Food for Thought

[ericadawn16]

Did you know that when George Romney (Mitt's father) ran for president he released TWELVE YEARS of tax returns?

Yeah, that seems patriotic and responsible to me, too.

Comments

[jackdavfan692.livejournal.com]

I did not know that! Interesting =/! A pity his son doesn't seem to have any inkling to follow his example, or even do the minimum (e.g. release the usual five years of tax returns I guess most every contemporary presidential candidate before him has) B/.

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Why does anyone have to release their tax returns in the first place?

[cp.livejournal.com]

They don't have to--there's certainly no legal requirement. But many--myself included--believe that someone petitioning for the single most powerful job in this country (and arguably on the entire planet) should be forthcoming about their personal finances. Factor in that Romney in particular is touting his business and financial acumen as his primary qualification for the office, and it becomes even more relevant that we should know how he's run his businesses and how he's made his fortune.

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Or do you just want to see how much he's made so you can complain about how much he's made compared to you?

Because I think what Obama has made, or Romney has made, or Ron Paul, or what you make in income and what you pay in taxes has little to do with deciding on how to vote for someone.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Nope. Unlike many on the right, wealth envy is not a condition from which I suffer. Money creates as many problems as it solves, and maybe more--studies show that an annual income of $75k is presently about the point at which additional income stops correlating with additional happiness. I have never wanted to be rich, merely comfortable--and I am.

And like I said, Romney is running on his record as a businessman (since much of what he did as a politician is more in line with Obama's policies than it is with the Republican base). He's advertising himself as someone with the financial and managerial wherewithal to steer us out of the mess in which we find ourselves. Therefore how he's made his money and how he's conducted himself as a businessman are of much concern to me, and clearly I am not alone in feeling that way.

At any rate, there's clearly a reason beyond simple privacy as to why he insists on bucking the historical norm when it comes to releasing tax returns. Doesn't that reason, whatever it might be, bother you? It sure bothers me.

[bloodredroses1.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing the reason he won't release them has to do w/ either Bain (sp?) and/or the off shore accounts he has.

I'll admit I want to know out of simple puerile couriosity but if I was undecided about how to vote this would be just one more brick in the gunny sack that weighs down Romney/Ryan.

[cp.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I don't doubt that whatever tax avoidance strategies he and his accountants have used over the years have all been perfectly legal. But that's just it, do we want a President whose main qualification for office is how well he's managed to build a fortune and avoid paying his fair share of taxes?

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Exactly, and since he disclosed the real tax forms to McCain, it's clear that he doesn't even trust 47% of the population.

[girltype.livejournal.com]

It could do with his region since Mormon's need to provide a 10% of their income to the church. Romney could lose face/status in his community if that tax information came out.

Also regardless of what Mitt's father did to become President it wouldn't have happen since he was born in Mexico.

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I forget if that was covered in the "summaries".

[cp.livejournal.com]

Not only that, he pretty much single-handedly started the trend of Presidential candidates releasing multiple years of tax returns, because he believed that releasing just a year or two could be done as just for show since it's the long-term trends that matter. Like father, like son? Not so much in this case.

[bloodredroses1.livejournal.com]

His refusal to release the returns for the first years of the bust is what I want to know about.

And it's so not a matter of how much money he makes but how ethical is he in his business practices. This is someone who wants to lead the country not just a big company in the private sector. No that doesn't mean I excuse unethical behavior in the private sector but that I hold a potential world leader to a higher ethical standard.

[http://users.livejournal.com/unnecessary_/]

On top of the fact that he's probably hiding something, I feel like this is a bad strategic move for him. Either way, I just hope and pray that he doesn't win or destroy this country.

[i-llbedammned.livejournal.com]

I always get suspicious if a person ask their opponent to be more open than they are willing to be. It reeks of hypocrisy. It's not just about the money.