Name:	DS Realist -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 7:48:46 PM

So when Bill Clinton started his first term as President, it is reported that their net worth (Bill and Hilda) was $700,000.

Now their net worth is over $100 million.  I would definitely take a 14,200% return during that period of time.

Obama's net worth was $1.3 million in 2007 and now it is $13 million.  That is a change of 438%.  Looks a little shaky to me.  Even if he save his salary all of those years in office, which he didn't, that would not make it half of that value.

Last but not least, Hilda, it must really be tough to have over $100 million and to not have had to own or drive a car since 1996.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 8:12:13 PM

Re: Clintons - especially interesting because Hilary says they were broke when they left the WH.  And then there was favorable mortgage by a "friend" so they could buy the NY house so Hilary could claim residency and run for the Senate. 

Everyone that gets spun up about Trump and his tax returns and how much he is worth is just avoiding doing a little research on the Clintons. 

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 8:17:00 PM

Sounds like envy....dimokraps don't all live on welfare. Get over it dude and duchess. Not driving a car since 1996....I think your REAL problem dude is that she doesn't pee standing up.

Name:	Buteye -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 9:40:28 PM

How do you know how she pees? Is there something I'm missing here?

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 9:54:45 PM

Liberals make logical assumptions. You at work?

Name:	architect -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 10:21:17 PM (updated 9/30/2016 10:23:03 PM)

Hound, just exactly how do you think so much is known about the Clinton's fiscal situation including net worth?  Well, in no small part through their tax returns which have been made public going back to when Bubba entered politics.  Bottom line, there is no need to do research into the Clinton's personal finances...it has all been made public.

Name:	Buteye -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 11:06:07 PM

Things seem to have gotten out into left field when the best we can do when discussing election of a President is about how somebody pees. Your assumption is probably right but remember the "old saying" about what happens when you "assume".

Name:	Buteye -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	9/30/2016 11:16:39 PM

How is it that you know that everything about the Clinton's personal finances has been made public? That's a pretty emphatic statement.

Name:	DS Realist -	Reply
Subject:	Last Post
Date:	9/30/2016 11:16:52 PM

Who cares how much anyone makes?

If you really care how much one candidate makes versus the other, then so be it.  Money, whether a lot or a little, isn't a good judge of character.

Oddly enough, i looked online at the Clinton's tax return for 2015.  They donated $1,042,000 to charity last year.  Did you know that $1,000,000 was donated to the Clinton Foundation.  How interesting!  In fact, while she is Sec of State, they are donating to the Clinton Foundation at least $1,000,000 a year.  That is a pretty big red flag to me.  It also tells me they don't care about anyone but themselves.  By far, the lion's share of their donations 96-100% of their donation to "charity" is to themselves. 

My wife volunteers at a local school in a poor section of our town.  We are committed to those students and even helped out last year with a special need they had.  As much as we love those kids and want to give them every opportunity in the world to succeed, they don't get all the funds we donate.

The race should be about substance, issues, integrity, and character.  I am sure the Clintons and the Trumps pay as little tax as possible just like all of us do.  (If you disagree, then show me on your taxes where you rejected all deductions on your taxes either single or married.)  If Trump doesn't pay much tax and is not found to be adverse with the system, then so be it.  It is the rich that are buying goods and services and probably a whole lot more goods and services than all the people on this blog combined.  It is the rich that are donating to various charities and to help the poor and needy in our society, probably much more than all of us combined.  If our system says that you can contribute to a non profit (be it a church, rescue mission, shelter, or any other worthwhile cause) and count that off on your taxes, then that seems to be a good system to me.

If someone says something you don't like or you don't agree with, you need to respect their right to their own opinion but don't demean them as a person.  They aren't stupid; you just disagree with their view.  And if their view does not make sense to you, then politely point out your view.  The Declaration of Independence states that we are all created equal.  We as people are all equals, democrats, republicans, independents.

I don't expect anyone on this blog to change.  You folks will continue to call each other names.  You won't change your vote, and I won't change my vote.  But I will remember how you carried the banner for your ideas.

I have been blessed to live quite a few years and the thing that rings pure and true to me are the people who disagreed with me and yet we remained friends.  It is because they treated me with respect even though they vehemently disagreed with my views.

Feel free to blast me for this post.  I expect it.

In conclusion, this is my last post.  Our candidates may not exhibit civility, but it doesn't mean we have to follow in their footsteps.  And before you blame the other party, look in the mirror first.  Someone much wiser than me once said "the circumstances in life don't make you who you are, they reveal who you are".  What is your blog revealing about you?

Adios folks. 

Name:	copperline -	Reply
Subject:	Last Post
Date:	9/30/2016 11:38:54 PM

After seeing you put it that way, I really hope that is not your last post.   Well said.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	10/1/2016 11:37:35 AM

What makes you think that income tax statements show anything about your next worth?  It doesn't.  It only shows your income for the tax year and what deductions you take.  It has nothing to do with your net worth.  Trump is right - financial disclosure statements show much, much more. 

Name:	copperline -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	10/1/2016 11:55:21 AM

Those financial disclosure forms do reveal some facts about net worth, but tax returns illuminate sources of income and business interests that would not be included in short financial disclosures ... and those details matter a great deal when determining both true net worth as well as sources of potential conflicts of interest in a candidate.  Also, they reveal how someone has been using tax loopholes to conceal their income from taxation, and just how much tax-free income they have been receiving.   There may also be details relating to how much charitable deductions he took, and where that money came from.

There is no way that Donald Trump should be able to justify keeping his financial dealings & tax returns a secret.  No other candidate for POTUS does that, and we would not find it acceptable if they all refused to do so.   

Donald is getting a pass on many things... he is repeatedly NOT being held to standards of conduct that would instantly disqualify any other candidate.   And that's not because he is an exemplary example of statesmanship, its because his supporters want him to be "a disrupter of the status quo" without fully admitting what this means.

In the case of Trump, being a 'disrupter' means he has his supporter's permission to game the system and mock conventions of honesty & truthfulness when he sees personal advantage to this.   They aren't particularly interested in electing an honorable or devoted public servant... they appear to want an anarchist  who they magically believe will do no harm to the basic interests of the nation.

The belief that Trump will disrupt government, but then do no harm to the political system or national character, is just flat out wrong.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	10/1/2016 3:47:19 PM

I still don't agree that seeing someone's tax return gives insight into their net worth.  You could look at my taxes and not know how much money I am worth, unless I sold something.   I really don't care how much they give to charity, as I think that is a very personal decision.  And if theyare using legal tax loopholes, I don't care.  Most people don't seek to maximize their taxes.  I think way too much is made of the tax return and in fact, I think that we should discontinue this "tradition"  I think we have lost sight on what elections are all about. 

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	10/1/2016 4:07:32 PM

100% agree. The congressional disclosure forms are a joke. They never give true value,  just very broad ranges. Like between 5-10 million. Something is ho|I ly wrong when elected "public servants" become multi-millioaires.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Net Worth
Date:	10/1/2016 4:34:38 PM

Yes, one has to wonder why people fight so hard to keep a job for (as they say) lousy pay.  If you are not a millionaire when you go into Congress you will surely be one when you leave. 

The Financial Disclosure forms (I'm assuming Congress uses the same form, as the one I used to have to do), is really supposed to only disclose potetial conflict of interest - like working in Defense and holding stock in Defense companies.  It also discloses any income from outside sources, and significant debts that could make you the target of blackmail or being recruited as a spy.  The categories are rather broad and there is a certain minimum you don't have to report.  But if you hold individual stocks, you have to list them all.  LOL, I had one engineer who had 10 pages of his stocks.  As a manager, I had to sign them for my employees and then the lawyer would reveiw them.