Who paid for Barry's college?

[96Qowner]

It's an odd thing. This came up in another forum and when I went looking for answers, I found that the Obama campaign doesn't want to talk about it.

All they will say is that he took out loans, but when you go searching the net, that explanation fails. He went to Columbia University and graduated in 1983. Then he worked as a community organizer making $13,000 a year. On that wage, he managed to pay off the loans from Columbia.

Then ... with advice and help from a man named Dr. Khalid al Mansour, he entered Harvard Law:

Al-Mansour said is is aware of Percy Sutton’s revelations that identified him as raising money for Obama’s law school education when the presidential candidate was 25.

“But I’ve never confirmed it,” he said. “What you have since I’ve been out of the country is bloggers saying this is the new Rev. Wright — in drag! and he is a nationalist, racist, and worse than Rev. Wright. I’m not getting into that. Any statement that I make would only further the activity which is not in the interest of Barack, not in the interest of Percy, not in the interest of anyone. For the bloggers to not even have the courtesy to call me to ask what’s happening is a clear sign to me. There’s no need. There’s no benefit. So why do it?”

Asked specifically whether he had “spotted” Barack Obama while he was an undergraduate at Columbia as a promising student he wanted to help get into Harvard Law School, al-Mansour pleaded a faulty memory.

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfro....html

In a 1995 book, “The Lost Books of Africa Rediscovered,” he alleged that the United States was plotting genocide against black Americans.

The first "genocide against the black man began 300 years ago," he told an audience in Harlem at a book-signing, while a second "genocide" was on the way “to remove 15 million Black people, considered disposable, of no relevance, value or benefit to the American society.”

In the 1960s, when he founded the African American Association in the San Francisco Bay area, he was known as Donald Warden.

According to the Social Activism Project at the University of California at Berkley, Warden, a.k.a. Khalid al-Mansour, was the mentor of Black Panther Party founder Huey Newton and his cohort, Bobby Seale.

http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb...99828

Why would the Obama campaign refuse to discuss who paid for Barry's Harvard Law education?

Spooky.

[Soravia]

Rezko? Trinity Church of Christ? Hiswhitegrand mother?I'm sure it was none of his fathers.

[AZhitman]

His early claims that he "worked his way through college" were debunked and generally disproved.

Interesting. keep us posted on any developments?

[audtatious]

It was proven he only worked a part-time job over one summer I do believe.

Somewhere out there in youtube land is a video where the enrollment person with Harvard states that al Mansour asked him to pull strings to get Obama enrolled.

[rn79870]

His early claims that he "worked his way through college" were debunked and generally disproved.

Interesting. keep us posted on any developments?

As opposed to McCain who made it through by the narrowest of margins, yes, Obama worked his way through college and law school.

[audtatious]

Work as in studies or work as in having a job to pay for college?

I have not seen anyone call Obama dumb.

[AZhitman]

yes, Obama worked his way through college and law school.

Why don't you educate us on this?

Apparently, you'e fallen for the fib, so let's hear the full story.

Educate those of us who actually verify things to the best of our ability before posting them.

Obama’s latest ad repeats an often-stated claim, saying he "worked his way through college and Harvard Law.” We know Obama took out loans to get himself through school. But the campaign at first provided information on just two jobs Obama had in those years, and they were both in the summer.

The ad also says he "passed a law to move people from welfare to work, slashed the rolls by 80 percent." Actually, the Illinois law was a required follow-up to the 1996 federal welfare reform law worked out by President Clinton and the Republican Congress. Welfare rolls did go down by nearly as much as the ad says, but Obama can't claim sole credit.

Update, July 25: Our original story said in the headline that Obama's campaign listed only two summer jobs. Now that a spokesman has provided additional information, we have updated this article accordingly. But it's still a stretch for Obama to say he "worked his way through college."

http://www.factcheck.org/elect....html

[rn79870]

He was President of the Harvard Law Review. The most prestigious journal in the legal field. That was beyond his duties as a student, and I'm sure he dedicated a great deal of time and effort to that chore. I call that work. Like Sister Theresa worked (or does not getting paid mean it isn't work), Obama dedicated part of his life to examining the legal focus of the country. Incidentally, a law review article may be cited in court.

[AZhitman]

Not relevant.

"Worked his way through college" implies employment for pay, which is applied to tuition, books and living expenses.

All we want is a straight answer from him, which remains elusive.

[Cold_Zero]

No, what is especially problematic for Obama, is the fact that he touted that he and his wife had Student Loans. Implying that they know what it's like to graduate college and payback student loans (just like the rest of us.) If they did take out Federal Student Loans, who backed them and did the Obamas pay them all off? If they did take student loans out and paid them off then this is a non issue.If they did and someone else paid them off, or if they were loaned money by a political friend then all this is very problematic.bud

[AZhitman]

Touting payback of student loans as a "hurdle" or an "I feel your pain" issue is silly anyway.

Student loans are at absurdly low interest rates and can be stretched out for-freaking-ever.

[Cold_Zero]

Let's see if he had Federal Student Loans:

1979-1983 his Occidental Univ and Columbia Univ loans would have been a 7% fixed interest rate.

88-91 his Harvard loans would have been 8/10 loans. For the first 4 years of repayment they would be 8% fixed and after that 10% fixed interest rates.

But it would really depend on when he took out his loans Columbia or Harvard, since they sit in two different interest rate time periods. Of course this is a guesstimation, since I have no clue what types of loans and when he took out his loans.bud

[audtatious]

I'm not much worried about Obama and student loans and such, assuming that is how he got through school as that is how most people do it. I'm glad he was able to follow the "American Dream" and go through high-profile colleges for an education which eventually allowed him into the Senate. Good for him. My concern is whether strings were pulled via some to get him into the school and if they or others paid for it.

[AZhitman]

I'll be even more simplistic than that:

Don't go claiming "I worked my way through college" when it's clearly not true in the truest sense of the phrase.

[HashiriyaS14]

"Worked my way through college" just means that you didn't take anyone else's money to pay for it, IMO.

Any other interpretation is silly. If he took out debt and then paid it off later when he got a job, he still technically "worked his way though", he just did the working part later, but it was still his labors.

I'm not asserting that he did "x" or "y", but I'm just clarifying the definition.

I've seen no concrete statement saying what he actually did yet, but I'd like to see one from the campaign.

[Marenta]

Bud, you're a winner! I love that you can give us that information, because, to be honest Columbia and Harvard aren't exactly cheap; even back then.

So, we could technically calculate how much he'd have to pay back, on 13,000 a year.. seems rather impossible.

[wingFeather]

Bravo for tearing down yet another thin facade of Obama. The guy doesn't have much credibility left. How people "believe" in him is beyond me...

More than likely he took out student loans, which he never paid back, and WE ended up footing the bill.

If that isn't bad enough, the connection to yet ANOTHER "woe is me" black militant leader is scary. Obama seems to be surrounded by psychos!

[audtatious]

More than likely he took out student loans, which he never paid back, and WE ended up footing the bill.

No, I disagree. I would say he and his wife paid off any student loans they had.

[Cold_Zero]

No, I disagree. I would say he and his wife paid off any student loans they had.

I can vouch for this one. If Mr or Mrs. Obama took out Federal Student loans, except for a few instances of loan forgiveness programs or situations, they would have to pay back their loans. Ronald Reagan instituted legislation into the FFELP program that forced borrowers to pay back their loans, even if they file bankruptcy. Barack and Michelle would have been forced to pay back their loans (just like you and I) or face some pretty aggressive collection activity from the Guarantor, Lender, School and Servicer of the loan. bud

[HashiriyaS14]

More than likely he took out student loans, which he never paid back, and WE ended up footing the bill.

Thank you for demonstrating a complete and total ignorance of personal finance.

If he had defaulted on his Student Loans, that would be on his credit report and it would have already been made an issue of. It's not like he can just default on Federal Loans without anyone knowing about it.

Student loans have LOW rates and LONG payback periods. There's no reason why, on a low salary, he couldn't have still been making payments on his loans. It's not like they have to get paid in 3-5 years, it's probably more like 20-30 years.

[wingFeather]

If Mr or Mrs. Obama took out Federal Student loans, except for a few instances of loan forgiveness programs or situations, they would have to pay back their loans.

Sorry, but I know a few dishonest people who have skipped out on repaying student loans. I don't know exactly how, because I distance myself from such people when I find out stuff like this... but it happens!

[wingFeather]

Thank you for demonstrating a complete and total ignorance of personal finance.

Personal attacks are not welcome in this forum. At least not from Republicans

it's probably more like 20-30 years.

He graduated from Harvard in 1991. Not exactly 30 years ago...

But even if his debt was $300,000... that is a lot to repay on a "community activist" income

[Cold_Zero]

No worries, bro. I am not saying it's impossible to default on a student loan, that you can do, but the penalties are pretty harsh. And unlike loans that can be written off and never collected, defaulted loans keep going around and around the collection process. So if I defaulted on a loan back in the 1990's when I went to school, they would still pursue it even in 2008 and garnish my wages, tax returns and prevent me from holding certain jobs.Now there are some cases where loans do not have to be paid back, a few major examples that come to mind is a death claim, disability claim or if your school closes its doors more than halfway through your college degree program. Some teachers take part in the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program where they teach at an 'At Risk' school for five years and then the balance of their loans are forgiven by the Department of Education. There is one caveat, you get hit on your taxes that year because the balance of the student loans appears as income on your taxes.

[HashiriyaS14]

Personal attacks are not welcome in this forum. At least not from Republicans

It wasn't a personal attack. You made a nonsensical point and I noted it.

You implied that someone running for the office of POTUS could somehow have defaulted on Federal student loans without anyone knowing about it, which is quite obviously impossible.

[wingFeather]

You implied that someone running for the office of POTUS could somehow have defaulted on Federal student loans without anyone knowing about it, which is quite obviously impossible.

He has made plenty of other mistakes with his life... why would it be hard to believe something is amuck here? Or are you saying that BHO defaulting is not believable, but some other dishonest method of repayment occurred?

[Jesda]

I don't care if he borrowed tuition money from Osama Bin Laden and spent his undergrad years sexing sheep. He still wants to take my money to pay for entitlement programs. He therefore does not have my vote.

[wingFeather]

I don't care if he borrowed tuition money from Osama Bin Laden and spent his undergrad years sexing sheep. He still wants to take my money to pay for entitlement programs. He therefore does not have my vote.

Good point.

[rn79870]

Personal attacks are not welcome in this forum. At least not from Republicans

Your statement was attacked, not you. Your "random fact generator" approach to issues will attract comments similar to that one almost every time as you get called on them. That should be expected. To avoid those comments, simply document your claims with factual cites.

[wingFeather]

simply document your claims with factual cites.

You would have to do the same for EACH POST, which you do not.

Stop harassing me, when you do the very same things.

[Cold_Zero]

I don't care if he borrowed tuition money from Osama Bin Laden and spent his undergrad years sexing sheep. He still wants to take my money to pay for entitlement programs. He therefore does not have my vote.

It's not surprising that Jesda is bitter clinging to his money or his pants or people who are not like him as a way to explain his frustrations.j/k