So why should Americans, regardless of political affiliation, be concerned that presidential candidate Mitt Romney refuses to fully disclose his tax returns, the source and disposition of his wealth, or his role at Bain Capital from 1999 until 2002?
Let's give Mitt the benefit of the doubt and accept his "explanation" that, during that period, he "took no part" in running a company whose main purpose was accumulating private equity via the destruction of American companies like AmPad and GST, and outsourcing American jobs to overseas nations. Despite the fact that his name appears on 2002 SEC forms as "CEO, president, chairman-of-the-board and sole-stockholder," Romney says he "retired" from Bain in February 1999 to "run" the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. OK! One presumes he also won the "gold" for "dodgeball" as well.
Let's also take Romney's word that he actually knows little about his own personal finances that were placed in "blind trusts" in offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Switzerland. Such dealings are perfectly legal. Many wealthy "Americans" employ such practices to avoid personal accountability, or to keep their activities secret from "snoopers" in agencies such as the IRS and the aforementioned SEC.
Now, let's assume that Romney is elected POTUS - a position equivalent to the "nation's CEO" - and he transfers to that office the "skills" he honed during his years at Bain. Would his duties be placed in a "blind trust" run by certain influential corporate entities (and their high-rolling owners like the Koch brothers, Harold Simmons, Bob Perry or Sheldon Adelson who contributed millions to his campaign)? Would he be an "absentee" leader and "outsource" his responsibilities to the tea party gang in Congress, or to idealogues like Grover Norquist, who flatly stated at a CPAC convention in February that "All we have to do is replace Obama ... We want the Ryan Budget" (which, among other things would replace Medicare with a "voucher" system). "We just need a president to sign this stuff. All we need is someone who can handle a pen."
This would leave "President Mitt" plenty of free time for jet-skiing and "family road trips."
Fred O'Neill
Marietta
