Should the IRS be politically weaponized?

[HitRed]

The IRS can run an audit at any time. No congress needed. Keep it non political.

The IRS has an endless wealth of information on us from business dealings at the local, state and federal level. Sell on Anazon you get a 1099. Buy a car..dealership reports taxes. Payroll taxes are highly reviewed. Own a hotel..The list of taxes you play to the different entities is endless and they want their money. The IRS can cross reference just about anything. Also the endless lawsuits from Trumps business failures would have gone through scores of lawyers and the court system. He might be one of the most audited people already.

[warmonger1981]

OK, once we get done with the business of getting Trump and his cronies out of office for all the hilariously overt corruption they've done, let's look into this. Deal? We're generally agreed that Joe Biden probably shouldn't be the president. But first let's apply your stringent rules to the current administration. Which includes seeing where the hell Donnie's money is, which, again, would be required for literally any job in government except his, which is why customarily everybody has released them.

Can you please list his corruption? I didn't say we agree on Joe nor did anyone else so speak for yourself. Its customary not required. Big difference. If Congress want to make a law requiring a president to release his tax returns they can do that. So why dont they? Hell all of Congress should release their taxes. I'd like to see how Pelosi made so much money in Congress. And let's not single out a person to be put on the firing squad first. If anybody commits a crime I suggest they be looked into immediately. Not Trump 1st and then Biden. Do both at same time. Why would you go after one guy first but not the other with more damming evidence? You sound partisan which makes you look like a bias fool. I pitty a fool like Mr. T would say.

[2dimes]

Mr T does not pity random fools. He pitys the fool that messes with his van, because that fool is going to get a brutal beating.

[spurgistan]

OK, once we get done with the business of getting Trump and his cronies out of office for all the hilariously overt corruption they've done, let's look into this. Deal? We're generally agreed that Joe Biden probably shouldn't be the president. But first let's apply your stringent rules to the current administration. Which includes seeing where the hell Donnie's money is, which, again, would be required for literally any job in government except his, which is why customarily everybody has released them.

Can you please list his corruption? I didn't say we agree on Joe nor did anyone else so speak for yourself. Its customary not required. Big difference. If Congress want to make a law requiring a president to release his tax returns they can do that. So why dont they? Hell all of Congress should release their taxes. I'd like to see how Pelosi made so much money in Congress. And let's not single out a person to be put on the firing squad first. If anybody commits a crime I suggest they be looked into immediately. Not Trump 1st and then Biden. Do both at same time. Why would you go after one guy first but not the other with more damming evidence? You sound partisan which makes you look like a bias fool. I pitty a fool like Mr. T would say.

Joe Biden doesn't hold political office? You can't remove somebody from office if they don't have it. That's the imperative, both to punish corrupt acts and to make sure they don't get office. I'm surprised this is controversial. But also not.

The list of Teapot-Dome-shaming corruption endemic to the current administration is a bit too long for me to list on a coffee break. If you have some free NYT articles this month, I'd give this guy a read. Yeah it's opinion, and it's from a whole 5 months ago so it misses a whole litany of scandals, but here it is.

A reasonably comprehensive tale of corruption, incompetence, and woe

[mookiemcgee]

OK, once we get done with the business of getting Trump and his cronies out of office for all the hilariously overt corruption they've done, let's look into this. Deal? We're generally agreed that Joe Biden probably shouldn't be the president. But first let's apply your stringent rules to the current administration. Which includes seeing where the hell Donnie's money is, which, again, would be required for literally any job in government except his, which is why customarily everybody has released them.

Can you please list his corruption? I didn't say we agree on Joe nor did anyone else so speak for yourself. Its customary not required. Big difference. If Congress want to make a law requiring a president to release his tax returns they can do that. So why dont they? Hell all of Congress should release their taxes. I'd like to see how Pelosi made so much money in Congress. And let's not single out a person to be put on the firing squad first. If anybody commits a crime I suggest they be looked into immediately. Not Trump 1st and then Biden. Do both at same time. Why would you go after one guy first but not the other with more damming evidence? You sound partisan which makes you look like a bias fool. I pitty a fool like Mr. T would say.

Joe Biden doesn't hold political office? You can't remove somebody from office if they don't have it. That's the imperative, both to punish corrupt acts and to make sure they don't get office. I'm surprised this is controversial. But also not.

The list of Teapot-Dome-shaming corruption endemic to the current administration is a bit too long for me to list on a coffee break. If you have some free NYT articles this month, I'd give this guy a read. Yeah it's opinion, and it's from a whole 5 months ago so it misses a whole litany of scandals, but here it is.

A reasonably comprehensive tale of corruption, incompetence, and woe

If you open NYT article links in a "private browsing' window you can circumvent the monthly article limit. Just saying...

[Symmetry]

This has been interesting so far. The more Trump inclined folks are worried that disclosing his tax records will hurt Trump, so they need to be kept secret- that they hide something that could be used as a weapon.

The anti-Trump folk largely agree.

I'm largely anti-Trump, to be fair, but I don't think the pro-Trump peeps here are doing themselves any favours by arguing that it must be kept secret because revealing it would be terribly damaging to Trump.

Plus, ya know, he did promise he'd release them, and lots of other Presidents released their tax records for the purpose of transparency.

[saxitoxin]

Plus, ya know, he did promise he'd release them, and lots of other Presidents released their tax records for the purpose of transparency.

Lyndon Johnson didn't. Of the 10 wealthiest presidents in U.S. history, only two have been alive since the advent of the personal income tax and neither of them - Trump or Johnson - have released their tax returns. When you have significant assets there are greater complexities involved in the release of returns than when you're a loser at life who owes more in credit card debt than your net worth (i.e. Biden) and your tax return fits on an index card.

The Democrats want us to believe that Biden being a loser is something worthy of celebrating, while Trump being a winner is something worthy of shame. This is part of the Democratic worldview; men should use women restrooms and women should use men; losers are winners and winners are losers; good is evil and evil is good.

[HitRed]

MookSpur, I tried the link. First word

Opinion
Trump’s Corruption: The Definitive List

After 2 years+ show me the court room evidence.

[Symmetry]

Plus, ya know, he did promise he'd release them, and lots of other Presidents released their tax records for the purpose of transparency.

Lyndon Johnson didn't.

I did read your whole post, but when your argument is essentially "I remember Lyndon B John

Plus, ya know, he did promise he'd release them, and lots of other Presidents released their tax records for the purpose of transparency.

Lyndon Johnson didn't. Of the 10 wealthiest presidents in U.S. history, only two have been alive since the advent of the personal income tax and neither of them - Trump or Johnson - have released their tax returns. When you have significant assets there are greater complexities involved in the release of returns than when you're a loser at life who owes more in credit card debt than your net worth (i.e. Biden) and your tax return fits on an index card.

The Democrats want us to believe that Biden being a loser is something worthy of celebrating, while Trump being a winner is something worthy of shame. This is part of the Democratic worldview; men should use women restrooms and women should use men; losers are winners and winners are losers; good is evil and evil is good.

Or, ya know, Trump could just release his tax returns like he said he would. Don't you think it's odd that he won't? You tend to be a critical thinker here, but going back to Lyndon B Johnson, who as far as I know never promised to release his tax returns, seems like a stretch.

I'm not sure what you're going for here, but it doesn't seem like a strong argument in favour of Trump.

It mostly seems like an argument to look everywhere else but Trump, which is kinda suss.

[saxitoxin]

I'm not sure what you're going for here

[Symmetry]

I'm not sure what you're going for here

Yeah, ok.

[mookiemcgee]

Mook, I tried the link. First word

Opinion
Trump’s Corruption: The Definitive List

After 2 years+ show me the court room evidence.

That was spurgistan's post, not mine. I just quoted it to point out a way around the NYT paywall in case anyone wanted to read it.

[HitRed]

Corrected

[Symmetry]

Well, this thread has been a bit of a disaster. I'd give it two thumbs down, but I recently lost one of my thumbs when the crowd got too raucous over my decision in a gladiator fight.

[saxitoxin]

Well, this thread has been a bit of a disaster. I'd give it two thumbs down, but I recently lost one of my thumbs when the crowd got too raucous over my decision in a gladiator fight.

[thegreekdog]

I would assume you already doctored them

Everyone's guilty to proven innocent.

On the contrary: we want to see the returns to see if it proves him guilty of credible claims against him.

You are pre-assuming guilt again. Prejudice.

I suggest you look up witch hunt.

So, there shouldn't be investigations? What rd is describing is how investigations work. If Trump didn't want questionable business ties investigated, he shouldn't have run for president.

I'm from Salem, I know witch hunts. Spoiler - the witches didn't break an established tradition of voluntarily releasing tax info, the kind of disclosure that would be needed for literally any job in the federal government except for the presidency. They were just young women (and occasionally men) who fell afoul of important men for probably super valid reasons.

Why do you think Trump doesn't want his tax returns made public?

[HitRed]

I would assume you already doctored them

Everyone's guilty to proven innocent.

On the contrary: we want to see the returns to see if it proves him guilty of credible claims against him.

You are pre-assuming guilt again. Prejudice.

I suggest you look up witch hunt.

So, there shouldn't be investigations? What rd is describing is how investigations work. If Trump didn't want questionable business ties investigated, he shouldn't have run for president.

I'm from Salem, I know witch hunts. Spoiler - the witches didn't break an established tradition of voluntarily releasing tax info, the kind of disclosure that would be needed for literally any job in the federal government except for the presidency. They were just young women (and occasionally men) who fell afoul of important men for probably super valid reasons.

Why do you think Trump doesn't want his tax returns made public?

Why do we all have made up names of CC?

[jonesthecurl]

I don't.

[HitRed]

I don't.

[Dukasaur]

I don't.

[Symmetry]

Just a weird little thought I had,- if Trump had to choose between building a wall and releasing his tax returns, which would he choose?

[HitRed]

Just a weird little thought I had,- if Trump had to choose between building a wall and releasing his tax returns, which would he choose?

Currently the wall is being built. I live in Texas and it's covered every few days on TV and NPR.

Currently Trump hasn't Released his taxes.

No choice needed.

[spurgistan]

I would assume you already doctored them

Everyone's guilty to proven innocent.

On the contrary: we want to see the returns to see if it proves him guilty of credible claims against him.

You are pre-assuming guilt again. Prejudice.

I suggest you look up witch hunt.

So, there shouldn't be investigations? What rd is describing is how investigations work. If Trump didn't want questionable business ties investigated, he shouldn't have run for president.

I'm from Salem, I know witch hunts. Spoiler - the witches didn't break an established tradition of voluntarily releasing tax info, the kind of disclosure that would be needed for literally any job in the federal government except for the presidency. They were just young women (and occasionally men) who fell afoul of important men for probably super valid reasons.

Why do you think Trump doesn't want his tax returns made public?

I'd put money on the trifecta of 1. He doesn't have as much money as he says 2. Business in Russia that he keeps telling us doesn't exist 3. Politically damaging manipulations of tax law (his reported billion dollar loss in the 1990's that could have allowed him to pay no taxes for a while)

[Symmetry]

Just a weird little thought I had,- if Trump had to choose between building a wall and releasing his tax returns, which would he choose?

Currently the wall is being built. I live in Texas and it's covered every few days on TV and NPR.

Currently Trump hasn't Released his taxes.

No choice needed.

Fascinating, but didn't really answer the question.

[thegreekdog]

I would assume you already doctored them

Everyone's guilty to proven innocent.

On the contrary: we want to see the returns to see if it proves him guilty of credible claims against him.

You are pre-assuming guilt again. Prejudice.

I suggest you look up witch hunt.

So, there shouldn't be investigations? What rd is describing is how investigations work. If Trump didn't want questionable business ties investigated, he shouldn't have run for president.

I'm from Salem, I know witch hunts. Spoiler - the witches didn't break an established tradition of voluntarily releasing tax info, the kind of disclosure that would be needed for literally any job in the federal government except for the presidency. They were just young women (and occasionally men) who fell afoul of important men for probably super valid reasons.

Why do you think Trump doesn't want his tax returns made public?

I'd put money on the trifecta of 1. He doesn't have as much money as he says 2. Business in Russia that he keeps telling us doesn't exist 3. Politically damaging manipulations of tax law (his reported billion dollar loss in the 1990's that could have allowed him to pay no taxes for a while)

I think #1 is probably the most likely. #2 is pretty well known, right? I don't think his supporters would care about #3. That being typed, I don't think his supporters would care much about anything.

That's a long way of asking if there is a non-political reason for Trump to release his tax returns?