In a remarkable commitment to their tireless fight against climate change and wealth inequality, Barack and Michelle Obama reportedly are purchasing a magnificent $15-million oceanfront mansion in Martha's Vineyard, presumably as a much needed retreat to supplement the $9-million mansion they already own in one of the most exclusive areas of the nation's capital.  

A fierce opponent of fossil fuels and wealth inequality, the former president has harshly criticized rich people for the oversized, carbon-gluttonous houses they buy.  On April 25, 2010, the president who would become fabulously wealthy in retirement scolded Wall Street CEOs with this admonition:

I do think at a certain point you've made enough money.

His views about the sin of making too much money haven't changed.  During a speech last year in South Africa, this shining example of environmental stewardship and unparalleled concern for the poor spoke passionately about the unfairness of some people having more money than others in blasting rich people for their excessively lavish lifestyles:

There's only so much you can eat; there's only so big a house you can have; there's only so many nice trips you can take. I mean, it's enough.

That direct quote came from the lips of a man who, along with his wife, is sitting atop a nest egg estimated at a meager $135 million.  But don't feel sorry for them, because there's much more to come: with money barreling their way like a runaway train, the concerned couple is rapidly becoming a billion-dollar brand.

Sharing with the less fortunate: During the five years from 2000–2004, a period when they earned $1.2  million, Barack and Michelle Obama donated less than one percent of their income to charity, ten times less than the tithing guidelines of their professed Christian faith.  Only when Obama decided to run for president did the couple's charitable instincts improve.

Protecting the planet: During his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed without his suit jacket.  Senior advisor David Axelrod explained: "He's from Hawaii, okay?  He likes it warm.  You could grow orchids in there."  While campaigning, Obama vowed to exhibit environmental leadership if elected: "We can't drive our SUV's and eat as much as we want and keep our thermostats set at 72 degrees.  That's not leadership.  That's not going to happen [with me]."

In decreeing that rich people make too much money and that global warming is an imminent threat to our very survival, this ultra-wealthy man and his ultra-wealthy wife decided to indulge themselves in another opulent mansion, this one sitting on 29 oceanfront acres on one of the most exclusive islands in the world.  While homeless people are sleeping on the streets and our planet is being destroyed by CO2, the Obamas are living large, a pitifully small reward for two remarkable people who bend over backwards to show leadership in the fight against climate change and wealth inequality.

An electrical engineering graduate of Georgia Tech and now retired, John Eidson is a freelance writer in Atlanta.  American Thinker recently published related article of his titled "Harrison Ford, Climate Hypocrite" and "A $600 fill-up?"