Biden Earned $21,000 From Secret Service

[Riot]

I don't understand why it doesn't look good. The Secret Service has done the same for past presidents who are in and out of office but still get taxpayer protections, and where agents are living on the property (Bush in Texas, Reagan in California, etc.) It's pretty standard procedure. The SS has to pay to put agents up somewhere. That it is on the property of the protected isn't any big deal.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Riot

I don't understand why it doesn't look good. The Secret Service has done the same for past presidents who are in and out of office but still get taxpayer protections, and where agents are living on the property (Bush in Texas, Reagan in California, etc.) It's pretty standard procedure. The SS has to pay to put agents up somewhere. That it is on the property of the protected isn't any big deal.

Do you know for a fact that Bush charges the agents rent?

[Riot]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Do you know for a fact that Bush charges the agents rent?

It's not that Bush (or Reagan, or Carter, or Ford, etc.) charges, it's that the government pays, be it a local hotel, or a rented house, etc.

I don't expect a retired president, even if they have a big compound type of place with guest rooms or guest houses, to put up government agents for free, just because they have the space, simply because they are getting SS protection. And the government doesn't ask them to. We pay to put up our agents there, if it's available, as we should.

Regarding donations: eliminate all church tithes, and I wonder what "charitable donations" really look like?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Riot

It's not that Bush (or Reagan, or Carter, or Ford, etc.) charges, it's that the government pays, be it a local hotel, or a rented house, etc.

I don't expect a retired president, even if they have a big compound type of place with guest rooms or guest houses, to put up government agents for free, just because they have the space, simply because they are getting SS protection. And the government doesn't ask them to. We pay to put up our agents there, if it's available, as we should.

Regarding donations: eliminate all church tithes, and I wonder what "charitable donations" really look like?

I understand that the government will pay rent for SS agents. But if the SS agents stay on the property I don't know if the host always accepts rent from the government. I don't know the answer to that and I don't think you do either. We don't know if Bush is getting paid rent right now from the SS.

If that is always done, then it's really not an issue. The author of the article should have made it clear whether rent is normally paid to the person being protected if the SS agents stay on their property. That is the problem with half these news stories. The author (whether conservative or liberal) almost always has an agenda and will usually only tell you half the story. They give you the half that furthers their agenda, which I think is very unethical and dishonest.

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I understand that the government will pay rent for SS agents. But if the SS agents stay on the property I don't know if the host always accepts rent from the government. I don't know the answer to that and I don't think you do either. We don't know if Bush is getting paid rent right now from the SS.

If that is always done, then it's really not an issue. The author of the article should have made it clear whether rent is normally paid to the person being protected if the SS agents stay on their property. That is the problem with half these news stories. The author (whether conservative or liberal) almost always has an agenda and will usually only tell you half the story. They give you the half that furthers their agenda, which I think is very unethical and dishonest.

Right, and they all knowingly do it...and know their audience...

[Riot]

Unlike Obama and many other members of Congress, Joe Biden is not a millionaire. When he was vetted for VP by the Obama team, they were surprised by how little the Bidens have accumulated during his second marriage (after his first wife died). They live pretty simply for "Washington elite" (actually, Biden lives in Delaware and famously commutes to Washington via train)

President Obama's 2011 charitable gifts, from his 2011 return:



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/0...geous-Donation

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Riot

Unlike Obama and many other members of Congress, Joe Biden is not a millionaire. When he was vetted for VP by the Obama team, they were surprised by how little the Bidens have accumulated during his second marriage (after his first wife died). They live pretty simply for "Washington elite" (actually, Biden lives in Delaware and famously commutes to Washington via train)

President Obama's 2011 charitable gifts, from his 2011 return:



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/0...geous-Donation

I can't knock Obama's charitable donations. I think he gave a generous amount (in terms of both amount and percentage of his income).

I'm not saying that Biden should have given $25,000. As you said, he's not rich. But I think he could give a little more than 1 1/2%. For someone who is a democrat and claims to care about helping people, I think 1 1/2% is a little stingy.