Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Romney's Taxable Patriotism?

Suppose Gov. Romney releases all his income tax returns. And what if the information therein exposes that he has paid an effective rate of 13 or 14 percent. And what if we learn that he achieved this rate by taking advantage of every possible means of reducing his tax burden allowed in the United States tax code even to the extent of depositing money in foreign banks. I say "Way to go!". I will most definitely and with great pride cast my vote for him! By following rational behaviors and being faithful to capitalistic principles he has protected his personal wealth from an irresponsible government that would confiscate said wealth and spend his money in counter productive ways. I suppose some will accuse him of unpatriotic behavior for these acts of economic self defense. I suppose that such an argument exposes the arguers confusion as to what "patriotism" actually is. What it is not is to allow the governing to bleed the governed. It is patriotic to respect, defend, and promote the ideals espoused in our constitution. One of the foundation stones of our constitution is the right to property. We have a right to protect what is ours from the government. Our wealth is our property. It is patriotic to defend our right to our property from a greedy government. Romney's detractors should be asking the bigger question: What economic policies promoted and legislated by the government cause and unintentionally promote a citizen to deposit wealth in a foreign bank? And what are foreign governments doing to attract American deposits to their banks?