Tax expert David Cay Johnston explains how Donald J. Trump may have been able to get out of paying income taxes for eighteen years and even profited in other ways from the losses declared on his 1995 tax form. All legal? Apparently. But it sure won't endear him to the many people who, because they just work for a living, can't do tricks like that.
I think I understand some of Trump's appeal in terms of coming down on foreigners and terrorists and other people that scare some Americans. I think I also understand that some Americans seem to want a strong Daddy who'll protect them and won't let silly things like laws and The Constitution stop him from keeping us safe. I don't get why they think he's that guy but I think I get why they yearn for someone to be that guy.
What I can't really grasp is why they think Trump — with all his failed businesses and investors who think they were cheated and secrecy about his wealth — is a great businessman. Amazingly, there are people in this country who think he came from humble beginnings and wasn't born rich and subsidized. Somehow, they also think that any skills they think he has in the public sector would translate readily into the private. You know, "creating jobs" by hiring people to work for minimum wage in your casino is not the same thing as nursing the nation's economy in a way that would lead to job creation. And you can't handle the National Debt the same way you handle personal debt.