Mr. Edwards, no one is stopping you from giving your money to the government. No one forces you to build 28,000 sq ft homes.
And you don’t get the tax increases because your money is in investments. You aren’t earning it anymore, so it isn’t taxed as income.
Congratulations. Hypocrite of the year and we’re only one month in.
2007-01-26
Carolina Journal Exclusives
Edwards Home County’s Largest
By Don Carrington
RALEIGH – Presidential candidate John Edwards and his family recently moved into what county tax officials say is the most valuable home in Orange County. The house, which includes a recreational building attached to the main living quarters, also is probably the largest in the county.
“The Edwardses” residential property will likely have the highest tax value in the county,- Orange County Tax Assessor John Smith told Carolina Journal. He estimated that the tax value will exceed $6 million when the facility is completed.
The rambling structure sits in the middle of a 102-acre estate on Old Greensboro Road west of Chapel Hill. The heavily wooded site and winding driveway ensure that the home is not visible from the road. “No Trespassing” signs discourage passersby from venturing past the gate.
Don Knight, Orange County building plans examiner, told CJ that, including the recreational building, the Edwardses’ home would be one of the largest in Orange County.
Knight approved the building plans that showed the Edwards home totaling 28,200 square feet of connected space. The main house is 10,400 square feet and has two garages. The recreation building, a red, barn-like building containing 15,600 square feet, is connected to the house by a closed-in and roofed structure of varying widths and elevations that totals 2,200 square feet.
The main house is all on one level except for a 600-square-foot bedroom and bath area above the guest garage.
The recreation building contains a basketball court, a squash court, two stages, a bedroom, kitchen, bathrooms, swimming pool, a four-story tower, and a room designated “John’s Lounge.”
Edwards was the Democratic candidate for vice president in 2004 and a former N.C. senator.
Thursday afternoon, the Edwards for President press office was unable to provide information on any additional buildings planned for the estate.
Don Carrington is executive editor of Carolina Journal.
Growing up 
Wow.
Did you know he’s the son of a millworker? 😉
Hypocrite may not be strong enough.
Gotta admit … this disappoints me. A lot.
Maybe he plans to make the “rec wing” into a homeless shelter, but it certainly appears to be the “As long as I do this bit of good over here, I have no perameters on how I live my life” mentality.
Lest I judge without being self-reflective, I know this mentality well — it’s how I often am.
I know, we’re all that way in one form or another. I don’t know how its possible to not be, honestly. Even Shane Claiborne lives in a house, where most people in the world live in shantis built out of spare plywood and tin.
The biggest problem I have with this is that he calls for higher taxes on the “rich”, which is anyone making over 29,000 (who all ready pay 96 percent of the taxes and are the equivilant of 50% of the country) but his wealth is not being taxed at those same rates because he’s not being a lawyer anymore. He wins a couple of court cases that give him more money than the vast majority of people will earn in their lifetimes, puts it away in mutual funds and lives off the interest for the rest of his life (which is not taxed at the same level as someone who’s just making that amount of money in straight income).
Dude, he’s married.
John Edwards contributes a lot . . . in more ways than just financial . . . but since he’s not saying he’s a born-again Christian or telling us about WMDs, I guess he’s evil . . . People, People, PLEASE wake up!
Garth… I don’t even know what that means.
Belinda,
You’re simplistic arguments for everything get really old. If you’ve read my blog before, you would know that I harbor distaste for the religious right and am a pacifist.
John Edwards isn’t evil, but he’s a hypocrite and a theif because he uses the power of the sword to steal from some to give to others. Belinda, could you ever see Jesus going door to door threatening to imprison or kill people who don’t give to the poor? Seems like he left that decision up to the individual, and even when they made the wrong decision (rich young ruler) he didn’t use force to make them do the right thing. If you are a proponent of that, you are no better than those on the right who want to force their morality on others.
You will once you are married.
99% of all men would be satisfied to live in a cave. Big houses are the result of marriage. IMO ;o)
Simplistic? Have to stay simple for simple minds. It seems like everyone that blogs has a real passion for folks that agree with them – not much room for anything else. Do you have any idea how much John Edwards contributes? Would it ever be enough? Oh yes – one of my all-time favorites …the preachers that keep telling us to give and give . . . God doesn’t need that money – the preacher does. Maybe I’m way off base and maybe I didn’t express myself correctly when I posted – we may very well be on the same “side.” I realize I’m probably not nearly as intelligent as you, but you don’t know nearly as much as you think you do. As far as my comments getting old, this was my first post – I’ve only recently ran across your blog.
My problem isn’t with John Edwards having a big house, its that he’s in essence forcing his morality on people who may or may not ascribe to it. He may very well give lots of money away, but if he thinks people should be outrageous taxes to the government to pay for social programs, many of which don’t work very well… he better be giving away more of his income to the IRS than he is now (most of his money was made in one lump sum, so when taxes go up, he doesn’t pay more. He just lives off interest which is taxed at 15%, while other people trying to make money are taxed at 35 now and probably more if he were president.
Do you even research fact? I’m sure Edwards is still in the 35 bracket. And he already paid 35 on his “lump sum”. And the reason why we currently have the taxation system we do, is because our country CHOSE it. You just happen to be in the minority of dissenters. Big effin’ deal.
You’re bitter and you have a massive chip on your shoulder. You constantly belittle and insult people who disagree with you on your blog. You made Belinda say that she’s not as smart as you (you who apparently dropped college for real estate school), and you didn’t even bat an eye.
I really don’t know how you claim to be a Christian and imitating the life of Christ, when you constantly insult people who don’t agree with you. If you’re trying to imitate Christ in relationship, you’re failing miserably. I really don’t know why I continue to read your blog, except the fact that I would hope your attitude would change. It’s people like you who claim Christ which has turned me off to Christianity.
It would be nice if you apologized to the people you insulted and made a change in the way you respond to people…
As you’re blog title suggests, you ARE “growing up” and it seems you still have some things to learn.
Belinda, I am fine with someone buying a big house. That is not the issue. The issue is that Edwards is running around talking about how there are “Two America’s”. Go and read that speech of his and then you will see what a hypocrite he is. He goes around saying how evil the rich are…how they don’t pay their fair share of taxes and how they get whatever they want…he is, in essence, talking about himself.
Impressive! Thank you.