I Know Bob#'s is Busy on the

[Spock]

Republican dog catchers with a loose fart beat.

But I am a little surprised (not) that he hasn't yet breathlessly informed us about the serious charges that Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar and his wife are facing.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congre ... rcna150567

[flockofseagulls104]

Very little, if any, scrutiny is given as to how many of our 'public servants' manage to become multi-millionaires in their careers of selflessly pursuing their civic duty, and make it a lifelong career.

Joe Biden seems to be one example. No one seems to wonder how he accumulated his wealth. Does truck driving pay that much?

[silverscreenselect]

Joe Biden seems to be one example. No one seems to wonder how he accumulated his wealth. Does truck driving pay that much?

There's no mystery. Long-term real estate holdings for the most part. Most of Biden's net worth is in his two homes. He has a lifelong history of taking on debt to leverage up properties and then exchange them. I have more money in stock market investments than Biden does. What I don't have is two homes worth a total of $7 million. Biden also made a lot of money during the Trump years through speeches and book deals. And, yes, people will pay a lot of money to hear an ex-vice president give a speech. Biden's net worth went up from about $2 million when he left office to $8 million when he became President. And while a $10 million net worth puts Biden in the top 1%, he's certainly not in the billionaire club.

From Forbes in 2023:

President Biden is worth an estimated $10 million, up from $8 million when he took office. The increase has nothing to do with family business dealings in far-flung countries. Instead, he is getting richer by doing what a lot of 80-year-old Americans are doing: sitting on real estate. The president owns two homes in Delaware that are worth an estimated $7 million combined, $1.8 million more than they were when he took office.

His most valuable property is a 4,800-square-foot summer home in Rehoboth Beach, worth an estimated $4.5 million. Biden bought it in 2017, the year he left the vice presidency and earned $11.1 million, cashing in on speeches and books. He added a pool, which may have cost as much as $75,000, in November of that year. All of this seemed like a splurge at the time, but it proved to be a wise investment. During the pandemic, homebuyers flocked to bigger properties with outdoor amenities like Biden’s, seven minutes from the ocean and next to a state park loaded with biking trails. The home is now worth an estimated $4.5 million, $1.7 million more than it originally cost.

The president owns an even larger, though not-quite-as-valuable house in Wilmington’s picturesque Greenville neighborhood. It started as just a piece of land, which Biden bought for $350,000 in 1996, before adding a 6,850-square-foot, colonial-style home two years later, then a 1,900-square-foot cottage in 2005. For years it was Biden’s most-valuable asset, and he refinanced it repeatedly until receiving his 2017 windfall. Today the property is worth an estimated $2.5 million, $700,000 more than it was worth two years ago. Combined, Biden’s two homes make up about two-thirds of his personal fortune.

Biden’s love of nice real estate goes back just as far. When he was in his mid-twenties, Biden purchased three houses and 85 acres in Maryland, hoping to one day turn it into a family compound. In the short term, he tried to make money from it, renting out the homes. Meanwhile, he and his family lived rent-free in a cottage nearby, in exchange for managing a local pool. Money was tight, he later explained in his memoir: “I was in constant danger of falling behind.”

Nonetheless, he bought an even bigger house in 1975, a 10,000-square-foot mansion that once belonged to a storied Delaware family, the DuPonts. With a courtyard, pool house, circular drive and colonnade, the home was spectacular, so much so that misinformation warriors, including former first son Eric Trump, used it to accuse Biden of corruption in the 2020 presidential race (long after Biden had sold the property). The truth of how he acquired it was more mundane: Biden took on a lot of debt. Earning around $43,000 as a U.S. senator at the time, he borrowed $160,000 to purchase the place for $185,000.

He held onto the home, and thanks to rising property values, even turned it into something of a piggy bank. When he needed cash, he refinanced the property, taking out more and more debt as the years went on. “How did all the mainstream middle-class people get their wealth?” Biden asked a group of mayors earlier this year, decades after he bought the DuPont mansion. “Ninety percent of them through investing in their homes.”

That was certainly true in his case. In 1996, he sold the mansion for $1.2 million, then plunked down $350,000 for a piece of land nearby, where he had plans to build a new home on a pond. Biden constructed two houses on the property, turning it into the Wilmington estate he owns today. He proceeded to treat it like a piggy bank, too, repeatedly refinancing over the years. After he became vice president, the Secret Service started renting the cottage, reportedly paying him $26,400 annually.

Cash came pouring in after Biden left the White House. The former vice president earned $11.1 million in 2017, $4.6 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and $630,000 in 2020, the year he was elected commander in chief. Between his time as vice president and president, his net worth shot up from an estimated $2.5 million to $8 million. Now he’s even richer, thanks to his real estate holdings, which have helped his net worth outpace inflation. Never much of a stock investor, Biden has plenty of cash on hand. Today, he and first lady Jill Biden have less than $310,000 invested in the market, all held in mutual funds. Much more is simply sitting in bank accounts. The president collects $400,000 a year in salary, plus about $250,000 in pension payouts.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverso ... 25e47338ea

[flockofseagulls104]

Joe Biden seems to be one example. No one seems to wonder how he accumulated his wealth. Does truck driving pay that much?

There's no mystery. Long-term real estate holdings for the most part. Most of Biden's net worth is in his two homes. He has a lifelong history of taking on debt to leverage up properties and then exchange them. I have more money in stock market investments than Biden does. What I don't have is two homes worth a total of $7 million. Biden also made a lot of money during the Trump years through speeches and book deals. And, yes, people will pay a lot of money to hear an ex-vice president give a speech. Biden's net worth went up from about $2 million when he left office to $8 million when he became President. And while a $10 million net worth puts Biden in the top 1%, he's certainly not in the billionaire club.

From Forbes in 2023:

President Biden is worth an estimated $10 million, up from $8 million when he took office. The increase has nothing to do with family business dealings in far-flung countries. Instead, he is getting richer by doing what a lot of 80-year-old Americans are doing: sitting on real estate. The president owns two homes in Delaware that are worth an estimated $7 million combined, $1.8 million more than they were when he took office.

His most valuable property is a 4,800-square-foot summer home in Rehoboth Beach, worth an estimated $4.5 million. Biden bought it in 2017, the year he left the vice presidency and earned $11.1 million, cashing in on speeches and books. He added a pool, which may have cost as much as $75,000, in November of that year. All of this seemed like a splurge at the time, but it proved to be a wise investment. During the pandemic, homebuyers flocked to bigger properties with outdoor amenities like Biden’s, seven minutes from the ocean and next to a state park loaded with biking trails. The home is now worth an estimated $4.5 million, $1.7 million more than it originally cost.

The president owns an even larger, though not-quite-as-valuable house in Wilmington’s picturesque Greenville neighborhood. It started as just a piece of land, which Biden bought for $350,000 in 1996, before adding a 6,850-square-foot, colonial-style home two years later, then a 1,900-square-foot cottage in 2005. For years it was Biden’s most-valuable asset, and he refinanced it repeatedly until receiving his 2017 windfall. Today the property is worth an estimated $2.5 million, $700,000 more than it was worth two years ago. Combined, Biden’s two homes make up about two-thirds of his personal fortune.

Biden’s love of nice real estate goes back just as far. When he was in his mid-twenties, Biden purchased three houses and 85 acres in Maryland, hoping to one day turn it into a family compound. In the short term, he tried to make money from it, renting out the homes. Meanwhile, he and his family lived rent-free in a cottage nearby, in exchange for managing a local pool. Money was tight, he later explained in his memoir: “I was in constant danger of falling behind.”

Nonetheless, he bought an even bigger house in 1975, a 10,000-square-foot mansion that once belonged to a storied Delaware family, the DuPonts. With a courtyard, pool house, circular drive and colonnade, the home was spectacular, so much so that misinformation warriors, including former first son Eric Trump, used it to accuse Biden of corruption in the 2020 presidential race (long after Biden had sold the property). The truth of how he acquired it was more mundane: Biden took on a lot of debt. Earning around $43,000 as a U.S. senator at the time, he borrowed $160,000 to purchase the place for $185,000.

He held onto the home, and thanks to rising property values, even turned it into something of a piggy bank. When he needed cash, he refinanced the property, taking out more and more debt as the years went on. “How did all the mainstream middle-class people get their wealth?” Biden asked a group of mayors earlier this year, decades after he bought the DuPont mansion. “Ninety percent of them through investing in their homes.”

That was certainly true in his case. In 1996, he sold the mansion for $1.2 million, then plunked down $350,000 for a piece of land nearby, where he had plans to build a new home on a pond. Biden constructed two houses on the property, turning it into the Wilmington estate he owns today. He proceeded to treat it like a piggy bank, too, repeatedly refinancing over the years. After he became vice president, the Secret Service started renting the cottage, reportedly paying him $26,400 annually.

Cash came pouring in after Biden left the White House. The former vice president earned $11.1 million in 2017, $4.6 million in 2018, $1 million in 2019 and $630,000 in 2020, the year he was elected commander in chief. Between his time as vice president and president, his net worth shot up from an estimated $2.5 million to $8 million. Now he’s even richer, thanks to his real estate holdings, which have helped his net worth outpace inflation. Never much of a stock investor, Biden has plenty of cash on hand. Today, he and first lady Jill Biden have less than $310,000 invested in the market, all held in mutual funds. Much more is simply sitting in bank accounts. The president collects $400,000 a year in salary, plus about $250,000 in pension payouts.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverso ... 25e47338ea

Right. Nice fairy tale.

[silverscreenselect]

Right. Nice fairy tale.

So now Forbes Magazine is officially part of the vast uniparty conspiracy.