Mitt Romney On Tax Returns: 'I'm Not A Business'

reply to post by charles1952

Are you not tired to death of the topic of Romney's taxes? Surely, we are at the point where the two sides are saying the same things over and over ad absurdum if not ad infinitum.

A bit hypocritical...aren't you Mr Charles??? I dont' and haven't seen ask Birthers if they are tired to death of the topic yet. And they have been going on about that for over 4 years. But only a couple months of asking about Romney's taxes...and you think it's been just about enough.

Just two months ago you were all over a Birther thread wondering why Obama hasn't addressed the issue
www.abovetopsecret.com...

You are becoming quite transparent playing your "I'm just an innocent asking questions that I don't know the answers to"...it is clear you have an agenda and what your tactic is.

So it is not surprising to see you in here saying "haven't we spent enough time on this" and wanting to move along from this very damaging issue for Romney.

They both disclose, or they both refuse. That is reasonable, it seems. Now go to something else.

Why is that reasonable???

There are valid concerns for Romney's returns...and it has been a tradition of past candidates (especially past wealthy candidates), to release multiple years of their returns.

And for Obama's transcripts...it's because Birthers think he registered as a foreign student

Funny how you guys want transparency until it is something damaging to the guy you support (and yes, you support Romney)...and then it's all "Let's just move on".

n we talk about their positions on the debt, the defecit, the budget? How about the use of drones, internment camps, support for rebels, positions on Israel and Palestine. What about internal US liberties, health care immigration and citizenship? How will they deal with Russia, China, North Korea?

You are free to go make a thread on any of those topics...be my guest.

But until then...try to stay on topic.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

That seems like a very logical question. Romney is trying to use his business sense and fiscal skills as a point to why Americans should vote for him. But he seems like he doesn't want to reveal proof of those skills and tactics.

Paying taxes, or even filing a tax return is not proof of business acumen. Any fool can pay taxes.

Originally posted by hdutton
Wait up just one minute.

I thought companies were people !

If Mitt is not a business is he also not a company ?

Considering this, does this admission impact his eligibility to run for the office or serve as POTUS???

Actually people are corperations. They are just saying that corperations are people> Really it is the other way around.

reply to post by PrinceDreamer

It is not unreasonable to say that if he used every possible loophole to avoid paying tax that was due then he was more interested in serving himself rather than the nation, and if this is so, it may well be an indicator that he would be a self serving president, looking out for his interests and his cronies interest at the expense of the normal average American.

This is exactly the point.

The American people want to see how hard he tried to avoid paying his fair share of taxes to the nation...a nation that is in debt and needs all of it's citizens to pay their taxes.

If Romney did all he can to avoid his taxes...then are debt problems are partially his fault.

I do find it amusing that most are avoiding the main topic of this thread.

Romney would require any business or person to show them their tax returns as proof as their fiscal responsibility...but for him...he has clearly told us, the American people, that he has shown us all he needs to show us...even though the American public is saying they want more.

Romney is applying for a position...the position of President...this is currently the interview stage of the job hiring process. The employers (that's us) just asked him to release his tax returns so we can see his financials because there were some questions raised about them. He just told us to go screw off.

Now...how would that work with any other situation where someone applying for a job told the employers to screw off???

If Mitt Romney has nothing to hide then why doesn't he just put an end to the controversy and open up his records.

The longer the resists the more the voters will lose respect and trust; not that they have much in the first place.

It's almost as if the GOP has already conceded and thrown Mitt under the bus. His campaign has deteriorated into a comedy of errors and bone head remarks that should never have occurred.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher
So if Romney paid lots of taxes, he could run for president.
If Romney paid little taxes, he could run for president.

If Obama told the truth on his college transcripts, he could run for president.
If Obama was a foreign student and not a citizen, he could . . . er. . . um. . .

And as for Romeny paying his fair share, where are you on Buffett, Imholt? Or is it becase they support a democrat, they get a pass?

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


Neither of the candidates strike me as good for this country. Let me establish that before address the absurdity of tax returns as a litmus test for President. The tax code is a five volume set of tautological mystical incantations that not a soul has ever been to reasonably explain how most people are subject to that revenue law let alone liable for a tax.

I find way past shameful that so many people in this nation are now using "income" tax to excuse their nosy little gossip crap. "Income" taxation has destroyed this nation. In 1913 the national debt was just a little under $3 billion and today, some 99 years later, that national debt is almost $16 trillion. It is bad enough that "income" taxation has been used to grossly expand government, but that it is now being used as a talking point and people take this attitude that they have some right to pry into the personal income earnings of another person isn't just shameful and unseemly, it is pointless.

This thread has certainly not done a damn thing to show how revealing tax returns to the public clarifies a thing about an ability to serve as President. It's just a silly distraction from issues that actually matter, such as protecting and defending rights. Of course, "income" taxation isn't about rights, is it? It's about turning every person who earns a living into a public figure and the public's need to pry into personal matters.

Too bad you can't actually criticize the man for his lack of defending rights. I suspect there is plenty of fodder in that regard, but here you are indirectly praising an odious tax in perpetuity that has become the greatest division between people since the Civil War and the issue of slavery.

Romney hypocrisy and doublespeak on others releasing their taxes:

Originally posted by DaTroof
I don't like Romney, but he's allowed the exact same legally accepted methods for filing taxes as any other American.

How many Americans do you know that have offshore bank accounts and sophisticated financial instruments?
Also, case in point, if Romney did indeed put ALL his money into his IRA, which is not impossible, he would end up paying almost zero tax (of course he'd have to pay back later when withdrawing, but that's another story).

Originally posted by Kaploink
The man is running for the most important office in the country and we are suppose to take his word that everything is fine. The one thing most people learn over the years is never trust a politician even if they are in your own party. They all lie.

If a politician is acting like a use car salesman that doesn't want you to see a carfax, then it's very likely something is wrong.

Besides every presidential nominee in recent history has released multiple years worth of tax returns. The country is not asking him to do something unprecedented.

If Tax Returns are such a big deal, why isn't it a requirement to become President? I think College transcripts are just as important as tax returns, so if Obama was such a great student, why isn't he releasing his college transcripts?

Reagan was badgered to release more than one year of tax returns, he told them to take a hike and stood firm, as should Romney.

CARFAX??? They are a joke. Good thing Texas has an equivalent (AUTO CHECK), so we told CARFAX to take their extortion elsewhere and dropped them years ago.

Out of 10 customers that request a CARFAX only 3 actually follow through and receive one. (AUTO CHECK)

Goes something like this:

Customer: Can I get a CARFAX on this car?
Sales: Sure, let's drive it and make sure you like it first OK?
Customer: (Likes car, makes deal, forgets about CARFAX)
Sales: Thanks for your business, but don't look for me next week, I'll be on vacation with the money I just made on you!

reply to post by OutKast Searcher

Dear "Outkast Searcher,"

WHO ARE YOU? What did you do with real Outkast Searcher? How much do you want for his safe return? The Outkast Searcher I remember wasn't so big on personal attacks and ad hominems, he was, more or less, accurate and reasonable. So, who are you?

Just two months ago you were all over a Birther thread wondering why Obama hasn't addressed the issue

You looked through two months of my threads to find a post? Wow, I didn't know I was important enough to do that kind of research on. I don't have any influence. My avatar says "just a guy." I'm not a writer, fighter, or scholar, even my signature says "I'm not the sharpest bulb in the drawer." I don't have a gold border around my posts as you do, I haven't even been here two years. I'm just another poster.

So you did your research and found I was "all over" a Birther thread. I made one post. That's "all over?" Remember? That was when the publisher's biographical booklet came out stating that Obama was born in Kenya. It ran for several years without correction. Nobody had discussed it before, and I said:

It seems clear, with the bio pamphlet and other evidence, that Obama claimed to be born in Kenya. I think people see that as settled. The question remaining is "Was he telling the truth, or making up a story to look more exotic and interesting." Neither is a comfortable position to maintain, but there's no risk of jail if he was just fluffing up his resume.

I'm also surprised that you say:

You are becoming quite transparent playing your "I'm just an innocent asking questions that I don't know the answers to"...it is clear you have an agenda and what your tactic is.

If I'm pretending to be innocent, then you must be accusing me of being guilty of something? What? I have opinions, and I think Romney would be a better President than Obama. I apologize and correct my thinking when I'm wrong, I'm polite, provide links. Of what am I guilty? Of course, I'm transparent, I always have been. As far as "agenda" and "tactic," I truly don't know what you mean. I write like this in just about every post in every topic. (Ooops, I forgot. I lost it in a rant thread of mine that was a passionate defense of art and culture against disruptive protesters (a masterpiece, if I may be so immodest), and in a thread about the abortion doctor who was for killing "ugly, black babies.) Other than that, I'm really pretty simple.

Now the difference with the taxes, is that Romney has a pile of paper he doesn't want to hand over. It doesn't change, it's the same pile of paper. There are no new charges or requests. It's just "Give me those papers." "No, I won't," over and over again. At least with the birther issue there are new documents, new allegations. Each of those can be discussed, reasonably, I think, because they are different.

Funny how you guys want transparency until it is something damaging to the guy you support (and yes, you support Romney)...and then it's all "Let's just move on."

Wouldn't a birther respond, "Obama hasn't given us any transparency, why should we bend over if he won't? Besides, taxes aren't a requirement for the office, citizenship is."

Further, if we're just going back and forth, doing the same thing over and over, when does it stop? Does this drown out all conversation on other issues? As Jean Paul noted, shouldn't we be discussing rights and liberties?

Originally posted by charles1952
Now the difference with the taxes, is that Romney has a pile of paper he doesn't want to hand over. It doesn't change, it's the same pile of paper. There are no new charges or requests. It's just "Give me those papers." "No, I won't," over and over again.

Oh please, it's not just a pile of paper. If I'm holding a copy of New York times *Sunday edition* in my hands, and my neighbor is passing by and asks "have you read it? Can I have it?", I'll probably have no problem handing it over to him. However, if I was holding a hardcore smut magazine in my hands and my neighbor accidentally just thought it was an issue of Oprah, not quite having looked at the cover, and asked for it, I sure as hell would be embarrassed to give it to him.

Man, that does sound like what Romney is doing.

Originally posted by charles1952
I have opinions, and I think Romney would be a better President than Obama.

Sure, feel free to nurture that opinion. In my own opinion, a person who can look me in the eye and says that he wants every American to have a house with a golf course is a dangerous wacko. He doesn't want to define "rich" and "poor"? He doesn't want to? He want to just everyone be rich? Don't you think he has no moral compass for having said all that crap in your face?

reply to post by buddhasystem

Dear buddhasystem,

Thank you, I guess I wasn't very clear. The pile of papers is Romney's tax returns, there may be something embarassing in them, or he likes his privacy, or whatever else. My point was it was different from Obama's situation where one day, people are yelling about his birth certificate, the next, his Social Security number, the next, his draft registration card, the next, his transcripts, the next, the publisher's biography booklet, and so on, and so on.

Each of those are different issues, while Romney's taxes just sit there, the same pile of paper they've always been. Without more facts (seeing the returns) all we can do is guess. People who don't like him will make criticizing guesses, those who do like him won't. I'm just suggesting that, while not forgetting about the taxes, we move to other issues.

Oh, by the way, I saw a poll today. 46% of Americans want him to release his taxes, and 46% don't. I'm guessing, but the split may be along party lines.

With respect,
Charles1952

reply to post by buddhasystem

Dear buddahsystem,

Sorry, I should have included this with your other post.

Sure, feel free to nurture that opinion. In my own opinion, a person who can look me in the eye and says that he wants every American to have a house with a golf course is a dangerous wacko. He doesn't want to define "rich" and "poor"? He doesn't want to? He want to just everyone be rich?

I guess I haven't been following the news closely enough, I didn't know he said those things. I wonder if the first politician's promise in a campaign was "A chicken in every pot." I'm sure Romney and Obama have both made promises in trying to be elected that they find they can't keep. Until I know more, I can't really comment intelligently on it.

Don't you think he has no moral compass for having said all that crap in your face?

Again, I don't know very much about this, but i don't think either candidate is going to jump up during the debate to say "My moral compass is better than yours." Sorry, that I couldn't come up with anything better.

With respect,
Charles1952

Even trade, Romney's tax returns for Obama's transcripts. Wow I don't think either one is going to come clean.

Next.

reply to post by MsAphrodite

Wow I don't think either one is going to come clean.

Next.

Thanks, my sentiments exactly. But I hear that demolishing walls with one's own head is very "in" this year.

Originally posted by charles1952
reply to post by Kaploink

 

So Romney supporters can use your statement:

If a politician is acting like a use car salesman that doesn't want you to see a carfax, then it's very likely something is wrong.

to show that there is something wrong with Obama's citizenship and he is not even eligible. Find a new candidate.

Where are we going?

Still sticking with the Birther argument huh???

Let me know how that works out for you.

What a sad comedy; two crooks taking pot shots over each others indiscretions to see who gets to be in the driver seat to oppress the people for the next 4 years... Sigh!