Something fishy re: Trump tax returns?
- Thread starter christiefan915
- Start date
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
Turns out Richard Nixon publicly released his tax returns while they were under audit in 1973, at the height of the Watergate investigation.
But Watergate wasn't the reason, according to tax historian Joe Thorndike.
In the summer and fall of that year, "Nixon was engulfed by a controversy over his personal taxes. An outsize charitable donation was the proximate cause, but the scandal expanded to include numerous issues with the returns Nixon had filed between 1968 and 1972," Thorndike noted in a soon-to-be-published paper.
Interestingly it was that very tax controversy -- not Watergate -- that gave rise to one of Nixon's most famous quotes, Thorndike found. "People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook," Nixon told reporters in November 1973. "Well, I am not a crook."
He even went so far as to invite the Joint Committee on Taxation to also examine his returns. It did, and found Nixon owed another $476,431 -- or about $2.5 million in today's dollars. The IRS came to a similar conclusion.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/11/pf/taxes/nixon-trump-tax-returns/
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
cawacko
Well-known member
Thanks Desh.
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
Reality Has a Liberal Bias
Recently during a lively discussion in the comments section of an article on the Huffington Post, one commentator said (paraphrasing) that NPR is perceived to have a liberal bias because “they’re reality based” and reality has a liberal bias. I had one of those moments when something is explained so succinctly that if someone had been looking at me at that moment I think a light would have appeared to have gone on over my head.
True fair-and-balanced (to coin a phrase) journalism presents facts concerning news stories and all opposing angles when the story in question might have more than one side. I believe most legitimate news organizations strive for this, and after being a daily listener of NPR for over 20 years I know for a fact that NPR consistently accomplishes it (to the degree that sometimes I’m annoyed at frequently having to hear the opposite of my own, liberal opinion).
The reason almost all news outlets other than the most right-wing (you know who you are) can readily be accused of having a liberal bias regardless of how diligently they try to stay in the middle of the road is this simple explanation. Reality has a liberal bias.
So who would be against reality? How does it even make sense that the right-wing/conservative agenda would be against reality? Why would the “most watched” cable news network want to create a different reality?
A few examples (there are dozens more):
Climate change. Long accepted by most people on the left and in the middle and many, many on the right as part of our current reality. The evidence is overwhelming. But someone somewhere doesn’t like that reality and it’s beyond “inconvenient” as Al put it. It’s expensive. For who? Maybe oil companies and investors in big oil. Politicians who were put in office by those same companies and investors. Coal companies. The nuclear power industry. Any company that has significant revenues generated by what we now consider the sources of global warming. Just like when doctors and researchers told us that cigarettes cause cancer, the only voice refuting that claim was the tobacco industry. So “going green” becomes “job killing” and lobbyists for those companies that must conform to expensive environmental regulations call for “reigning in” the EPA. (The EPA definitely has a liberal bias.)
Health care reform. Considered such a liberal issue now that anyone who supports it is a socialist according to Michele Bachmann and her kind. The reality is that the most important aspects of the bill will benefit most people at an individual and personal level. But on the right this reality is considered very dangerous, so a new reality must be constructed and sold. That reality gives us Big Brother and [gasp!] Canadian socialized medicine. Who would want to create that reality? Just about every company involved in the health care industry in this country including doctors. Health care reform hits the bottom line for all of them. Hard.
Taxing the wealthy. Do I even need to elaborate?
The reality is that we don’t want to kill our planet, no one wants to see anyone else suffer if it can be avoided, and those who benefit most should give back at least to the same degree that their less-fortunate counterparts do. But as much as the far-right fronts for corporate and wealthy interests would like to create a different one, there is such a thing as reality and it always has and likely always will have a liberal bias.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-swadley/reality-has-a-liberal-bia_1_b_835631.html
What line do you state your wealth on ?
My husband and myself, working hard and saving wisely. We have enough to retire comfortably, and enjoy our life.
Legion Troll
A fine upstanding poster
Trump is, in all likelihood, hiding multiple bombshells in his yet-to-be-disclosed tax returns, a pair of prominent tax experts told the Daily News Thursday.
The GOP front-runner has repeatedly declined to release the documents, citing the excuse that the Internal Revenue Service is auditing his returns.
There is no legal reason, however, that would prevent Trump from releasing his returns even if he was being audited — itself a dubious claim — leading many insiders within the political and tax worlds to suspect something is seriously amiss.
"If Donald Trump is who he says he is" — a successful business magnate with impeccable business judgment — "then he should have no problem releasing 20 years of tax returns," David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter on tax and economic issues and a lecturer at Syracuse University College of Law, told The News.
Releasing the returns would force Trump to list income from all sources — including any potentially unsavory and unknown ones — and would attach a tangible value to his net worth — a number that could be far less than the outrageous $10 billion he contends.
Dennis Brager, a Los Angeles tax litigation attorney and former IRS trial lawyer, said that could be any number of potentially nefarious possibilities, including: "Offshore investments which weren't properly reported," "investments in dubious tax shelters" or unusual business deductions for his residences.
"Because it is not uncommon to deduct business entertainment expenses the tax returns might reveal a lavish lifestyle that he would prefer not to flaunt," Brager added.
Another, more interesting, possibility is that the documents could provide a paper trail that might explain how the brash billionaire is, in fact, using his presidential run as a vehicle for growing the worth of his personal brand.
"In the end, Trump could argue that his entire campaign was essentially a business expense," to increase his brand recognition Johnston said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-hiding-true-net-worth-withholds-tax-returns-article-1.2635313
The GOP front-runner has repeatedly declined to release the documents, citing the excuse that the Internal Revenue Service is auditing his returns.
There is no legal reason, however, that would prevent Trump from releasing his returns even if he was being audited — itself a dubious claim — leading many insiders within the political and tax worlds to suspect something is seriously amiss.
"If Donald Trump is who he says he is" — a successful business magnate with impeccable business judgment — "then he should have no problem releasing 20 years of tax returns," David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter on tax and economic issues and a lecturer at Syracuse University College of Law, told The News.
Releasing the returns would force Trump to list income from all sources — including any potentially unsavory and unknown ones — and would attach a tangible value to his net worth — a number that could be far less than the outrageous $10 billion he contends.
Dennis Brager, a Los Angeles tax litigation attorney and former IRS trial lawyer, said that could be any number of potentially nefarious possibilities, including: "Offshore investments which weren't properly reported," "investments in dubious tax shelters" or unusual business deductions for his residences.
"Because it is not uncommon to deduct business entertainment expenses the tax returns might reveal a lavish lifestyle that he would prefer not to flaunt," Brager added.
Another, more interesting, possibility is that the documents could provide a paper trail that might explain how the brash billionaire is, in fact, using his presidential run as a vehicle for growing the worth of his personal brand.
"In the end, Trump could argue that his entire campaign was essentially a business expense," to increase his brand recognition Johnston said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-hiding-true-net-worth-withholds-tax-returns-article-1.2635313
It's always what is best for The Donald.
That's good.
You say Trump doesn't want his wealth revealed from his taxes. What line would his wealth appear on ?
Legion Troll
A fine upstanding poster
Darth Omar
Russian asset
Few besides the Trump deranged care about his tax returns or how much he's worth. Though what Hillary promised Wall Street, that would be interesting to know.
It's amazing anyone would vote for her.
It's one of those things he should just do...his attys a reprolly behind it -being tax atty sthey don't want anything.. but you should see it's a talking point at minimum that will survive past the primary,unlike Clinton WS speechs
Darth Omar
Russian asset
He should do it. But in the larger scheme of things it's small potatoes. It's not going to budge the needle with Trump supporters or haters; and objective independents will weigh it against Hillary's email debacle.
I don't see it going anywhere.
Darth Omar
Russian asset
Good question lol.
Since Trump is into real estate his net worth will be a lot higher than what's in his bank account. For whatever it's worth.
Leonthecat
Racism Watchdog
No one cares about his worth more than he does.
It's kind of like the size of his ... hands.
It's kind of like the size of his ... hands.
Legion Troll
A fine upstanding poster
Is there anything that would budge your needle, Trumpee? Anything at all, lol?
Darth Omar
Russian asset
My Best Buddy Voted for Trump Twice! said:
Who cares? Christie cares, WashPo editors care, you care and your Trump voting buddy cares lol!