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gergroy on 29 September 2020
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Dulfite said:
gergroy said:

Honestly, when seeking a public office position, there is an expectation of lack of privacy, especially for president.  While releasing tax returns isn’t a law, it is a long held precedent that trump broke.  He really should have released them as they do contain information that the public has a right to.  Releasing them would have been the “ethical” thing to do in the first place.  If he valued the privacy of that information so much, then he shouldn’t have run for president.

A tradition that had only existed for 22% of our nation's history. We survived "corruption threats" for 180 years without needing tax returns, yet some in this thread make it sound like we can't survive anymore like our ancestors. We are okay violating the rights of a man, just to get information that is not at all necessary (tax returns are political ammunition and nothing more). Information we didn't need for 78% of our countries history.

It’s not the 1800’s anymore man.  Believe it or not, the world is very different today.  More specifically, finances and the way we manage finances is very different.  We live in a world where information is available at the touch of a button, and not relayed by word of mouth or paper.  I know, it’s crazy.  

more important though, tax information is more than political ammunition.  It can, and some cases does, present possible national security concerns.  If somebody has the office and powers of the president, but has large amounts of financial obligation, or dealings in shady businesses, they would be in position to possibly be forced into using their office to alleviate some of these issues, possible at the expense of our national defense.  

While I do find it rather reprehensible that somebody that fought to cut taxes for the rich didn’t really pay any taxes before, that isn’t why I would want to see his tax returns.  I would want to make sure the candidate isn’t vulnerable to manipulation due to debts, business dealings, or foreign influence.  All of which can be derived from tax returns.