Does Mitt Romney have a right to hide his income from the American people? [View all]

[kentuck]

Democrats need to present this message in a very straightforward way. It is not good enough to ask, "What is he hiding?" or " "Mitt Romney doesn't want the people to see what is in his income tax returns". By talking about what he is hiding or that he doesn't want the people to see his tax returns diminishes the true issue.

The actual issue is "Does he have a right to hide his income from the American people?" Even if he were not running for President of the United States, he does not have the right to hide his income from the government. That is not legal. That is income tax evasion. That is why they put Al Capone in jail.

Yes, he may be only using legal loopholes. Still, we have a right to know what "loopholes" he is using. He does not have the right to hide his income, regardless of whether he is running for President or not? He must report it with the IRS.

Once again, we are lacking in the way we frame this issue. We know he is "hiding" the information. There is no dispute about that. The point that we must make is that he does not have the right to hide his income from the American people. It is important how we frame this issue. It is not about "tax returns" per se. It is about the people's right to know.