Obama To Give Back 5% Of Salary

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

PEMA LEVY 2:46 PM EDT, WEDNESDAY APRIL 3, 2013

President Obama plans to give five percent of his salary back to the Treasury as a gesture of solidarity with workers who have been furloughed as a result of sequestration, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The voluntary move would be retroactive to March 1 and apply through the rest of the calendar year, the official said. The White House came up with the 5 percent figure to approximate the level of automatic spending cuts to non-defense federal agencies that took effect that day.

“The president has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government that are affected by the sequester, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury,” the official said.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel indicated he would also return a portion of his salary back to the Pentagon on Tuesday.

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Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/obama-to-give-back-5-of-salary

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[southernyankeebelle]

1. Now let's see congress and senate how about it.

[BlueStreak]

11. And the CEOs. Let's see them give 5% of their Brazillians of bucks

to the US Treasury.

If the whole point of all this austerity was to reduce the debt, then let's see EVERYBODY give up something for that cause.

[southernyankeebelle]

26. I wouldn't mind if it weren't for the fact we are already helping financially my son and his

family he doesn't want to go and get things his family might qualify for. He is to ashamed. I mean we let them live in our 3 bedroom trailer and all they have to pay is the electric. We help them with buying some food. I mean he doesn't go out and spend their money on stupid stuff.

[wordpix]

38. in NYT article, Boner & McConnell "declined to say" if they would return a portion of salaries

In a Budget Gesture, Obama Will Return 5% of His Salary

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/us/politics/to-highlight-pain-of-budget-cuts-obama-to-return-of-part-of-pay.html?hp&_r=2&

snip:

Aides to Speaker John A. Boehner and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, declined to say whether the two Republican lawmakers would return a portion of their salaries.

To the R's, furloughs are for underlings and only those higher up with a conscience like O and Hagel will give back. Obviously, those with a conscience don't include Turtle and Boner

[forestpath]

2. Gee, that'll really help them.

[pinto]

3. As the Times headline notes - In a Budget Gesture, Obama Will Return 5% of His Salary

It's a gesture, not a solution. And one that will garner additional headlines / attention / focus on the effects of sequestration.

[mercymechap]

15. Don't you know -

Republican/conservatives' ideology is, if it doesn't solve the problem 100% why bother - that's why they didn't want tax cuts to the wealthy to expire, why they don't want to cut the loopholes that benefit the wealthy! Because doing nothing is better than doing something.

[OhioChick]

4. And Congress? n/t

[Voice for Peace]

5. The gazillionaires will no doubt follow suit. I'm thinking Romney will lead the charge

in solidarity with the President.

[wordpix]

39. yeah, he and Rush Limpballs will empty their offshore accts to help out

[Voice for Peace]

42. I'll bet the president often asks his daughters for their point of view

and it wouldn't surprise me if he sometimes uses their suggestions.

[secondwind]

7. troll much?

[vduhr]

54. Lol! The conservatives' heads are exploding over this.

I didn't get to see the previous post before it was deleted, but I have been lurking on other message boards, including Huffington Post. The comments from the right on this subject are so numerous and vile, it's obvious that Obama making this gesture is driving them absolutely batshit crazy. It's fun to watch.

[Katashi_itto]

9. Enjoy your stay, however brief.

[leftynyc]

14. And putting the right people on the supreme court

and pissing off the losers on the right - he's good at those things also.

[mercymechap]

16. Even if that were true, which it's not, it's a hell of a lot

better than blowing smoke and doing nothing! Like our Republicans in Congress.

[Skittles]

18. learn the difference between a colon and a semicolon

then educate your buddies at the freak republic

[trof]

33. Nice catch, grammar Nazi.

[Skittles]

44. HOWDY TROF; WHASSUP???

I know the difference; yes INDEED......perhaps I should kick troll ass and teach him some grammar!

[trof]

58. Hey, sweetie. Still KICKIN' ASS!!!???

Keepin' an even strain, as they say.

[cactusfractal]

24. Bored troll is boring n/t

[Blue_Tires]

28. keep cryin'

[BeyondGeography]

29. So cute

A Wepublican and his favowite bakketball team.

[quakerboy]

8. Do leaders who chose to give back half a tithe

mean that workers forced to give up a portion(or all) of their income will be able to afford the mortgage and food for their kids?

As far as gestures go, I'd be more impressed if he paid an extra 5% in taxes. Or better yet, voluntarily paid taxes at the FDR rates. To demonstrate that the rich can easily make due with a higher tax rate. Rather than this demonstration that somehow makes it ok for people to take a pay cut.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. Exactly HOW do you do that? Republicans LOVE to sling that around....but never quite explain how one

does that...

Do you make that check out to Uncle Sam or what?

[Igel]

34. "United States Treasury."

http://www.fms.treas.gov/faq/moretopics_gifts.html

Strictly speaking, it's not extra tax--tax is the amount levied by law, so the demand is really for those saying their taxes aren't high enough to instead make a gift to augment the amount paid. The money is available for all the same purposes.

Back in the '80s I knew a guy who did that. He'd collected some entitlement during hard times and when he got back on his feet felt he had a debt to repay, and for years afterward he sent in an extra check to show his gratitude.


This is completely different from making a gift or donation specifically for paying down the federal debt. That check would be made out to the "Bureau of the Public Debt." See http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/resources/faq/faq_publicdebt.htm#DebtFinance .

According to http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/gift/gift.htm (the URL that linked to the previous website), in 2012 nearly $8 billion was donated specifically to help pay down the debt.

[VanillaRhapsody]

35. Oh come on.....

Good freaking grief!

Any tax-related questions regarding these contributions should be directed to the Internal Revenue Service...

[VanillaRhapsody]

37. Just heard that what you suggested is EXACTLY what he is doing....

He is paying 5% to the Federal Treasury. You were saying???

[quakerboy]

50. Apparently, yes, you can.

How does a president voluntarily take a pay cut? Especially when his salary rate is determined by the congress, and cannot be changed until the next presidential term. MY actual believe is that none of them should be taking furloughs or pay cuts or any of it. We need our government workers to do the things we hired them to do. That's why they were hired in the first place.

Its frustrating. Ive asked that very question, and that seems to be the answer. How it works, I dont know, as everytime Ive made a math mistake or even sometimes when I missed an obvious deduction, the IRS fixes my numbers and sends me back a check in the higher, correct amount. Its the kind of argument that republicans do love to sling around. And my assumption was that the govt would just cut you a check and balance things out. But apparently there is some way to do it.

But the president has already announced he is going to give back 5% of his salary.

My basic question is if you are going to take the step of giving extra money to the government anyway, why not do it in a way that makes one statement that is more useful, instead of another that is less useful?

[24601]

55. Voluntary contributions to the United States via the Treasury are not new. Here are the

numbers going back to 1996. (Source: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/gift/gift.htm)

2013 $932,506.46
2012 7,749,618.27
2011 3,277,369.23
2010 2,840,466.75
2009 3,063,057.05
2008 2,189,358.89
2007 2,624,862.42
2006 1,646,209.41
2005 1,455,541.65
2004 664,911.25
2003 1,277,423.40
2002 744,675.06
2001 1,645,082.28
2000 1,868,891.93
1999 1,457,510.59
1998 1,535,541.02
1997 955,897.15
1996 1,985,175.1

[AnnieK401]

12. I'm sure FOX is all over this story. NOT

[penndragon69]

13. Something that "W"

would never dream of doing.

[mercymechap]

17. He's too busy painting his feet

right now.

[wordpix]

40. I think he prefers his ass backward

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/george-w-bushs-paintings-leaked-online-after-private-e-mail-accounts-hacked-pictures-201382&h=627&w=467&sz=52&tbnid=ux7mU32bW2Z6sM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=67&zoom=1&usg=__znf0HJqGBC-y8iH1Jti1wsU-0Cc=&docid=FsjmOTMYKU_rpM&sa=X&ei=Jd1cUaqOFMuh4AOKhYG4Dg&ved=0CFYQ9QEwBQ&dur=59

[ucrdem]

59. Deeply weird.

Forget that it's a waste of paint, the fact that this guy was commander-in-chief of the largest military apparatus in the history of the world for eight years is just plain nuts. How close did we come to self-annihilation? To annihilating the entire planet? Because this guy would have done it in a heartbeat just to get Cheney off his back for an hour. That's what this screwy painting that junior's so proud of he launched a black-op twitter hack to release it to the world says to me. Might as well be Nero's horse.

Anyway, TGIF and TGBOIP.

[Skittles]

19. we would have had to give up his job

to be in solidarity with the people during his "presidency"

[ReRe]

20. OK... it's time for everyone to belly-up to the bar...

... and fork it over. The Cabinet, Congress & Senate, Supreme Court, and those big Corporations that don't pay taxes and get rebates at the same time--they can just return their GD rebates.

Hell, have a regular "Jerry Lewis" type of telethon that never ends! We can do this!

[JDPriestly]

21. I guess Obama loves the 1% even more than I thought.

He's giving them 5% of his salary -- which is small compared to those of the CEOs of most American corporations.

Tax capital gains over a certain amount and let people like Obama keep their hard-earned pay.

This is ridiculous.

Shame on the President for this.

And I am somewhat cynical. I remember how Clinton was depicted as so poor he could not afford his legal defense. There was even a theory that the Republicans were trying to bankrupt him.

When Obama leaves office, his sonorous speaking voice will be well paid for speeches to the convocations of the 1% and their friends. This 5% will return to him manifold if he just refrains from raising the taxes of his 1% buddies.

On the other hand, the folks who keep our government together and are being "furloughed" in order to keep the 1% in the gravy will never be repaid.

Nor will we seniors when it comes our turn and they cut our meager Social Security checks and Medicare.

What swindlers. All of them.

[VanillaRhapsody]

31. and when they don't do you eat your words????

I think you are ridiculous

[JDPriestly]

48. When they (which they) don't what?

Sorry if I offended you. I was a big Clinton admirer and have realized how he sold himself to the 1%.

Some blame it on the DLC influence which I understand may have emanated from the law firm Manatt, Phelps. I read that in the history of Los Angeles, City of Quartz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Quartz

[VanillaRhapsody]

62. "and they cut our meager Social Security checks and Medicare"

that's what....cause I don't believe it!

[wordpix]

41. did you read where he also gave 22% of his AGI to charity?

That's a total of 27%. Not bad in my book.

snip: Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, reported adjusted gross income of $789,674 in 2011, the last year such figures were publicly available. Much of the additional money came from royalties from his books. The Obamas donated $172,130, or nearly 22 percent of their adjusted gross income, to charity. Mr. Obama gives after-tax proceeds from his children’s book to a scholarship fund for children of slain and disabled soldiers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/us/politics/to-highlight-pain-of-budget-cuts-obama-to-return-of-part-of-pay.html?hp&_r=2&

Give the pres a break. I have never heard of the Reich Wing richies paying that, not even in taxes.

[Llewlladdwr]

47. Voluntarily donating to charity is one thing.

Having money taken from you is totally different.

[ThomThom]

22. congress please do the same

and shame on anyone that doesn't

[vduhr]

57. And shame on anyone

who is criticizing Obama for doing this. It's more than most are doing, and more than anyone complaining about it would do.

[Moondog]

23. Admirable.

[TwilightGardener]

25. Nice gesture.

[sheshe2]

27. I think this is a good gesture

of solidarity, on the Presidents part. It's good to see Hagel and Begich, following suit.

I hope to see others step up too.

Thanks for posting this, DonViejo.

[Duer 157099]

32. Nice token gesture, but

can it really be called "shared sacrifice" when for one person/family it means not eating/paying rent/dental/health care/etc, and for another, it means skipping one five star meal per month or so?

I guess their version of "profit sharing" is similar to their version of "shared sacrifice."

Which is, pretty unequally.

[primavera]

60. I tend to agree

5% is such a negligible percentage and for one who earns as much as the president does and whose every conceivable expense is paid for while he's in office, 5 percent isn't much of a sacrifice for him to make. If he wanted to make a statement, he should have made it 50%. And, if he wasn't willing to do that, he shouldn't try to make the statement at all - this way, he just looks like he's tossing a nickel out the window of his Rolls.

[Llewlladdwr]

36. This just infuriates me.

As a federal employee facing a potential 20% reduction in salary due to sequestration all I can say is big whoop. The President still has his government provided housing, government provided food, government provided transportation, government provided medical care and government provided security, for himself and his entire family. None of those benefits are being given up. Yet I'm supposed to provide all that myself for my family on 20% less pay.

I don't feel that the president is "standing in solidarity" with me at all. If he was I feel he'd be working with Congress and the Departments to make sure money comes out of those areas that don't require employees be furloughed. That a Democratic President is allowing this assault on middle-class families to continue is a *huge* disappointment to me.

[wordpix]

43. I am truly sorry but you are not the only one hurting

My mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and for 5 yrs. I've been with her after leaving my home and job. We have had to hire helpers, too, as this is not a one-person job to care for a downgoing Alz. patient, and I also work outside the home in my current job. She is now out of money and we're selling her last asset, her condo, to pay for her needs.

I'm sure everyone, except the Mitt Romey-Koch Bros-Cheney-Bush-Limbaugh types, is hurting. I think your ire is misdirected. Suggest you direct your anger at the Congress that legislates, allows and encourages offshoring, outsourcing and the legalized bribery that is our campaign donation/lobbying system

[Llewlladdwr]

45. The President did not have to let this happen.

He could have vetoed the sequester legislation. Instead he chose to sign it.

This is nothing more than empty grandstanding. And I'm not the only one in my workplace to feel this way.

At the same time, my heart goes out to you and your mother. I know from experience that Alzheimer's is a terrible disease and robs a family of so much. I hope for the best for you.

[mercymechap]

52. So, you think the President should be

making the same salary as you?

[markpkessinger]

46. "Shared sacrifice" my ass!

I am sick of this line of bullshit from the President! From his constant citing of the need for "shared sacrifice" as an excuse to imposing chained CPI and (according to Bernie Sanders) to cut social security benefits (as if there is ANY valid comparison of the impact of a tax increase on a multimillionaire and a benefit cut to seniors on a meager, fixed income), to an empty gesture like this. Many federal workers are facing cuts of 20% in incomes that are far lower than the President's. Many of them likely do not have book royalties coming in, or investment income (which I'm sure the President gets, although the investments are held in a blind trust). So maybe instead of 5% of his Presidential salary, which would come to $20,000, maybe he should consider 5% of his AGI, which in 2011 was $789,674. That would nearly double the amount. Or, considering many federal workers likely have ONLY their salaries for income, maybe he should forfeit 20% of his AGI, which would have been $157,934.80 of his 2011 AGI.

Or better yet, how about dropping the pretense of being everyman altogether, and instead start talking about equality of sacrifice, rather than this meaningless shit about "shared sacrifice."

[eridani]

49. Nice gesture. However--

--I hope he remembers that 5% of a $15,000/year Social Security income is 100,000 times harder for a retiree to deal with.

[PolitFreak]

51. FUX Headline:

Obama Admits That He's Not Worth The Money!!!

[Festivito]

53. Instead, knock everyone back to a 20-hour workweek.

That will open more jobs. At 25 hours, you can be full time and get the old full pay.

Or, let's make it a 10-hour workweek. Adjust accordingly.

[LiberalElite]

56. They "declined to say" because

They don't want to be on record as saying "Hell, No!"

[tabasco]

61. Give it to Social Security, motherfucker

and stop fucking with that shit.