I'm trying to come to this issue open-mindedly. But I'm having trouble seeing the Democratic side of this as anything other than an unfair and very politically calculated attack.
Here's what I know (please feel free to educate me if I'm wrong):
1) Romney has released 1 year of tax returns and promises to release another. This will equal the number of tax returns released by John McCain during the last presidential election where how many tax returns McCain and Obama released was never a campaign issue. romney released one incomplete year of his tax returns
2) Nothing illegal has been found in Romney's returns to date. He is ridiculously wealthy. He has invested his money in numerous ways, including putting money in accounts off shore and overseas. This is not illegal. It is illegal to put money in Swiss Bank accounts and the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, if you do not report it on your income taxes and do not pay the taxes on the money earned on them.
3) Reid came forward to say that an "anonymous source" who worked with Romney at Bain "knows" that Romney didn't pay taxes for a 10 year period. He won't name his source. But later came out and said it was "numerous sources." He won't name any of them. I agree with you, Reid should name his source. But I also think that Reid would not put his own integrity and job on the line by just pulling this out of thin air...that would be a lose lose for him so he probably knows something....
4) The Democrats are now clamoring louder than ever for Romney to release over 10 years of tax returns to "prove" that he did, in fact, pay taxes. The clamoring came long before Reid's statement....it actually began in the republican primaries, via republicans.
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If these are the facts...then here are my questions:
1) Are we now serious entertaining the idea that politicians can make any claim they want using "anonymous sources" and that those accused are responsible for "proving their innocence?" You guys are comfortable with that? Because you seemed really uncomfortable with it when some fringe elements on the right were claiming that they had sources (of course, they named them...but hey, lets not get too picky) that knew Obama was born outside the US...and it was up to Obama to prove otherwise. all's not fair in love and war...agree...but the right has done nothing to shut up the liars on the right regarding his birth and legal birth certificate so I wouldn't expect the left to be able to do such either.
2) Why on Earth would anyone who worked with Romney have access to 10-years of his tax records? If his returns involved his pay and deals and retirements from Bain which is where most of his income came from, it is certainly possible that they were involved with his returns, is the only thing I can think of?
3) Why would the IRS somehow "MISS" that one of the richest men in our nation just didn't pay taxes for a decade?
If he held most of his accounts in bermuda, the Caymans and in Swiss Banks and he did not report them in previous years, the IRS would know nothing about them. these 3 countries do not hold an agreement with the US to disclose American held accounts like most all other countries, this is why they are called "tax Haven" countries.
Also, the IRS has been defunded near year after year....so there were less audits...plus the Bush era wanted to focus on auditing POORER PEOPLE for the EIC credit INSTEAD of the very wealthiest.
4) McCain vetted Romney for VP looking over 2 decades of his tax returns and found nothing troubling. His aides actually say he OVERPAID, if anything. I'd like to see the link for Mccain's aids saying he overpaid if anything.... are you certain Mccain chose NOT TO GO WITH ROMNEY, due to his income tax returns?
5) Is there REALLY anything more to this than the Democrats realizing that this elections CAN'T be about Obama's record...so they are desperately trying to make it about Romney and that Romney is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.
If he doesn't...they screeching that he hasn't paid taxes or is "hiding something" will continue.
If he does...the records will be nitpicked to death and even though theres nothing illegal in them, there will be enough "Romney's rich and puts his money overseas" tidbits for the media to slaver over from now until November...effectively keeping the conversation away from our horrible economy, dismal jobs outlook, etc.
So...here I am, taking a deep breath and trying to remain open-minded. Romney has followed the law and will release two-years worth of his tax records. Given the fact that he knows the Democrats will simply nit-pick any other returns he gives - just like they've done with the one they already have - WHY would he give up 10 years more simply because a member of the Democratic party has come forward with a story that strains credulity...all based on an "anonymous source" that couldn't realistically have access to the information Reid claims s/he has.