In order to support the “show don’t tell” tactic, I hope there’s a graph comparing what others in the GOP paid in comparison - and that it winds up on Fruit Bowls and other social media popular with his base.
5 Likes
Well, let’s hope for a jump to the left
24 Likes
We already got that. Even if they just put on a good show of being obscenely rich. Once you have enough lawyers, it doesn’t matter if you lose it all, apparently.
1 Like
Yeah. I’m just here, perhaps cynically, saying that uncovering those truths, which we all kinda knew about in a vaguer way already, has a pretty low chance of breaking into the media bubble that his supporters live in. It’s hard to move the needle.
Sure it’s satisfying for us. And I find it fascinating as a tax professional. But if it’s not about the illegalities and his support base is protected by his cult of personality, what is it?
I’m glad it’s out there. I just don’t expect much of it at this point. (I think he’s going to lose btw, so the illegalities actually really could be something big come Late Jan.)
1 Like
How did he avoid paying Social Security?
1 Like
Okay, but I’m only here to make known my snarky, poorly-worded ideas about government, not write the actual constitutional amendments. But I take your point.
1 Like
Advice on how to avoid getting caught. I mean, an accountant can file your taxes, but there are things that the client needs to do in order to make it legit. Or look legit, in this case.
If the client doesn’t do that stuff, the accountant’s efforts are wasted. To give a somewhat related example, look at the Donald J. Trump Foundation. There are a lot of shady charity organizations out there which do a half-assed job of whatever their mission is but do a good job of paying their executives or serving as a task write-off for their benefactors. They can get away with that because they file the appropriate paperwork and make enough of an effort to do their mission to pass legal scrutiny.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation was not able to do that much, and the court ordered that the damn thing be dissolved last year.
12 Likes
But then they will only be able to afford 4 mansions, 3 yachts, 5 luxury cars, and just ONE PRIVATE JET!. Oh the humanity!!!
3 Likes
social security and medicare taxes don 't show up on one’s tax returns.
5 Likes
Not state legislature, there’s systemic issues hiding in lots of local and state government jobs.
Many state legislature jobs are effectively part time low paid jobs that don’t meet all year long. This creates two problems.
First, if you’re not being paid enough to be in the state legislature, how are you using it to make money and the conflicts this creates between being best for the constituents and best for the person.
Second, it means only rich people can afford to run for state legislature. Everyone else cannot afford the disruption and low pay.
Publishing background checks, and the exposures created by financial debt to others is at least a more level playing field.
3 Likes
The Trumper I know always brings up “what a great businessman Trump is”, and when I point out he’s gone bankrupt multiple times, and couldn’t even make money with a casino he just shrugs. It’s like the image of Trump being successful is all that it takes to prove he’s successful.
12 Likes
Barack Hussein Obama National Park
6 Likes
And when the rest of the documents drop in 2024, after Congress has been dissolved, then we’ll really have him in a pickle.
5 Likes
I hope you’re wrong, and that as he loses his grip on power he collapses, but you’re totally correct he’s had very few consequences for decade after decade of bad behavior. I fully expect him to die soon, just to spite those of us who were looking forward to his conviction and imprisonment. Or else hightail it to the Russian embassy and demand asylum.
3 Likes
Republicans scream “Moral Hazard” about paying unemployment to people who are unable to work because of COVID but somehow if you write off losses in such a way that it makes your income tax nothing but you still get to live like a very wealthy person, then that is perfectly okay? We are basically paying business people to be failures and that is okay? The wealthy are supposed to deserve all their billions because they are the ones who took all the risks, right? But if they get to still live like billionaires even when they lose all of their money, then what risks have they actually taken?
It seems to me that the point of allowing losses to count against your income for the purposes of income taxes then it actively has to impact your lifestyle. If you claim to have made no money in 2015, then you should basically have spent the whole year living in a cardboard box.
18 Likes
She did, according to Trump, physically resemble another “consultant” that he had deductions for, Ivanka.
4 Likes
Well, looking at past presidents, almost all of them have been either a governor or a senator/representative. The only exceptions I can think of are Eisenhower and, and… you know who. My suggestion would have lowered the bar down to allow basically anyone who could at least win an election at the state level.
Why do I suspect these are the same folks who will insist that the American Dream is real? The percentage that will cling to fantasy and denial rather than face the facts of life is high - which explains why they chose a con artist and “reality” show personality as their leader.
9 Likes
File is under “you get what you measure, be careful what you measure”. Much like Help Desks that measure ticket close time instead of resolutions get tickets closed even if not resolving issues.
Background information that tells us someone has a clue how do the job and isn’t exposed to coercion is all good. Clearly something stronger than the current financial disclosure rules.
But, let’s not create a measure where the only people that can qualify are rich white guys, even if it’s done by mistake.
Just like a requirement to intern in Congress, where most internships are unpaid, is a systemic filter to only hire rich people. Even if it’s not written that way.
6 Likes
