Did you know the Clinton’s reported $109 million in income over the past eight years? Or how about the Obama’s bringing in $4.2 million last year? How about John McCain’s $419,731 in 2007? Well, thanks to the modern practice of presidential candidates disclosing their tax returns in the election year, we now know that these individuals do make more money than we do. However, some people want to know yet even more.

Melanie Sloan of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is upset that Cindy McCain’s tax records were not released as well. Due to a prenuptial agreement between the McCain’s, the two have filed their taxes separately for years. However, under Arizona tax law, John McCain does have to take into account some of his wife’s finances in preparing his tax return. For some reason, however, Sloan believes that failing to disclose Mrs. McCain’s tax information “slaps of hypocrisy” on the part of John McCain, who has called for more transparency in government over the years. But how is this hypocritical?

For starters, there is no requirement for a Presidential candidate to release their tax records when the run for office. It has been done in the past as a way to gain the trust of the public and hopefully some votes. Additionally, the spouses of the candidates are not running for office. They take part in the campaigns in order to help their spouse win, but their name does not show up on the ballot on election day. Lastly, if the FEC did require a submission of all tax returns, how far back would be required? Just one year? Four years? Ten?

Seriously, the arguments by Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton for delaying the release of her tax records or Melanie Sloan complaining that Cindy McCain’s tax records were not released are silly and petty. Somewhere people came up with the false notion that they must know every little detail about persons’ personal life. While it might be good to know if a conflict of interest exists between a candidate’s investments and a key portion of their platform, this can be disclosed with a simple filing with the FEC without the unnecessary process of disclosing personal financial information.

It is time people stop demanding things that are not required by the law. If you cannot trust someone who chooses to retain some sort of privacy while having the rest of their life dissected under a microscope by the media and their challengers in the hopes to represent you for four years as President, then that is your issue. And if you think this is one of the more important issues in a campaign, then your priorities need to be reexamined. It is probably time for this practice to end anyway. We have added too many unnecessary requirements to politics that it discourages those that are more qualified to serve and lead our nation from taking a stand, and the time for things to change begins now.

For some additional reading, check out these sites:
Financial Times – “McCain faces accusations of hypocrisy”
CREW – “John McCain Reported $405,409 in Income Last Year”
Bloomberg – “John McCain Reported $405,409 in Income Last Year”
Politico – “Cindy McCain earns more than John”
FOX News – “McCain Releases Tax Returns”

For some additional reading across the web, check out these blogs:
CQ Politics – “McCain Releases Tax Returns”
Media Matters – “Several media outlets advanced comparison between Cindy McCain’s and Teresa Heinz Kerry’s release on tax info, ignoring key distinction”
The Swamp – “McCain releases his taxes but not wife’s”
The Wall Street Journal – “McCan Releases Two Years of Tax Documents”
VOT3R – “Mrs. McCain’s Taxes”

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