What Romney Should Say About His Taxes
The media and, unfortunately, some Republicans are making an issue out of the tax rate that Mitt Romney pays. First, we should be thankful that many people get to pay just 15 percent on their income. This means that the money is not going to the government to be wasted and used to buy power that in the end makes our world less free.
Second, do we really believe that if people like Mitt Romney pay more taxes that somehow that money will trickle down to us? It ain’t going to happen. If the government took every dime of his income, it wouldn’t fund the government for an hour.
Third, he’s following the law. Romney’s not doing anything illegal. No congressman should object to Romney’s “just 15 percent” tax rate since Congress established and passed the law. If any candidate proposed that Romney is not paying his “fair share,” then he is no better than Obama and the Democrats.
It’s sad that someone like Rick Perry used the South Carolina debate “to demand that Romney disclose his tax returns so voters can decide whether ‘we’ve got a flawed candidate or not.’” Flawed in what way? Because he makes a lot of money or because he cheats on his taxes? Must we hear class warfare rhetoric from conservatives, too?
Fourth, it’s time to go to a straight consumption tax. This would eliminate the IRS, rid us of spending hours and days preparing tax forms, and keep the government out of our lives. We would only pay taxes when we buy something. This would mean that foreign visitors to the United States would be contributing to our tax base every time they purchased something.
I noticed in a long USA Today article that the number “15 percent” is used over and over again. I want to know how much money Romney actually paid in taxes. The article doesn’t say. I wonder why.
Let’s assume that Romney had an income of around $30 million dollars taxed at 15 percent. This means that he paid $4.5 million in taxes. This is criminal. No one should have to pay that much in taxes. What is the moral justification for taking nearly $5 million dollars from someone? Because he can afford it, and so many people make less? Romney should say the following to any reporter who brings up the 15 percent tax rate: “I paid $4.5 million in taxes in 2010. How much did you pay? How many jobs have you created?” He should keep pressing until he gets an answer.
The article leads with this statement using a large bold-faced font:
Tax law experts say half of his 2010 income [was] taxed far below [the] rate that many Americans paid.
Why didn’t the article state that nearly 50 percent of Americans don’t pay any federal income tax? Nothing . . . nada . . . zilch.
I don’t care how much money someone makes, as long as he got it honestly. People who make money contribute to the economy. Liberals believe the economy is like a pie with only so many pieces. If one person has a big piece, this must mean that another person is left with a smaller piece. This is nonsense economics. If you want to see its results, go to Cuba or North Korea. Free market economics is not a zero-sum game.
People like Romney who have money to lose invest in companies that did not exist 10, 20, or 30 years ago, companies that were only ideas on paper. These once non-existent companies now employ millions of people and make our lives easier and more enjoyable.
Envy is a destroyer. As a nation, we must flee from it before it destroys this nation.