# WOW! Romney says he paid at least 13%. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745 "2012-08-17T03:49:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/101 "2012-08-18T02:18:14Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Now, how do I know all this? Simple - Romney’s tax returns are up on his website, where anyone with common sense could go find them instead of spouting bullshit about how Romney “refuses to prove it”. Quick political question: do you know why the Honorable Mister Mayor insists crime in Townopolis has been steadily decreasing since at least June, as indicated and proven by these here charts and figures, corroborated by a bipartisan commission ? Because the May Day Massacre doesn’t make an appearance in the stats that way. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/102 "2012-08-18T02:18:32Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > I paid a negative tax rate. > > I don’t care if people are rich and run for office. I really don’t - that’s why I supported millionaire [Jared Polis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Polis). I care about people’s politics. Romney’s America isn’t my America, but for fuck’s sake, lay off the tax thing already. It makes liberals sound whiny and jealous. Oh shove it up your piehole, **Citizen Pained**. No one who’s paid any attention to your crazy posts here gives a flying fuck what you think. Do us Jews a favor and convert to another religion while you’re at it as well. > [@Klaatu](#): > > Why in the flying fuck does anybody care? Obama is rich, Romney is rich. Biden is rich, Ryan is rich. Quite a few members of Congress are rich. superPAC contributors on both sides are rich. > > Everybody is fucking rich. Stop it already!!! Fuck! > > As an independant. I want Obama to explain what he has done to help the country in the last four years, and what he will do if reelected. I want Romney to explain what he will do if elected. > > I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE FUCKING ISSUES!!! THE FUCKING ISSUE IS THAT ROMNEY, LIKE MANY OF HIS FELLOW GREEDY ASSHOLES WHO CONTROL THE ECONOMY, PAYS A LOWER TAX RATE THAN MANY AMERICANS WHO EARN FAR LESS THAN HE DOES. Is that clear? Because most of the American public seems to have figured it out. Obama has a lot of money. He does not, like Romney, have so much fucking money most people would be out shouting Yipee! I’m Rich! I’m Rich! a few dozen times a day if they were him. Obama is at least trying to help the average American. Romney tells us to convert to Mormonism first and lay his huge pile of money in the meantime. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/103 "2012-08-18T02:27:18Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Can we be mad at Presidential candidates running on a platform of lowering taxes on the rich still further? No! You can’t be mad at him for advocating the very thing he benefits from! That would be logical, and logic is a faggoty Greek concept unworthy of real Americans! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/104 "2012-08-18T02:28:30Z")
And I suppose Romney wrote the tax code that allowed him to pay the least he could. Why don’t you take that up with Congress. Is that clear?😛 Oh wait. Are you suggesting that Romney could be a felon? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/105 "2012-08-18T02:36:58Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > And I suppose Romney wrote the tax code that allowed him to pay the least he could. Why don’t you take that up with Congress. Is that clear?😛 > > Oh wait. Are you suggesting that Romney could be a felon? Congress does the bidding of really rich people like Romney. They tell congress what to do and congress does it. We still have no idea what Romney actually did. He won’t tell us. As others have pointed out he could have qualified for a tax amnesty where the IRS excused his crimes. We don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/106 "2012-08-18T02:40:11Z")
> [@AlienVessels](#): > > You’re confusing the notion that he did nothing criminal with the notion that he did nothing wrong. He did nothing criminal. He did nothing wrong. You want him and other to pay more? Fine. Get all over your Congresscritters and work to get the 16th Amendment repealed and the Fair Tax implemented. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/107 "2012-08-18T02:41:35Z")
If Romney had released them all, there would just be grief about his cash flow! It doesn’t matter. We were also on Teresa Heinz to release her returns and it took her awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/108 "2012-08-18T02:43:04Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Congress does the bidding of really rich people like Romney. They tell congress what to do and congress does it. We still have no idea what Romney actually did. He won’t tell us. As others have pointed out he could have qualified for a tax amnesty where the IRS excused his crimes. We don’t know. I hope your research is more thorough than this. Egads…all the things _ **Romney Could Have Done!!!** _ ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/109 "2012-08-18T02:44:20Z")
Is that the new Mountain Dew Flavor: Romney Did Nothing Wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/110 "2012-08-18T02:47:48Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Is that the new Mountain Dew Flavor: Romney Did Nothing Wrong? I just don’t think that being rich makes you a felon. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/111 "2012-08-18T02:49:02Z")
Congress has many really rich Dems. People like Romney. Look at some of Obamas advisors. Wall Streeters. All rich. And we don’t know if Obama ever showed up for “Contract Law” (or whatever) at Harvard. See, this circular bullshit on both sides takes away from what both candidates need to be talking about. That’s all i’m sayin, and apologize for the strident tone, but sweet Og, this is a trainwreck on both sides, junior high BS. If we can’t agree on that, I will have to invoke USENET style flaming and smite you in in a barrage of obfuscation and insincerity. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/112 "2012-08-18T02:52:36Z")
[Top 50 Richest Members of Congress](http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html) I’ve voted for two in my short life – both Democrats. But those RICH GUYS in CONGRESS are all about PROTECTING THEIR ASSETS and STICKING IT TO THE LITTLE FOLK. :rolleyes: Goldman Sachs, pharmaceuticals, banks, etc., all have more influence over Congress than Mitt Romney does. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/113 "2012-08-18T02:55:38Z")
7 dems in the top 10. I wonder what tax rates they paid. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/114 "2012-08-18T03:02:39Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > Congress has many really rich Dems. People like Romney. Look at some of Obamas advisors. Wall Streeters. All rich. And we don’t know if Obama ever showed up for “Contract Law” (or whatever) at Harvard. See, this circular bullshit on both sides takes away from what both candidates need to be talking about. > > That’s all i’m sayin, and apologize for the strident tone, but sweet Og, this is a trainwreck on both sides, junior high BS. If we can’t agree on that, I will have to invoke USENET style flaming and smite you in in a barrage of obfuscation and insincerity. Both parties kind of suck on this so you have a bit of a point. Senator Chuck Schumer (D. NY) is typical in that he flip-flopped on this one badly: > [@](#): > > [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/us/politics/talk-of-taxing-rich-more-faces-political-hurdles.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/us/politics/talk-of-taxing-rich-more-faces-political-hurdles.html) > > Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, seconded Mr. Reid’s call for fast action on tax changes for the rich. Mr. Schumer had opposed efforts to change the provision that lets Wall Street private equity managers declare their fees as capital gains, before advocating a watered-down approach and now accepting full elimination of the carried-interest provision. But being told that we should basically just STFU and ignore the fact that Romney legally gets away with paying less in taxes that many Americans is ridiculous. The debate is out there because it should be out there. It hasn’t been out there for a few decades. Instead it’s been shoved under the table. Wages stagnate while incomes at the very top soar. Meanwhile more Americans find it harder and harder and harder to make ends meet. On top of everything else our taxes have increased dramatically in some cases while those at the very top have fallen to laughable rates. At least the Dems are putting the issue on the table. It should stay there. If Mitt doesn’t want it there then he and his damned fucking Swiss bank accounts and his tax rates that are half of mine should have not sought the highest office in the land. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/115 "2012-08-18T03:03:52Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > THE FUCKING ISSUE IS THAT ROMNEY, LIKE MANY OF HIS FELLOW GREEDY ASSHOLES WHO CONTROL THE ECONOMY, PAYS A LOWER TAX RATE THAN MANY AMERICANS WHO EARN FAR LESS THAN HE DOES. Got a problem with that? Work to get the 16th Amendment repealed and the Fair Tax implemented. Otherwise, shut the fuck up. He paid what he was legally required to. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/116 "2012-08-18T03:05:05Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > 7 dems in the top 10. I wonder what tax rates they paid. Apparently John Kerry paid less? [Link](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/tax-rates-of-presidential-candidates-in-one-chart/2012/01/24/gIQAOEEeNQ_blog.html). > [@](#): > > John Kerry’s overall rate is so low — lower than Romney’s, in fact — because his return is getting lumped together with that of his (wealthy) wife, Teresa Heinz, who had a lot of investment income. On his own, Kerry paid 22.9 percent in federal taxes in 2003 on his $395,338 salary, which included Senate income plus the sale of a 17th-century Dutch painting. Heinz, for her part, had an income of $5.07 million and paid $628,401 in federal taxes, or 12.3 percent. Here’s a fuller rundown by The New York Times. I realized I hit three on that list - Harkin, Polis, and Kerry. My own governor is a millionaire, but that’s no shock. And isn’t Nancy Pelosi worth some SERIOUS money? Look - people wanna argue about tax policy than do that. But stop with the whole, “You greedy rich bastard!” shit. Several prominent Democrats have said they should pay more taxes (Obama, Clinton) but it’s just lip service. At the end of the day, politicians are just that - politicians. I’d really like to see if SDMB was in a fight in 2003-4 about John Kerry’s wife’s tax returns. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/117 "2012-08-18T03:05:53Z")
Thank you Lavender. But would you like to know the tax rates paid by the richest members of Congress? The seven Dems out of the top ten? I would. How far do we go? ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/118 "2012-08-18T03:10:17Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > On top of everything else our taxes have increased dramatically in some cases while those at the very top have fallen to laughable rates. At least the Dems are putting the issue on the table. It should stay there. If Mitt doesn’t want it there then he and his damned fucking Swiss bank accounts and his tax rates that are half of mine should have not sought the highest office in the land. [I hope you were this angry a few years ago.](http://bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view/20100723senator_skipper_skips_town_on_sails_tax) [del]draft[/del] Tax-dodgers. GOD. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/119 "2012-08-18T03:20:10Z")
I guess I don’t much care if Congressgits are rich, so long as they were rich when they got there. If they amass millions of bucks while working for me for $165K/yr I’m inclined to be bit pissy about it. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/120 "2012-08-18T03:22:28Z")
Romney to America - “Listen, 13% of my money is way more than most of you pukes will ever make, so get off my back already” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745.md?page=7)