Tax Returns

The Clintons made news by releasing their 2015 federal tax return and calling for Donald Trump to do the same.

I took a look at it. It’s basically page after page of boring numbers. We can learn about their income, charitable deductions, taxes paid, etc. In case you are interested, they own a Vanguard S&P 500 index fund.

Her campaign is calling for Donald Trump to release his returns. There is the implication that he might have something to hide. He claims he won’t do it because he is being audited.

Personally, I think all the fuss is a little silly. It might satisfy our curiosity but we get little of value. It’s all summarized data with no detail on business dealings, etc. I could write volumes about things that bother me about him but this isn’t one of them.

It is more important that we get a physician’s statement. Presidents in the past have withheld serious health problems.  Clinton’s doctor gave a detailed, professional summary of her health. I can’t say the same for Trump. It stated that the results of a recent physical exam were all positive. That’s a little strange since doctors have a very different meaning of the word “positive”. It describes lab tests as “astonishingly excellent” without giving any details. What is truly bizarre is the statement that he would be the healthiest president in history. I really doubt that since he would be the oldest person ever to assume the office.
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Let’s not worry about how much Trump earns or pays in taxes. To me, his unusual physician’s statement is of greater concern.
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