I’m curious. It seems incredible, unbelievable that is, to me, having observed Obama’s action-at-a-distance that he ever has experienced poverty, real crushing poverty either in his life or first hand.

I had hoped that having experienced the poverty of others as a Community Organizer, that Obama would have empathy for those in poverty.

Now I have my doubts. One cannot see disgusting living conditions, people living without furniture, sleeping on the floor (Vancouver, Canada), or the squalid state of some public housing, the ill repair of some rental property (slums in Orange County, CA) without realizing there are desperately poor people, so poor if fact that an African hut is better accommodation.

A Basuto hut is better than the low sheet metal shack I saw on the side of Highway 1 in North Carolina. I never expected to see a dwelling as bad as that in a Western Country.

I contrast this with Council Housing in the UK (public housing), which is orders of magnitude better than the worst housing in N America.

Which brings me to this: Obama’s Bio:

After working in the business sector for two years, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985. There, he worked on the South Side as a community organizer for low-income residents in the Roseland and the Altgeld Gardens communities.

Obama returned from Kenya with a sense of renewal, entering Harvard Law School in 1988.

What did Obama do in Roseland and Altgeld?  What was he like at that time? Has he changed? Was he empathetic? Who did he help?

Where in Kenya did he visit? Did he see the shanty towns and slums that surround every African City? Did he not see the crippled beggars on the street? Learn about beggars and deliberate crippling of children so they could join the family begging business?

Did he ever produce a person from these years as a Community Organizer? A poor person he helped, who gives him a warm reference as a kind and caring human being?

Or did he go to Harvard, and turn his back on those years with a shudder, and say to himself  “There but for there the Grace of God, go I?”

Based on his current apparent attitude, I’m doubtful of his exposure to rank poverty. I really have my doubts. I’d like, over the intertubes, or face-to-face, or by phone,  to meet some members of the “Community” Obama helped.