What Is Mitt Romney Hiding?

[NEBaghead]

Quote from Article:

Ann Romney dismissed concerns about her husband’s tax returns Thursday, contending that the two of them have “given all you people need to know.” “You know, you should really look at where Mitt has led his life, and where he’s been financially,” the potential first lady said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “He’s a very generous person. We give 10 percent of our income to our church every year. Do you think that is the kind of person who is trying to hide things, or do things? No. He is so good about it. Then, when he was governor of Massachusetts, didn’t take a salary for four years.”
“We’ve given all you people need to know and understand about our financial situation and how we live our life,” she added later.

Ann Romney: We've given enough - Kevin Robillard - POLITICO.com

Not sure if it was the best wording with the "you people" comment. Also, aren't Mormons required to give 10% of their income to the Church? Thought I heard that some where, but I could be wrong.

[Broad St. Saint]

According to Drudge (Romney's 2010 Tax Info Incomplete | Drudge Retort), Mitt Romney may have taken the 2009 amnesty from criminal prosecution by the DOJ&IRS (DOJ's tax division prosecutes for criminal IRS offenses) for secret Swiss bank accounts.

Prior to 2009, Swiss bank secrecy law and practice prevented disclosure, but after massive (Swiss) UBS scandals and crimes, the UBS agreed to disclose secret accounts to the DOJ.

#1241: 11-17-09 JUSTICE DEPARTMENT & IRS ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF UBS SETTLEMENT & UNPRECEDENTED RESPONSE IN VOLUNTARY TAX DISCLOSURE PROGRAM

Rather than just indict thousands of rich Americans for criminal tax evasion with the newly gained Swiss info, the DOJ (under Obama) offered those rich Americans a deadline by which to self-report and pay evaded tax and avoid prosecution.

Since Mitt Romney ran for president in 2008, the speculation is that his unwillingness to release returns stems from something /after/ 2008, and since he loves offshore accounts, his having taken the amnesty seems a likely candidate for "what is he hiding."

[El Caliente]

Well yes, Mormons are asked (but not required) to give 10% in tithing.

I think when she said you people she was spot on. She was after all referring to the media, not the American population. Face it, if he gives up those tax records, then they will want more. They will hound him Til they get that, then they will want more. Like a parasite these media types are.

[dtc]

Originally Posted by El Caliente

I keep seeing the housing market is dropping. Not as quickly, but dropping none the less. Consumer credit can be up, but without jobs what good does that do? The market is on its way up, but even there you have skeptics saying it is headed back down.

What are you talking about the housing market dropping?

Consumer credit was non-existent in 09. Today it's available. You couldn't get a loan to buy a house in Jan 09 or buy a car. Credit card companies were cancelling cards and calling in debt. I actually witnessed first hand a mortgage company try to refuse to pay out insurance proceeds from a fire damage claim to the contractor by saying that the value of the house was upside down so they were going to apply it to the balance.

Millions of jobs have been created in the past several years after a period during which we lost millions and there are always skeptics and the market will always go up and down.

The point is that it's not 6500 or even 8000. If the DJIA was 8000 today, I'd agree with you, but it's not. If we were still losing 800k jobs per month, the rate today would be in the 30s. It's not. The path of the economy was headed downwards and even accountants can understand trends. The crashing has stopped and now we're about flat.

Don't get me wrong. Flat stinks.

Crashing is worse. When there are no jumbo loans, I can't work unless people are totally self-financed so crashing kills and flat let's you get by. Thankfully, things are better or I'd be living off savings and eating Ramen by now.

U.S. housing starts rise 6.9% in June

U.S. housing starts rise 6.9% in June - MarketWatch

[El Caliente]

Even the numbers in the market watch report are scattered all over. It's up here, down there, scant there, the housing market is anything but healthy.


The market is going to take a beating like piñata when this LIBor thing goes final, so your consumer credit argument is about to be put on shakier ground.

It is going to be a very interesting run to November.

[champ76]

Originally Posted by dtc

What are you talking about the housing market dropping?



U.S. housing starts rise 6.9% in June - MarketWatch

I think it would be fair to say the market is flat at best, in spite of the new home starts last month:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans bought fewer homes in June than May, indicating the weak economy could make a modest housing recovery choppy.

The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales of previously occupied homes fell 5.4 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.37 million homes. That's the fewest since October.

Sales are up 4.5 percent from a year ago, evidence that the market is still recovering. But the annual sales pace is below the 6 million that economists consider healthy.
US home sales drop 5.4 pct., fewest since October - Yahoo! Finance

[dtc]

Originally Posted by champ76

I think it would be fair to say the market is flat at best, in spite of the new home starts last month:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans bought fewer homes in June than May, indicating the weak economy could make a modest housing recovery choppy.

The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales of previously occupied homes fell 5.4 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.37 million homes. That's the fewest since October.

Sales are up 4.5 percent from a year ago, evidence that the market is still recovering. But the annual sales pace is below the 6 million that economists consider healthy.
US home sales drop 5.4 pct., fewest since October - Yahoo! Finance

I have never said the housing market is good. Hell, I haven't made any real money since 07 or 08 so I know the difference between boom and bust, but one reason housing starts have been low is the relative price between existing and new. You simply can't build new for what you can buy used. As prices in the existing market have stabilized or even trended upwards recently, the market for new will increase.

It ain't good, but it's not death. Death is what we had in 09. Good is what we had when the ability to borrow without collateral or credit was the norm.

Reality requires that loans be issued to credit worthy borrowers with proper skin in the game. The illusion of the early 00s has slanted our view of reality and led us to believe that we should live far beyond our means and we can't.

One thing some of us need to realize is that the economy of the early 00s till 08 was nothing more than an illusion fueled by unsustainable inflation in housing and loose money. Nothing Obama or Congress is going to do is going to give us back an ability to spend more than we make for a sustained period of time. It's reality time. The good old days were a fraud.

[wamland]

Originally Posted by NEBaghead

Quote from Article:

Ann Romney: We've given enough - Kevin Robillard - POLITICO.com

Not sure if it was the best wording with the "you people" comment. Also, aren't Mormons required to give 10% of their income to the Church? Thought I heard that some where, but I could be wrong.

Looks like she fits the Barbara Bush model of First Lady. Nice

[the-commish]

Is there ANYTHING that Mitt Romney hasn't changed positions on?

In the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race, Mitt Romney ran against incumbent Democrat Ted Kennedy. During the campaign, Romney challanged Kennedy to release his tax returns, saying that it wasn't right for a candidate for public office to "hide" his returns from the public.

I wonder what's different now?

FLASHBACK: Romney Challenged Kennedy To Release Tax Returns -- Will Romney Release His Own? | ThinkProgress

[SaintJ]

Originally Posted by the-commish

Is there ANYTHING that Mitt Romney hasn't changed positions on?

At this point, the only guess I have left is Ann Romney.

[El Caliente]

Did Kennedy release his tax records?

[dtc]

Originally Posted by El Caliente

Did Kennedy release his tax records?

Good question.

Let me guess........

If he did, you'll call him a sissy, liberal flip flopper and say Romney is strong and resolute.

If he didn't, you'll say it's perfectly reasonable that Mitt won't either.

Better question....

What do you have to say about Mitt demanding that Kennedy release them and his statement that he has something to hide?

[FatiusJeebs]

Originally Posted by 6stringslide

You guys are desperate. If I was Romney I would play this out as long as I could then tell Obama, I'll give up more tax returns if you give up your college transcrips....then watch this story sink into the sunset.

And the Fast and Furious docs too!

[thegoldenapple]

Originally Posted by FatiusJeebs

And the Fast and Furious docs too!

Why would Romney want to get Bush in trouble?

[FuzzyDunlop]

Originally Posted by El Caliente

I am going to let the board eat that baffoonery alive.

See, I'm pretty sure this is the exact kind of thing the mods were talking about the other day.

Obviously you and I have differing political opinions, but I was trying to have an honest conversation about why I feel the way I do, but then all you follow up with is this nonsense.

You said the economy hasn't improved at all. That's very obviously not true and easily proven wrong. So instead of actually explaining your position, you just resort to name-calling.

Pretty lame.