SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 13, 2008
Obama Silent On Spending As State Senator
Information On Pet Projects Tucked Into Illinois Spending Bills Not Publicly Available
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Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., walks down the stairs on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Thursday, March 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Public records reveal some of the projects he sponsored as a state senator, from literacy programs and park improvements to drill team uniforms and jazz-appreciation events. They add up to more than $6 million.
But that covers just two of Obama's nearly eight years in the Illinois Senate.
While silent about Obama's spending in Illinois, his campaign has criticized Democratic presidential rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for withholding similar information about her years in the U.S. Senate.
Obama communications director Robert Gibbs said Thursday that her position should prompt voters to "ask why she doesn't believe they have the right to know she wants to spend their tax dollars."
Since entering the U.S. Senate and launching his presidential campaign, Obama has made a political issue of openness.
He voluntarily discloses the "earmarks" he adds to the federal budget; Clinton does not. He initially released only one year's worth of earmark information, but on Thursday he released his requests for the 2005 and 2006 federal budget years, too.
"I have been consistently in favor of more disclosure around earmarks," Obama said in a debate last month. "Now, keep in mind a lot of these are worthy projects in our states ... but I want to make sure that they're not done in the dark of night."
That disclosure, however, so far applies only to federal spending.
When Obama served in the state Legislature, from 1997 until late 2004, it was routine for money to be added to the annual budget for lawmakers to dole out. In most years, this was done without any public record of which legislator was sponsoring which grant, leaving no way to tell how Obama used his share of the money.
But for a couple of years, the state did link lawmakers and grants.
Records from that period show Obama sponsored a little more than $6 million in projects.
Of that, $2 million went to the Chicago Park District for projects ranging from adding or expanding parks to repairing fountains to building a running track.
Chicago schools got grants of $5,000 and $10,000 to buy computers, improve security systems or offer new programs. The transportation department got $200,000 for new stoplights.
Private organizations got money, too.
Neighborhood groups in the South Side district he represented were given grants, typically $15,000 or $20,000, for such projects as senior centers, park improvements and teen mentoring programs.
Obama was one of several lawmakers to direct money to the South Shore Drill Team, which tries to keep poor children away from drugs and gangs by involving them in dance and music. Obama's grant to them was $25,000.
He also directed $100,000 to the Museum of Science and Industry for an exhibit on the nature of time, and provided two $5,000 grants for groups promoting jazz appreciation.
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The secrets of tennis legend 
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See all 86 Commentspresidential hopefull 80% of all votes he has not
done the first job why give him better job BYEBYE
OBAMA
Your comment is absolutely right about the woman and the OLD man.
These dirty politicians should be rotting in jail not running for president!
I''m afraid so. Even Obama may not be conscious of the extent of his own racism. But the fact he %u201Cprojects%u201D the motivation of racism onto others like Bill, Hillary and Ferraro%u2014who have fought their entire political careers for racial equality%u2014is a sign that lurking in his heart might be racist points of view. How else could he feel comfortable sitting at the feet of this pastor?
There is no way Obama can win the general election against McCain with this kind of connection to racist views against whites. The Republicans will blow this up and scare everyone, since he has family members that are Muslim too.
The question I imagine they will ask people to consider is:
How can you trust him as President to represent all the people of this great nation, when he is comfortable listening to a preacher who teaches hatred against whites and has a basic anti-American sentiment?
And Remember!...You are an evil racist if you build a wall to keep illegals out AND you are an evil racist if you oppose the building of a wall by the Israelis to keep Palestinians off of their lands!! Vote Demopublican!
Senator Barack Obama on Thursday released a list of $740 million in earmarked spending requests that he had made over the last three years, and his campaign challenged Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to do the same.
... Obama''s presidential campaign also said that only about $220 million worth of his requests had been approved by Congress.
... Campaign officials said he had voluntarily released the list of his earmark requests to underscore his promise to bring greater openness and transparency to government.
... "Bringing real change requires changing the way we do business in Washington," said Robert Gibbs, Mr. Obama''s communications director. "If Senator Clinton will not agree to join Senator Obama in releasing her earmark requests, voters should ask why she doesn''t believe they have the right to know how she wants to spend their tax dollars."
There a thrid reason 3.) Naiveti cant tell who the really bad guys are or measure differently than We the rest of America
Look John McCain had his problems with Keating some how I get he knew he lied down with the wrong kennel
..............another assoication with another bad guy, now the Preacher with the God DAMMMMM America and Hillary the Rich White People are the evil speeches, time to peel this onion, certainly bad judgement, what are they teaching our youth, this is hate.
he will show how the money was spent
Hillary we need your tax returns.....
im a woman but believe me i would never use republican tactics to win y
as a woman i do not believe in say anything do anything tactic
as a woman i would never try to divide people at this difficult times.
i would like to have the president who has the interests of Americans before his or hers
the issue is not th that she is a woman, its just that it is hilary that we know
Now I come to my senses after seeing what he is really about and regret I voted for him in VA Prime
I believe his speeches do not have any "Beef" in it.
If Ya need %u201CHope%u201D you are already hopeless.....
Inspiring does not put food on the table and pays for your college tuition.
he plays too much on race card
Obama will be sustained and bring us True Democrats back to the White House. He drives such energy and enthusiasm into the whole election process. It''s not about McCain/Clinton/Obama, this season is all about ---- Barack Obama!!!! He is the shining star of this whole election & bringing young, old, all walks of life and all the energy back into Washington, DC.
We want our boys and girls out of that miserable war. Barack Obama is that -silent voice- for everyone who has lost a child & been touched by a Bush/Clinton war in Iraq and Afgha...their silent tears and the words gone - USPOKEN
Only one --- Barack Obama is that voice!!!!
Clinton
Fast forward to today. According to the Chicago Sun-Times this past Sunday, Obama is the "unnamed ''political candidate''" referred to in one section of court documents:
Obama is not named in the Dec. 21 court document. But a source familiar with the case confirmed that Obama is the unnamed %u201Cpolitical candidate%u201D referred to in a section of the document that accuses Rezko of orchestrating a scheme in which a firm hired to handle state teacher pension investments first had to pay $250,000 in %u201Csham%u201D finder%u2019s fees. From that money, $10,000 was donated to Obama%u2019s successful run for the Senate in the name of a Rezko business associate, according to the court filing and the source.
Rezko, who was part of Obama%u2019s senatorial finance committee, also is accused of directing %u201Cat least one other individual%u201D to donate money to Obama and then reimbursing that individual %u2014 in possible violation of federal election law.
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Additionally, as a community organizer, then as a state senator, how did Barack Obama not know of buildings in his own district that were in such dilapidated state? As a community organizer Obama had to know what this meant for his district to have such slum areas go untended by a negligent landlord. Was he ignorant, careless, or looking the other way? Or is there another explanation? Obama also accepted donations from Rezko while his urban housing empire was collapsing. Do you know how long it takes to pull apart a housing entity like Rezko''s? Where was Obama during all of this?
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