Michelle Obama: "Don't Go Into Corporate America"

The Corner at NRO ^ | 29 February 2008 | Byron York

[SE Mom]

I have a new story today about Michelle Obama's visit to Zanesville, Ohio, where she met with a group of women at a local day care center. According to the U.S. Census, Muskingum County, where Zanesville is located, had a median household income of $37,192 in 2004, below both the Ohio and national averages. Just 12.2 percent of adults in the county have a bachelor's degree or higher, also well below the state and national averages. About 20 percent don't have a high school degree. Nevertheless, Mrs. Obama urged them to foreswear lucrative professions like corporate law or hedge fund management and go into the helping industry, even if the sacrifice is great:

-As she has many times in the past, Mrs. Obama complains about the lasting burden of student loans dating from her days at Princeton and Harvard Law School. She talks about people who end up taking years and years, until middle age, to pay off their debts. “The salaries don’t keep up with the cost of paying off the debt, so you’re in your 40s, still paying off your debt at a time when you have to save for your kids,” she says.

“Barack and I were in that position,” she continues. “The only reason we’re not in that position is that Barack wrote two best-selling books… It was like Jack and his magic beans. But up until a few years ago, we were struggling to figure out how we would save for our kids.” A former attorney with the white-shoe Chicago firm of Sidley & Austin, Obama explains that she and her husband made the choice to give up lucrative jobs in favor of community service. “We left corporate America, which is a lot of what we’re asking young people to do,” she tells the women. “Don’t go into corporate America. You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Those are the careers that we need, and we’re encouraging our young people to do that. But if you make that choice, as we did, to move out of the money-making industry into the helping industry, then your salaries respond.” Faced with that reality, she adds, “many of our bright stars are going into corporate law or hedge-fund management.”

What she doesn’t mention is that the helping industry has treated her pretty well. In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office. And that does not count the money Mrs. Obama receives from serving on corporate boards. She would have been O.K. even without Jack’s magic beans.

Mrs. Obama also bemoaned the amount of money she has to spend — nearly one-third of the median household income in Zanesville — on piano, dance, and other lessons for her two children. But she was grateful for the concern her husband's supporters have shown for her. "Everywhere I go, no matter what, the women in the audience, their first question for me is, 'How on earth are you managing it, how are you keeping it all together?'" she told the women.

02/29 08:19 AM

[SE Mom]

Now here's a woman who understands the average American, eh?

~snip~

Mrs. Obama also bemoaned the amount of money she has to spend — nearly one-third of the median household income in Zanesville — on piano, dance, and other lessons for her two children.

~snip~

[mylife]

I am beginning to loathe this woman

[GiovannaNicoletta]

Uh, well, Ms. Obama, if nobody goes into "lucrative professions", who is going to pay for all your husband's planned socialism?

And if the "helping professions" are so great that other people should sacrifice their own dreams to be in a "helping profession", why don't you, Ms. Obama, quit your $200,000 law career and become a daycare provider?

Hmmmmm?

[tennteacher]

Doesn’t MO earn a 6-figure income as an attorney? Shouldn’t she be correcting essays or changing bedpans instead?

[The Forgotten Man]

… It was like Jack and his magic beans

What did she do, throw his books out da window and shazaam, money trees a sprouted up....

[griswold3]

The Obama’s want us to be a ‘nation of beggars’.
God forbid, we would work for ‘profit’!

[SE Mom]

~snip~

“We left corporate America, which is a lot of what we’re asking young people to do,” she tells the women. “Don’t go into corporate America. You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Those are the careers that we need, and we’re encouraging our young people to do that.

~snip~

Corporate America will likely return the favor, Mrs. Obama.

[Izzy Dunne]

their first question for me is, 'How on earth are you managing it, how are you keeping it all together?'"

Hillary cried at this question.

[Aria]

This is unbelievable! There are no free rides! She’s sounding like a glass half empty person...sitting there with her very fat salary and her husband the front runner for President. Sheesh!

[MrB]

She can’t leave her law career -

after all, America doesn’t have enough lawyers as it is!

[milwguy]

she is a piece of work. Typical limousine liberal who ‘feels the pain’ of the common folk while living the high life. Her kids go to private schools, her and Baracks income was 1.6 million in 2005, and 995k in 2006. Hard to pay off student loans that way.

[trisham]

What a phony.

[SengirV]

Was she in a drum circle when she said this?

[windsorknot]

“Iceberg straight ahead, Captain........no, it’s the chip on Michelle Obama’s shoulder.”

[Parmenio]

She makes Teresa Heinz Kerry seem almost normal.

[mylife]

We be victims yall

[SE Mom]

From the article:

In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office.

[ClearCase_guy]

The Man is keeping her down.

[TonyRo76]

Translation: "Don't waste your time being productive in the economy where wealth is created. Just depend on us for your needs! Me and Hubby/Hope-meister will take care of you. Come see us at the gummint feeding trough!"

[svcw]

Loathe agreed. She is as dangerous as her husband. What a tart.

[Corporate Law]

Under her husband, there will be plenty of government jobs and handouts to make it easier to fore go corporate jobs (not to even address those corporate jobs disappearing as a result of her husband’s policies).

[G.Mason]

" ... A former attorney with the white-shoe Chicago firm of Sidley & Austin, Obama explains that she and her husband made the choice to give up lucrative jobs in favor of community service ..."

White-shoe Chicago firm?

Why am I getting the feeling that our next president may be wearing sneakers?

[stainlessbanner]

We would have to get TWO corporate jobs to pay for Obama’s spending programs.

[Brad from Tennessee]

[Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital . . .jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office. And that does not count the money Mrs. Obama receives from serving on corporate boards. . .]

Do as I say, not as I do.

[EyeGuy]

Atlas Shrugged, Mrs. ORacist...Atlas Shrugged.

John Galt coming soon to the United States if somehow, in gross stupidity, the American public elects your affirmative action asses as America’s first couple.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Please note my tagline.

[oblomov]

>>Doesn’t MO earn a 6-figure income as an attorney?

She quit her job in January. She was VP of “community relations” for University of Chicago hospitals.

If she were an attorney, she would have actually had to work.

[freedomson]

Really, she may be worse than Hillary.

[mjp]

even if the sacrifice is great:

typical altruism by the commies and their liberal sypathizers

[mylife]

Both Obama’s seem to be feeling rather invincible at the moment and are saying incredibly stupid things without fear of reprisal.

This will not last. There will be a day of political reckoning.

[SE Mom]

I think she is indeed- worse than Hillary. Hillary is a partisan Democrat, a decided liberal.

Michelle Obama is a socialist.

[massgopguy]

You can steal more money with a briefcase than a gun. You can steal even more when you get elected.

[rolling_stone]

hmm looks like two empty suits not just one!

[kalee]

It’s becoming a toss up as to which witch I would rather keep out of the WH. Michele O or Hillary.

[Ghengis]

“Barack and I were in that position,” she continues. “The only reason we’re not in that position is that Barack wrote two best-selling books… It was like Jack and his magic beans.

That is, in a nutshell, what this political persuasion hopes is all that we understand about the economy and how to succeed. If you become successful, it is because of some kind of luck or magic. So don't even try.

She fails to mention that "corporate America" is what marketed and sold those books for Sen. Obama.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I'll believe a word this skiff has to say when she moves out of her lavish house into a 600 sq. ft. apartment, and she and Mr. Obama go get jobs at Taco Bell. Oh, and the Obamas cash in their stocks and IRAs to give to the homeless along with their fat bank account.

Mrs. Obama's presidential slogan: "The world needs ditch-diggers, too."

This chick is every bit the nutjob that Tar-ay-zza Kerry was.

[maine-iac7]

gotta keep the masses in their good little worker bee roles = lest they get educated and figure out what the ‘bamas have in store for them.

Straight out Socialist/Communist rhetoric Time for the Bill Cosbys to react ...

[KarlInOhio]

If you're a Democratic Chicago politician for a couple of years and haven't become a millionaire from it, you just aren't trying.

[jaydubya2]

That’s just a coincidence, I’m sure.

[Trajan88]

Re: "Don't Go Into Corporate America"

I guess I'll just look at my 401(k) that I've/and my company have been contributing and sigh. Silly me, I don't want to be a "slave" to the man in my golden years (that are 24+ years off).

Dang corporate America... dang capitalism.

[sarcasm on] Mrs. B.H.O., when am I going to get my government supplied cheese, milk, and bread? Trajan88 needs govt. welfare. [sarcasm off]

[khnyny]

from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office.

That's an incredible "jump". Michelle Obama's salary increases by almost $200,000 within months??? Ruh roh, there's the dirt, lol.

[MrB]

You’ll see this over and over again with wealthy socialists -

they didn’t have to work very hard to get their wealth, and assume all other wealthy people got there the same way.

Those who had to work for their wealth resent having it stolen from them for the benefit of those that refuse to earn their own living.

[Red_Devil 232]

She Will Be More Dangerous Than Hillary Ever Was If She Gets Into The White House!

[mylife]

I have said this for some time now.

The Clintons are socialists.
The Obamas are RADICAL Socialists

[Corin Stormhands]

"Everywhere I go, no matter what, the women in the audience, their first question for me is, 'How on earth are you managing it, how are you keeping it all together?'" she told the women.

And, honestly, without my maid and my cook and my nanny and my driver, I don't know how we'd manage...

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Damn, I wish my salary would triple in a year. But that’s not how it goes for the little people, only politicos and their connected spouses.

[Thrownatbirth]

jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office.

That's even more than Hillary's cattle futures scam.

[reagan_fanatic]

The voters deserve the people they vote for - and she will probably end up as First Lady.

A stark indicator on how far we've fallen.

[tennteacher]

Thanks, SE Mom. I could not remember what her job was. I’m sure that, given her title, she considers herself a social worker. I have a masters plus 30 hours, and she still makes double my teacher’s salary before I retired a year ago.

[Vigilanteman]

You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Those are the careers that we need, and we’re encouraging our young people to do that.

Some factoids for Michelle:

1. School teachers in our district average $59K per year. There are hundreds of applicants everytime there is an opening. Most of the time, the district doesn't even advertise the openings because the deluge of applications would be so large. Meanwhile, local factories have trouble recruiting machinists, partly because they don't want to hire anyone over 40.

2. Nursing schools are filled to the gills and very competitive to get into. My daughter is worried that her mere A- average won't cut it.

3. Could either of the above problems be because we have ninnys like you forcing taxpayers to subsidize colleges who train future Marxists, community organizers and women's study majors but can't tell which end of a rectal thermometer to insert?

Consider also if your minions have your way, there will be even more kids going into professions which consume tax dollars so there will be even fewer to earn the money to pay for them.