Loading ...AP: Clintons tithed on $109 million earnings
flockwoodBill and Hillary Clinton gave roughly 10 percent of their income to charity from 2000 to 2007, according to data released today…
By Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Writer
Clintons Report $109.2 Million in Income Over 7 Years
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton report nearly $109.2 million in income for seven years in newly released tax data.
The Democratic presidential candidate and her husband paid $33.8 million in taxes from 2000 through 2007. They listed $10.25 million in charitable contributions during that period.
Clinton has been under pressure to release her tax returns, especially from rival Barack Obama, who posted his 2000 to 2006 returns on his campaign Web site last week. Neither Obama nor Republican Sen. John McCain have made their 2007 tax returns public, though both say they will this month.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
[...] BibleBeltBlogger wrote an interesting post today on AP: Clintons tithed on $109 million earningsHere’s a quick excerptBill and Hillary Clinton gave roughly 10 percent of their income to charity from 2000 to 2007, according to data released today… (more…)… [...]
April 5th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Thats about 4300.00 a day. Not bad, by any standard.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Perplexed, it’s a little easier to turn loose of the money when a good chunk of it goes to your own foundation.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Whether it went to their own foundation or not (and yes, I know it probably gave them a tax break)it is still commendable. What would happen to this world if each of us, from the richest to the poorest, gave 10% to the charities of our choice?
April 5th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
At this income level, David, I doubt that they get much tax benefit from it. The benefit they get is political, and when you control the charitable foundation, you get to do things like let the money accumulate for a time, perhaps even until after an election, before you give it away, so that no one can criticize who you gave it to.
I have often thumped the Mormons for being a little too timely in their receipt of bulletins from above, and here I charge the Clintons with the same thing: It’s a little bit pat to release a figure that just happens to roughly equal the generally accepted 10% “tithe,” particularly when most of that money was given after Hillary started running for office.
You’re right, David, that any giving to charity is good and I suppose we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but let’s remember that there’s a campaign going on here, and we didn’t hear about this until Hillary needed a boost in the polls.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
What percentage of income did John McCain give? George Bush? Obama?
April 6th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Caleb,
I guess I’d rather receive a “timely…bulletin from above” than none at all….
April 7th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Well, David, I suppose the gist of my suggestion is that your church’s bulletins from above were a little too timely to be sincere. But then, I’m always the skeptic.
April 8th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I don’t know if any of you read in the Bible about the rich Pharisee that gave a lavish gift, and the poor widow who put in all her lifesaving, if you remember the story, but the Lord praised her more than the rich man. I’m not trying to knock the Clinton’s or start an arguement, but it’s much harder to tithe on a fixed budget than if you have plenty. I can’t lie, this winter, laying block and brick, knowing we were in for bad weather, it wasn’t easy giving the ten percent.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Caleb,
I guess my reaction to “timely bulletins” is that there a more than a few biblical instances where our Heavenly Father actually waited until he was asked to deliver revelation and answer prayers and sometimes, like when the people clamored for a king, going against the advice of Samuel, our God actually acquiesced to the people and gave them what they wanted. So, “timeliness” in revelation does not necessarily make it false. Sometimes God does wait on man, mostly to be merciful to us.
Looking at the revelation on the priesthood from President Kimball, our general authorities had been praying on that one for years before it was given. Don’t you think it would have been a lot easier to “receive” that one in the 1960s than wait until the late 70s? If that one was “timely” then the timing was off 10-15 years.
Mike,
The Widow’s mite. One of my favorite biblical stories. My take is that, as a percentage, the rich gave far less than did the widow. However, I would imagine that if the rich men were actually paying a full tithe and had not been parading it around and letting all know how much they were paying, the Lord would have thought well of their tithes also. I think it is all in the attitude, be we rich or poor. Are we doing it for the glory of God, or to be seen of men?
And as for the difficulty; I served as a “ward clerk” in one of my congregations, responsible for collecting the tithes and offerings each Sunday. It was not surprising to see many who struggled financially pay an honest tithe, and receive many blessings because the had the attitude that they would do as the Lord asks, and then there were those who had much financially but struggled to keep that commandment because they just didn’t believe that God would “open you the windows of heaven, and pour…out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
Tithing is a principle of faith, not of finance.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Of course, when I say “off 10-15 years” I am referring to the fact that it was about 10-15 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed that the revelation was received. Maybe if our leaders would have asked previously, it would have been given decades earlier. I have no idea on that one….
April 8th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I agree David, I’m a firm believer, that when we give, we are to do it in secret, not openly. I remember right after I was saved, a fairly well to do man passed away, to make a long story short, he had a two page will, that he ended up giving the church 2 thousand dollars, which was nice, but I sat there in my seat, and had to really ask myself, is this the way the Lord would have us give? I like to be liked, but I prefer having Gods favor over mans. I don’t claim to be perfect, but in being around people, I prefer humble folks over the proud ones. Soceity is so full of superficial, when I think of a macho man, it isn’t the guy who drinks and stays out all hours of the night, it’s like my father, a man of few words, but took care of his wife and 5 kids, I didn’t grow up rich, but I never did without, I wish I was half the man my father was and is. Besides, I don’t believe a soul will ever be content hording and living a selfish life, that comes from having a clear conscience with the Lord, like all men, I want a reasonable life for my family, but there are some things, that even the best earthly fathers can’t give their children, those things come strictly from the heavenly Father.