romney. cant he get anything right?

the other day he was praising low health care costs in israel unaware that israel has universial healthcare. today he was praising poland as a place with small government that the us should emulate:

"Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney hailed Poland's economy Tuesday as something akin to a Republican dream: a place of small government, individual empowerment and free enterprise."


oops:
Poland is indeed one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, with growth of 4.3 percent last year and projected growth of around 3 percent this year _ enviable numbers in an ailing Europe where some countries are in recession and many others are stagnant. Business people have also taken to capitalism, with small and medium businesses flourishing around the country.

But the government's role is bigger than in the U.S. According to International Monetary Fund statistics, total government expenditure as a percentage of GDP was about 44 percent last year _ compared to 41 percent in the United States.
While it's true that Poland is one of Europe's fastest-growing economies and boasts dynamic entrepreneurs, Romney's depiction of Poland as a place of small government is debatable. Even 23 years after throwing off a communist command economy, the Polish government continues to have a strong presence in people's lives: it gives women $300 for each baby they have, doubling that sum for poor families; it fully funds state university educations; and it guarantees health care to all its 38 million citizens.

Most Americans would also not trade in their standard of living for that in Poland. Growth has been dynamic in part because the country started off from such a low point after throwing off communism. Romney did not mention that unemployment is 12.4 percent or that wages are low. GDP per capita last year in Poland was $20,600 compared to $49,000 in the U.S., according to U.S. government data.

 

He's doing one thing right,helping Obama get re elected

 

Gini coefficients

Poland

UN R/P 10% = 8.8
UN R/P 20% = 5.6
World Bank Gini (%) = 34 (2008)
CIA R/P 10% = 8.7 (2002)
CIA Gini (%) = 34.2 (2008)

USA

UN R/P 10% = 15.9
UN R/P 20% = 8.4
World Bank Gini (%) = 41 (2000)
CIA R/P 10% = 15.0 (2007 est.)
CIA Gini (%) = 45.0 (2007)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality


Tax revenue as percent of GDP

Poland

Heritage Foundation (2012) = 33.8
OECD 2009 (some 2008) = 34.3 (2008)
Eurostat (2008 data) = 34.3

USA (all levels)

Heritage Foundation (2012) = 26.9
OECD 2009 (some 2008) = 24.0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_as_percentage_of_GDP


Not that any of this matters to the average voter...

 

That's really the point. Voters don't care about any of this stuff and it's not going to change anyone's vote.

The reason Romney hasn't released his tax returns is that his campaign has done a lot of internal polling (i.e., not released to the public) showing that the people demanding to see Romney's tax returns are people who wouldn't vote for him anyway. In other words, not releasing his tax returns doesn't cost him any votes. If that changes, they'll release the returns. If not, they won't.

Presidential elections are little more than high school popularity contests. Neither Obama nor Romney have any real substance, but most people don't see it or don't care.

 

What is a better ratio? seriously, I would not want to live in a country 0 gini. 45 looks better than 35 to me.

successful people who work and pay taxes should make most of the income.

it seems to be a high gini... and a lower class which has a higher standard of living than many countries middle class is perfect.

 

I doubt it,his own party is hounding him see his tax returns.He's made the decision that either outcome will hurt but releasing them will hurt more imo.

If his party united behind his decision not to release them it would better but its to late for that




http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns...bama-gov-wants-romney-tax-returns-128941.html



Alabama gov wants Romney tax returns


The AP reports on a new Republican calling for Mitt Romney to make his personal taxes available to the public:


On the sidelines of the National Governors Association meeting in Williamsburg, Alabama's Republican governor, Robert Bentley, called on Romney to release all the documents requested of him.

"If you have things to hide, then maybe you're doing things wrong," Bentley said. "I think you ought to be willing to release everything to the American people."


Bentley is a less of a problem, on his own, than the line of argument he articulated: that if Romney won't put his financial information out there in the open, there must be something objectionable about it.









http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71590.html


Chris Christie: Mitt Romney should release tax returns




New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday that Mitt Romney should put out his tax returns “sooner rather than later” but added that the former Massachusetts governor has already started speaking about the tax rate he pays.

“I would say to Governor Romney is that if you have tax returns to put out, you know, you should put them out sooner rather, than later because it’s always better in my view to have complete disclosure, especially when you’re the front-runner,” said Christie on NBC’s “Today Show.”










Rick Perry: Mitt Romney Should Release More Tax Returns

07/17/12 05:03 PM ET



AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is calling on fellow Republican and former rival Mitt Romney to release his tax returns.

Perry said anyone running for office should make public as much personal information as possible to help voters decide.

Perry has released his tax returns dating to 1992.

Romney has come under increasing pressure from Democrats and Republicans to release more than the two years of returns he has promised to make public. He has released his 2010 return and has said he'll release the 2011 when it's completed later this year.

Romney has said releasing additional information will only lead to more attacks from President Barack Obama's campaign.

Perry challenged Romney for the GOP presidential nomination. He has endorsed Romney and recently campaigned for him in Nevada.








http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012...mney-should-release-more-tax-returns-20120710


Barbour: Romney Should Release More Tax Returns



Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said on Monday that Mitt Romney should release more tax returns, but said the issue didn’t “amount to diddly” in the campaign.

The presumptive Republican nominee has been hit hard lately by Democrats for not releasing more tax returns, which could shed light on Romney’s foreign investments in Switzerland, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

When asked on CNN’s The Situation Room whether Romney should release more of his tax returns, Barbour said, “I would. But should it be an issue in the campaign? I don’t think it amounts to diddly.”

The Romney campaign has previously said that the candidate’s 2011 tax returns were sufficient. However, Democrats are using Romney’s father as an example. George Romney, the late governor of Michigan and Republican presidential candidate, released more than 10 years of tax returns when he ran for office, a point that Democrats have repeated.















http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...ntorum-calls-on-romney-to-release-tax-returns


Santorum calls on Romney to release tax returns


Add Rick Santorum to the list of Republicans calling for Mitt Romney to release his tax returns.

"I don't know why he hasn't released his tax returns. I think he should," Santorum said in an interview Monday on the Laura Ingraham radio show. The former Pennsylvania senator added that it was important especially for "someone with [an] enormity of wealth," like Romney.

"Well, let's see how he manages his own economy," Santorum said.

Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich have also called on Romney to release his tax returns. And President Obama's campaign has criticized the former Massachusetts governor for not doing so. The "Barack Obama" Twitter account, on Dec. 30, asked: "Why won’t Mitt Romney release his tax returns?"










George Will, Matthew Dowd Blast Romney For Not Releasing Tax Returns




ABC News’ George Will slammed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for failing to fully release information on his tax returns and offshore accounts, saying Romney “must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them.” ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd agreed, saying “there’s obviously something there” in Romney’s returns that he doesn’t want public.

“If something’s going to come out, get it out in a hurry,” Will said this morning on the “This Week” roundtable. “I do not know why, given that Mitt Romney knew the day that [John] McCain lost in 2008 that he was going to run for president again that he didn’t get all of this out and tidy up some of his offshore accounts and all the rest.”

“He’s done nothing illegal, nothing unseemly, nothing improper, but lots that’s impolitic,” Will added. “And he’s now in the politics business.”

Will said Romney is “losing [the argument] at this point in a big way” in the debate over his tax returns, which the Obama campaign has hammered on in the past week.

“The cost of not releasing the returns are clear,” Will said. “Therefore, he must have calculated that there are higher costs in releasing them.”









Bill Kristol: Mitt Romney 'Should Release The Tax Returns Tomorrow'‎




WASHINGTON -- Political analyst Bill Kristol added on Sunday to conservative criticism of Mitt Romney's failure to release multiple years of tax returns, saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee should bear the political consequences of his tax record.

"He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy," Kristol said on "Fox News Sunday." "You gotta release six, eight, 10 years of back tax returns. Take the hit for a day or two."

Kriston also called on Romney to engage in a "serious" debate with President Barack Obama over capitalism and redirect the political conversation back to the president's record on the economy.

The comments come after mounting pressure for Romney to release more than a year's worth of returns, something that's become common practice for presidential candidates. While Romney has released only his 2010 tax returns and an estimate for his 2011 filing, Obama has released tax records dating back to 2000. Romney's own father, George Romney, disclosed 12 years' worth of tax records when he ran for president in 1968.

Other prominent Republicans who have called on Romney to release tax documents include Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and strategist Ana Navarro.












<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X8hME81uaAg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

AK Forty Seven,

No matter what those Republicans say, none of them will vote for Obama. Come November, every last one of the Republicans you quoted will vote for Romney whether he releases his returns or not.

And neither you nor any other Democrats are going to vote for Romney if he does release his returns.

If you think it matters, then give a list of Republicans who have said that they will not vote for Romney if he doesn't release his returns. Also, provide the names of some Democrats who will switch sides and vote for Romney if he does release his returns... The fact is, there aren't any on either side. This is a non-issue. It doesn't change votes from R to D or vice versa.

Whether Romney does or does not release his returns has no influence on how voters will cast their votes in November. That's what the Romney internal polling shows -- it doesn't change anyone's vote. If it becomes a vote-changing issue, he'll release his returns, otherwise he won't.

 

You make an excellent point. Mind if I adapt it for my uses in Yannis's masturbatory Obama thread?

 

It wont be a vote changing issue on its own,nothing will be unless a serious Romney scandal comes out. Taxes along with other Romney negatives will be.Obama isnt looking to take Romney out with one shot,he's taking him out with an accumulation of shots and taxes is one of them


I hear repubs say that taxes wont change anybodys mind,Bain wont change anybodys mind,The offshore banks wont change anybodys mind ,romneycare wont change anybodys mind etc.As individual issues thats true but all the Romney negatives combined will change peoples mind

 

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