Tom Toles for September 29, 2020

History’s biggest loser in so many ways.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/11/worst-president-ever-keeps-getting-worse/

Trump paid ZERO taxes 10 out of the last 15 years?

Trump paid $750 in both 2106 and 2017 (such a conveniently rounded and consistent number!)

The memes practically write themselves. Some variations of some social media favorities:

$70,000 for Trump hair care? Have you seen his hair? Just another Trump failed investment.

Trump is simultaneously claiming that the New York Times reports of his taxes are “fake news,” and that the New York Times obtained his tax returns illegally. Think about it. Take as long as you need…

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Trump tax payments 2017: $750

Biden tax payments 2017: $3,742,974

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Trump charitable contributions 2017: NONE — and his own fake “charitable” organization was shut down for being as much of a fraud as Trump “University.”

Biden charitable contributions 2017: $1,300,000.

So it turns out Trump DID pay in taxes … to OTHER COUNTRIES, NOT the United States.

$ 15,598 to Panama

$145,400 to India

$156,824 to Philippines

He’s going to liquidate American Democracy in order to pay his debts to Russia.

Tiny lose? I certainly hope so!

Taxes? Taxes? We don’t pay no stinking taxes…

So, yes; 45* didn’t pay any tax for 10 out of like 15 years? Paid $750 in two years?

Not the story. The real story here is that in the boom economy that started in 2009, he began LOSING $50,000 a year in 2012.

He is so seriously in debt, and you know that someone in that much debt owes it to some powerful people. When that bill comes due, and if he’s in the White House, do you really think he won’t sell us out?

You know he will.

(Take-off, “Deep in the Heart Of Texas,” June Hershey, Don Swander)

”Deep in the Art of Taxes”

It’s no surprise, a rich man tries,

Playing the Game of Taxes,

To pay less tax, he’ll mangle facts,

Playing the Game of Taxes.

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A businessman, does what he can,

Deep in the Maze of Taxes,

To twist and turn, the tax laws spurn,

Deep in the Maze of Taxes.

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Accountants hired, become inspired,

Deep in the Swamp of Taxes,

Deductions fake, and false claims make,

Deep in the Swamp of Taxes.

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A money trail, might not prevail,

Deep in the Woods of Taxes,

Seems to appear, then disappear,

Deep in the Woods of Taxes.

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And then some clue, comes into view,

Deep in the Dark of Taxes,

The Law shines beams, to see what it seems,

Deep in the Dark of Taxes.

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A Tax Auditor, could then concur,

Wrapped in the Knots of Taxes

There clearly be Dishonesty,

Wrapped in the Knots of Taxes.

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Will this latest bump, trip Donald Trump,

Deep in his White House bunker?

I doubt it will, he’ll survive still,

Democrats again pull a clunker.

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Like Mistah Kurtz, with all his hurts,

Deep in his Heart of Darkness,

To dying day, Hardy Trump gets away,

Deep into The Heart of Darkness.

The tax code was written by rich people, to benefit rich people. A very small deduction for us can be worth many millions to the top 5%. Catch 22.

Oh he will.. and the people are foolish enough to let him. Paying taxes bring out a very perverted view of patriotism.

Democrats beware of overconfidence, lest 2016 be repeated.

First, I don’t like trump because his character flaws disqualify him as a leader of people, much less a country. I did not vote for him in 2016 and will not vote for him in 2020. That said, the fact he hasn’t paid taxes is no surprise.I would be interested to know how much he paid in taxes for the 18 years of tax returns being discussed. He may stretch his tax deductions to the breaking point and many of them may be questionable, but from what I’ve seen the NYT and other outlets have, as usual, cherry picked some of the more salacious items. I have no idea what TV people pay their “stylist” so $70K might be normal. I doubt it, but who among us knows? Paying $750 in taxes for the past couple of years is laughably low, but remember that taxes are paid on income and trump has donated his salary to various charitable causes since his election. Charitable deductions are a tax write off against income if they reach a certain threshold. Maybe your ambitious and enterprising kid, whom you employ in your business, has started a commercial cleaning company and, surprise, you hire that company to clean your business(es), and that cleaning is also a business expense, deducted from your income. Perfectly legal for you to pay your kid and the kid’s company.trump’s business losses are legendary and accounting and IRS rules allow for “loss carry-forward” which means that if he loses $400M on some deal, he doesn’t have to take it all in the year it occurred but pro-rate it for 5 years or more, offsetting any income.The IRS tax rules are complicated and become increasingly favorable to those wealthy enough to pay the accountants to find all the deductions.

Here student loans can’t go bankrupt, can deduct up to $250 in interest, and prove it’s isn’t what you know but who knows you. Drumpf can write off losses, even ones where he has no personal stake in the losses, and then uses them to write off taxable income.

Pongo likes to play while “others” are busily working. Hm …

When Biden gets elected, I hope he puts some good people on closing loopholes in the tax code, and his best people on prosecuting Trump!

Republicans will cheat as much as possible with all the help they can get from Russia.

Big Problem who says Trump will lose the election? America is now a personality cult like Germany in the mid 1930’s. Don’t take anything for granted even though we vote. Remember Hillary won the popular vote by over three millions votes, and look who is president. Gore actually won Florida in 2000 and did we have a President Gore? Kerry may have won Ohio in 2004 but still no President Kerry. And there is the famous theft of 1960 in Illinois and Texas. Beware of false hopes. Evil has many ways of accomplishment.

Careful, that cartoon could have been from 2016, excepting the bottom right corner.

I guess it’s true; other countries are WAY smarter than us!

{Off-topic:}

Divided hence Conquered – {limerick}

His critics are honing their axes

to chop him down over taxes,-

- but his minions rally

to postpone his finale.

Our nation never relaxes.

… Coda: – {4 beats/line}

America’s conquered, ‘cause our nation’s divided

’til Trumpites’ stupidities have at long last subsided.

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Russians owed money will work out a special lay-a-way plan for you.

Abusive Trump hates our traditions and values and is doing everything he can to destroy them.