Gleaning Facebook: Tax Returns?

There has been some controversy about Mrs. Romney's exact words. I've adjusted the graphic to give her the benefit of the doubt.

For the richest major party candidate in 200 years to campaign on his business prowess and yet refuse to release the basic tax information that we have had on all major candidates for the last several elections, is offensive to me. If he wants to apply for President the voters have a right to see his credentials. He admits that their release would be politically damaging to him. Did he avoid taxes altogether in some years? We don't know. Did he pay even less in taxes than in 2010? We don't know.

---------------

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, the richest man to run for President in 200 years, who has based his campaign on his business prowess:

I won't release my tax returns because people will criticize me for some of the information they find in them.

Hmmmmmmm....

So Mr. Romney, I paid taxes in 2009, did you?

Comments (Some comments were deleted before I could preserve them.)

Carol Payne
Here's the choice: Successful businessman who made a lot of money or a successful politician who spent a lot of MY money hhhhmmmmmm

Terrell Shaw
That doesn't work, Carol. Lowest spending increases under President Obama of any President since the Korean War ended. Here's an article from the Wall Street Journal about that:
http://articles.marketwatch.com/.../31802270_1_spending...
And unlike the Romney/Ryan plan, President Obama's plan would actually reduce the deficit acc. to the Congressional Budget office.

I just don't see how a man can apply to be our President on the basis of his business expertise and have the gall to refuse to show his tax returns. The only answer is exactly what he says: he's afraid they will hurt him politically more than stonewalling -- even all the Republicans calling for -- their release.

ARTICLES.MARKETWATCH.COM
Obama spending binge never happened

Obama spending binge never happened

Terrell Shaw
And over 70% of Romney's economic advisors are recycled Bush guys, being rewarded for their economic wisdom and prescience in the last decade. 

Terrell Shaw
Seriously, I absolutely supported both the Bush stimulus and the Obama stimulus as necessary evils in the context of an impending economic disaster... much worse than almost anyone realized even during the 2008 campaign. We are hurting still so badly that it is difficult to see the remarkable recovery, but it has happened. Events in Europe and elsewhere and gridlock here have slowed things and may yet stall it. But the President's policies, with -to be fair - Bush's last minute realization of what had to be done - began the jobs turn around within a month of the inauguration in 2009, and we were on the positive side with job growth, slowly, during 2010, and have had over two years of job growth since. Gridlock has meant the states & cities have been left with a horrible public sector job situation.

We are likely to continue to have split government, but I hope my Republican friends will pressure their GOP Senators and Congressmen to begin to work with the Democratic members to find workable compromises. We have a disfunctional Congress right now and that has demonstrably damaged the economy further.

Terrell Shaw
Yes the crux of the disagreemnet b/t us: I think the time to work at the deficit was 2001. The time for tax cuts and profligate spending (grin) was (an is) 2008-till now. We need short-term stimulus and long range deficit reduction. The President's proposals give us a start, tho only a start I admit. The Romney/Ryan plan (Is this yours too? Or are you Libertarian? Other?) will make the deficit worse and slow or stop the recovery. IMO, of course.
Curious, will you vote in Nov.? How?

Terrell Shaw
Tough love? Medicine may kill the patient.

Marlin Teat
I've released my college transcripts for all my jobs...has the President? And why not?

Terrell Shaw
Hey Marlin! Great to hear from you.

His college transcript? This is equivalent to Romney hiding his financial dirty laundrey from just three years ago?

Let's pretend the President, like me, made some gosh awful grades in college more than two decades ago. I hope he was more serious about his college career than I was as a freshman. What in creation does that have to do with anything? Maybe he, like me, collected some write-ups for [in the sixties they were called "demerits"]? What else? Nothing in those transcripts could possible relate to his reelection in 2012. His patriotism, intelligence, scholarship, knowledge, temperament, nativity, etc., etc., etc., has been settled by his election in 2008 and his outstanding performance as President.

You may disagree with his policies. You may dislike his political or social views. But his competence and qualifications are settled. He is President and, if you agree with his [and my] policy positions, is at least as competent as any other President. So, I say, stick to the issues.

And one of the central issues, magnified by Mitt Romney's campaign for eight years now, is Romney's business expertise and history. His tax returns are critical to our understanding of that. He is hiding something and he admits that by saying the reason for stonewalling is to keep opponents from using the tax returns against him.

--------------------

July 29, 2012 

Comments

Eddie Stokes
I think Mr Romney should show them. I also Think Mr Obama should open his High school and college records. I'm having a hard time with deciding between these two.

Terrell Shaw
Eddie it is so good to hear from you. 

The President probably is like me (and many others)... I'd hate for my children to see all my high school and college records. He is pretty forthright in his book about what his high school and college years were like. He did some experimentation that was unwise. If he was at all like me, he was not as serious about his academics as he should have been all the time. But we know about his eventual scholarship, his determination and perseverance, his leadership, his law school excellence. and of course he eloquence and successes as husband, father, State Senator, US Senator, and President/Commander in Chief. 

There is much for us to learn about Romney, especially in light of the emphasis his campaign has given to his business prowess. Do his tax records back that up? How much wealth has he shielded from taxes by sending it to Switzerland and/or the Caymans. Did he maintain a residence in Massachusetts after he left the statehouse, or was his voting there fraudulent? He's the richest major party Presidential nominee in 200 years. Did he pay even less in taxes than in 2010 --- or perhaps no taxes at all -- during some of those years?