It's still a duck! It still quacks like a duck.

[MettleOfMan]

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/o...mo_code=4736-1




Hospitals spokesman John Easton told the Tribune that Michelle Obama's salary is in line with those of the 16 other vice presidents at the not-for-profit medical center.

It always cracks me up to learn just how much people profit from all of these non-profit organizations. I wonder just what Marsha's "plus expenses" run up to be?

Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO of the American Red Cross... salary for year ending 06/30/03 was $651,957 plus expenses.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...s_salaries.htm

[War Eagle]

I am so proud of Michelle Obama that I am going to make a good attempt at keeping her in that same position for the next 4 years,and her husband in the Senate!!!!!!!

[War Eagle]

That is, if he is smart enouigh to run for the Senate at the same time he is running for president,ala;Lyndon Johnson

[Deer Hunter]

I generally stay out of these political threads and I am an undecided voter as of yet, but spin like your thread title (intentional or not) really pisses me off.

According to the article, Michelle Obama was promoted/received her pay increase BEFORE the money was earmarked for the hospital, not after as your title to this post suggests. (see bold/colored in quote)

The last sentence of the article says her salary is in line with the standard for her position.

I AM SUR that is one way to be sure 'IT REMAINS A NOT FOR PROFIT ORG' with 16 V.P.s getting a third of a million for breathing.

[williambedloe]

Obama's ties to the nuclear company Exelon are well documented...in fact, his ties to them could spell trouble somewhere down the line...it seems he may be a closet proponent of nuclear energy...hmmm, no wonder he hates this "oil" business....


http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/290/


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0...a_n_84651.html

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...ear-leak-bill/

In fact, it seems that Obama, though against taking money from Corporate interests, still managed to take in close to 200K USD from EXELON employees...just not from the corporation itself. Could this be a loophole in Feingold/McCain's campaign finance reform legislation, and could Obama be taking advantage of it? One of the more infamous "bundlers" of recent history was our buddy Norman "Hillraiser" Hsu, who bundled donations to Hillary. We all remember stories of people who lived in squalid conditions but who managed to give tens of thousands of dollars in donations to Hillary. Bundling from the corporate sense is legal as long as one person doesn't handle the checks. Who knows? The CEO from EXELON could have given out bonuses to certain folks, then quietly asked them to contribute portions of it to Obama's campaign.