The real reason for the state dinner

"As India has grown in strategic importance to the U.S., its government and the Indian-American community have also increased their political profile in Washington. And among those dining Tuesday night at President Barack Obama’s first state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were a handful of Indian American donors to Obama’s campaign, including Singh Balvinder, who generated between $50,000 and $100,000 in donations to it. Balvinder wasn’t the only fundraiser to attend the White House gala. Hollywood titans Steven Speilberg, David Geffen, and David Katzenberg were also major Obama backers and dinner guests. But the invitation to the carpet store owner from Chicago marked another milestone in the 2-million-strong Indian American community’s effort to expand its influence in the political world. In 2008, India boosted its lobbying and public relations spending to $6.8 million, signing on to 201 advocacy contracts on issues ranging from visas, defense to obtaining a nuclear agreement with the U.S, according to Justice Department records.The lion’s share of India’s lobbying spending was with Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, a firm that intentionally positioned itself to aid the rising Asia democracy, according to research done by ProPublica and the Sunlight Foundation."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29900.html

Face it. The 17.5% real unemployed, and the 30% of American families touched by unemployment, are simply not as worthy of notice as the "carpet store owner from Chicago" and assorted "Hollywood titans".

The unemployed don't donate to presidential campaigns. All they do is pay taxes to pay for thank you dinners for campaign donors.