On yesterday’s America’s Newsroom, Martha MacCallum, Juan Williams, and Mary Katharine Ham debated Mitt Romney’s refusal to release more tax returns. MacCallum predictably stuck up for Romney and repeatedly announced that his tax returns were not anybody’s business.
MacCallum wondered, “Why doesn’t he (Romney) come out and say look, my wife and I have paid millions and millions of dollars over our lifetime in taxes and to charities… If that’s not enough, we’ve done everything legally, let’s just move on.”
Williams said, “That’s not the standard… Harry Reid never said that there was anything illegal. He just said he suspected or heard this guy paid no taxes.”
“Which is ludicrous,” Ham said.
”I don’t know that it’s ludicrous. If it’s so ludicrous, why doesn’t he release the tax returns, and let everybody see?” Williams countered.
Although America’s Newsroom is supposed to be an objective news show, MacCallum said, “If there’s no illegality, if the IRS isn’t after them, I don’t think it’s anybody’s business.”
If they only paid 13%, Martha?” Williams asked.
Ham said, “It’s a smear if Harry Reid is just making stuff up.”
Williams asked, “What percentage do you pay in taxes? I bet you pay a lot more than 13%?”
MacCallum said she does. “But you know what I would say to anybody wanting to know about, it’s none of your business, OK?”
”You’re not running for President,” Williams said.
“It’s the McCain standard. He’s met it,” Ham said.
“Objective” MacCallum put in another good word for Romney’s case. “Unless there’s a charge there’s something illegal, I can’t, two years, that’s what John McCain did. I think they’re barking up the wrong tree.”
”Two years? He’s done one year and an estimate,” Williams said.
Then Romney actually did go from zero to hiding something with his tax returns- something he could have produced in one hour.
Not only that, but he’s showing us just how poorly he would handle a serious crisis in his response.
It was Ronald Reagan who said, “Trust, but Verify.”
Re his tax returns, Mr. Romney has said, “Trust me.”
OK.
Now for the “Verify” part.
Release the tax returns, Mr. Romney.
63% of American voters want to see them.
And so do I.
Sincerely,
One of Ann’s “little people.”
Dear Ann Romney,
I don’t like your attitude very much. It seems very entitled and imperious. You say you have done everything legally required, and there will be no more tax returns. Not only do you say it, you say it with a snarl, as if those you’re asking to vote for your husband are simply too stupid to understand what a tax return filed by a Very Wealthy Couple looks like. As if you’re saying “we’ve given all you people need to know.”
Oh wait. You actually said that.
Ma’am, you’ve released one return. ONE. If we’re really lucky, we’ll get to see the second one 15 days before the election, when it’s too late to really understand how you and your husband run your finances.
[. . .]
> The next President of the United States must lead an effort to reform our current tax code. It’s long overdue and must be done. We’re entitled to understand how you approach your own taxation, and what interests your husband will serve if he were leading that effort. Simply put: Will a Romney Administration consider the needs of the working poor over the needs of corporations and the wealthy?
> Ordinary people don’t have offshore tax shelters. Why do you? Why do you consider it American to shelter income from taxes offshore? Why would your investments take precedence over patriotism?
> Americans deserve to fully understand how Bain benefited your family. It’s well established at this point that Bain Capital was in the business of mergers and acquisitions. People lost many jobs to offshoring, mergers, and just plain asset-stripping. It’s fair for them to understand what kind of profit you took from those lost jobs, particularly when you claim you know how to create them.
> Ordinary people endure far more invasive inquiries for minimum wage jobs. You can get all high and mighty with us, but to get an $8.50 per hour job, many ordinary people have to endure (and authorize) a credit check, and in the case of government jobs, a background check. In many cases, they have to submit to a drug test, too. That drug test requirement isn’t because their potential employer believes every applicant is a drug addict. It’s because they want to make sure this applicant isn’t one.
The complete letter is at the below link. I’m thinking these 4 points would come in very handy when discussing the matter with conservatives.
http://crooksandliars.com/taxonomy/term/23974
The BEST RESPONSE EVER WRITTEN on this subject was reposted {from an Obama diary} at PoliticusUSA {as a response to Mittens’ "job application}:
Dear Mr. Romney,
We have contacted you now several times regarding your missing tax returns for years ending 2000 through 2011. To date we have only received a partial return for year ending 2010 and a âprojectionâ of taxes for year ending 2011. Unfortunately this is inadequate documentation to evaluate your financial history and allegiances, which are critical to understand your previous behavior. Given the disappointing Swiss bank accounts and Cayman shell corporations that we have previously discussed, these documents are now critical to better understand your past financial background.
This understanding is in turn required in order to make an informed decision regarding your capability to perform the financially sensitive position that you have applied for.
If you have recently released the tax returns for years ending 2000-2011, please accept our sincere apology and we will continue to evaluate your application. If however we do not receive your tax records for the years ending 2000-2011 , we regret that we will be unable to process your application, and unable to consider you for the position for which you have applied.
If this is the case, we want to send our appreciation for your effort and application and encourage you to reapply when you are better able to meet with our admittedly high standards. Thank You and Best Regards, The American People
http://www.politicususa.com/haughty-ann-romney-announces-shouldnt-questioned-finances.html
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