“How would you feel if Obama was as dodgy about his tax returns as Willard is being?”
I really wouldn’t care...and I certainly haven’t paid attention to Obama’s return, when he has released it.
But I got curious and looked at a few ‘tax release’ stories. Here is a story about Kerry and Bush releasing their returns: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/13/politics/main611620.shtml
They tell us that Bush paid ‘about 28 percent’...they don’t do us the favor of calculating Kerry’s (I did and its 23%)....they do make a point of telling us that Kerry gave $43k to charity. Then they go to Cheney, and state he paid “just 20 percent”. So I get it - Cheney paid ‘just 20 percent’, while we are left to calculate Kerry’s 23 percent on our own.
But what about John Edwards? This story leaves him out - so I looked it up. He paid 7.3% in 2003. Thats right - Mr. ‘Two Americas’ paid 7.3%! No wonder they left it out of the article.
Well lets peruse Obama’s 2007 return. Here is a story where he paid 33%: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/04/obama_releases.html
They do make a point of stating that his income ‘pales in comparison’ to Hillary Clinton’s - he’s a man of the people after all. The article also mentions that Clinton still wants to see his 97, 98, 99 return. I can find no story where he ever gave out this information....imagine that, he’s in the primary, his opponent wants to see his return, and he won’t release it. Well now maybe I am indignant...not really.
Seeing that any story ever written about candidate’s tax returns is used as an opportunity to smear the right, and cannonize the left, I think we would all be better off if nobody released their returns.
Here is a nifty site, though, if you are real interested in past president’s returns:http://www.taxhistory.org/www/website.nsf/Web/PresidentialTaxReturns
Fo kicks, I looked at FDR’s 1936 return. Its hard to read, but it looks like he paid $13k on $75k, or 17%. Whut? Mr. Big Government himself only paid 17%? Possible conclusion - maybe we should worry less about who is paying what, and concentrate more on what we’re spending....which is why I refuse to get tied in knots over anybody’s return....even if its Romney’s.