but sending our jobs overseas is the american way, that way, he can make more money, and money is american
The fleeing to Mexico doesn't mean anything to me. The fact he is sending jobs overseas probably means nothing to me if this was standard business practices. Avoiding the war seems hard to claim you are patriotic and the overseas bank account really bothers me if you plan to run for president of the United States. Just one person's thoughts
I agree with most of this. But I need to know the parameters of his investment in the overseas bank. I used to have tons of clients with overseas banking and investment accounts. It's called diversifying your portfolio. I'd say that's actually pretty damn smart, and I'd approve of a smart, savvy businessman running the country. Besides, we as Americans think that there are 50 states, and the rest of the world is #51. The war thing is a huge question mark to me. The rest is no big deal.
Don't really know anything about the accuracy of any of the claims in the OP, but this was easy to find on Wikipedia: So, he was all of 19 years old--standard age--when he went on his mission (in '66, not '68 as claimed in the OP), and he appears to have been pro-Vietnam before, during, and after his mission. Is it unreasonable that his religious obligations trumped his patriotism, and his not being drafted was a confluence of circumstances rather than intentional avoidance?
LMAO. For the record, I didn't check the Vietnam War fact - I just went off the pic from the OP. It doesn't matter, though. I may not vote for Romney, but I certainly won't vote to continue the Obomination.
Well, duh. Most Americans vote according to the marketing, not the real issues that effect our country.
There is no "wealth" tax, though he does pay 15% on capital gains. First his income is taxed for the year he earned it, and then the gains on investments are taxed at a yearly rate. That's why the "Romney only pays 15%" thing is just so stupid. His income has already been taxed at whatever the federal rate is on it during any given year. Then, if he invests, he pays more taxes in terms of capital gains. Having money "parked overseas" makes no difference, unless the claim is that money "parked" in you own savings account should be taxed, too. The dumbing down of America. As I said before, all Obama has going for him is the relative stupidity of the American people, as is evident by this thread, and the awesome graphic. The thing asks "seriously, are we that stupid", yet it contains an obvious factual error.
I do think it is mildly amusing that he's all about marriage being between one man and one woman, when his grandpa thought it was between one man and several women. But I don't think the fact that his grandpappy left the country to avoid the law disqualifies Willard in any way. barfo
This. The graphic is poor all around. What does his grandpa moving to Mexico because of religious beliefs have to do with Mitt's patriotism? There were LOTS of people who got school deferments from the draft and some that got deferments for missionary work. Off shore accounts has nothing to do with one's patriotism either. It's totally American to pay as little tax as you can get away with. I'd personally prefer jobs to stay in country, but sending them outside the country doesn't make one unpatriotic. Almost no major company that can send jobs over seas has 100% of their jobs in the US. I have no stats to back up that claim, but it sure seems like it's true.
From what I understand his grandfather lived in a polygamy commune, but his grandparents were not in a polygamous relationship
That's not completely accurate. Rather than receiving salary that would be taxed at usual tax rates, the hedge fund crowd gets the bulk of their compensation in the form of capital gains...usually long term capital gains...so that their effective tax rate is much lower than someone receiving a paycheck. Edit: the story is a little old, but I believe the explanation is still accurate: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127728787
Mobes is correct - PapaG's explanation wasn't totally spot-on, but I didn't want to take the time to explain it all, as most people wouldn't totally understand it anyway. Having worked in public accounting for 10 years, I've seen all sorts of strategic planning and I understand the tax structure better than most (I had some very high-earning clients, some whose Fed tax returns were more than entire ream of paper). That being said, having worked in public accounting for 10 years, I know that most of the tax structure isn't understandable to most, especially those of us who simply make a salary/wages, own a house, and have kids - our tax returns are much more simple.