Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/28/why-trumps-taxes-matter-so-much.html
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I agree, very much, but will one vote change because of it? Did anyone, Republicans included, think this guy wasn’t a tax cheat before the 2016 election? Republicans think he is the kind of “smart” business insider that they need in government.
The moral reasons will be lost on the wealthy. They think being wealthy is being a good person. They have talked themselves into believing that they are the big Energizer Bunny batteries of our nation, that they create jobs, etc., etc. They believe people who make less aren’t as productive to society, and so are more deserving of a ‘loser tax’.
I just can’t imagine anyone reading about his taxes, gasping, and firmly resolving to change their vote.
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Trompistas like paying his taxes for him. He’s so smart! So leaderly! So manly! What a god-emperor!
Pardon me while I barf.
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It’s not just about changing votes. It’s also about motivating progressives to enact fairer tax laws.
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Trump thought it might, which is why he’s kept them hidden.
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I respectfully disagree. I don’t believe Trump thought anything of the kind. Aside from the fact that it’s unlikely Trump has enough cerebral cortex remaining to accomplish actual “thought,” I suspect that he hides his taxes for the same reason that he hides his massive bald spots, pasty skin, and serious health conditions – vanity.
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Assuming voters are not persuadable concedes the fight before it’s started. Not everyone is constantly engaged with political news. Not everyone is locked into their political opinions. Everything is about persuading your people to make the effort to vote, removing motivation for their people to vote, and convincing people who aren’t sure that your guy is better than their guy.
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He is a goddamned criminal.
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I’m pretty sure that Republicans picked Trump because of his charismatic and robust personality. And also because they can see how easy it is to manipulate him to do what they want him to do. Trump is not a smart man, and opportunists are sitting back and using him advantageously.
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Lord Dampnut is big on enforcing laws that don’t affect him; therefore, the IRS gets underfunded.
Worse than his non-payment of taxes is the fact that he is deeply in debt (like that should surprise anyone), and that means he is not only desperate to steal as much as he can, but is also ripe for blackmail. Can’t blame him for wanting to avoid the tender mercies of his Russian owners…
Given that Putin is effectivelly the head of the Russian Mafia, it is no wonder that Lord Dampnut has little to say about Russian machinations of various sorts.
I will be surprised if Biden brings this up during the debates.
Oh, I expect him to make hay over the tax issue. The Russia issue? Not so much.
What I hope to see is for Lord Dampnut to repeat his comment about people in the Military being “losers”, & for Joe to walk over and pummel him to the ground.
Any bets on if the SS will intervene?
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Biden’s next tweet should be LAW AND ORDER with a link to this editorial.
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Trump is a smart (con)man, I’m no billionaire but I paid 150x more federal taxes in 2016 than he did.
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this presupposes he and his kids don’t go to jail, or are forced to abscond to russia, the philippines, or north korea
the game is keep the ball in the air till after you’re dead. it seemed to work for his father, but donald just isn’t that smart.
( he’s basically running on the luck that the republicans are corrupt and that white supremacists, not to mention russia, are happy to have him as the bull in the china shop )
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My comment about the IRS, when asked: “Of course, the first thing cheaters do is fire the refs.” We need to reframe them not as the meanies out to get all they can, but as referees whose job is to make sure that everyone contributes fairly.
Having lived overseas and dealing with other tax collection ministries, it really is glaring how the American system is designed to favour the lawyers and tax preparation companies like H&R Block and so on. It’s such a tiny part of the economy, but such an oversized influence.
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I’ve been saying this for years now, so it’s nice to see the media picking up on it. Law and order starts at the top, and yes tax law matters and so do all the other laws that impact the wealthy and corporations. The idea that THEIR crimes are somehow “smart business” has been a particularly noteworthy piece of right-wing propaganda since the days of the rampantly greedy Reagan administration.
LAW AND ORDER! It begins at the top, not the bottom. With the rich who steal billions, not the person driving with a broken taillight.
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The system working exactly as designed, unfortunately. 
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Hell, most Reublicans think cheating - on taxes, in school, in the election - is proof that you’re good at your job, as long as it lets you “win”.
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I think Trump’s taxes matter so much because had he revealed them in 2016 he would not have become President. I think a majority of the not “Deplorables” who voted for him back then wouldn’t have voted for an obvious conman who makes his money by losing other peoples money.
The NYT revelation is a real eyeopener.
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Trump apparently said that he had reached a signed agreement with the IRS over his 100 million dollar audit. But that for some reason the IRS wanted to start over.
Both the agreement and the starting over are clear indications that the audit found real malfeasance on his part.
At any rate, the 400 million in personal loans coming due with no clear way to pay them is the kind of thing that should disqualify anyone for a security clearance. Even if he weren’t a greedy immoral bottom feeder, he would be vulnerable to blackmail.
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You may also have more net assets than he does.
Which would be the part he would like to keep concealed.
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