To The Editor:
I have read that Mitt Romney gave 23 years of tax returns to John McCain four years ago — and then McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.
Maybe so, maybe not. I wasn’t there and cannot verify how many years of turns Romney provided. It could have been zero years, and we could still ask this question:
What did John McCain see in the Romney CV (Curriculum Vitae — an overview of a person’s experience and other qualifications) that made him select Ms. Palin instead? Considering all the possible other Republicans of stature, why did he not choose one of them? Ms. Palin, for all her qualities as a wife and mother, had little to contribute in experience, accomplishments, or expertise.
Mr. Romney, his tax preparers, and the readers at the IRS know what lurks within.  Mr. Romney absolutely knows what is in the returns and just as absolutely refuses to be candid.
This should cause every person who votes to be alarmed. Who wants someone to be president who refuses to be honest and candid during the campaign season? If Reagan had been so defiant and truculent, he’d never been elected. Nixon was both defiant and truculent, but he was smart enough to wait until after he had been elected before showing those sides.
There are disturbing trends in campaigning, and we who are charged with voting are being manipulated and lied to. 
I am not sure the office seekers are fully responsible. They have ad agencies, advisors, and PACs all pushing them. Running for office, any office, must be a heady experience.
But it is our responsibility to ignore claims and do some research on our own. The League of Women Voters is a great place to visit.
Don’t look for the one who supports your one preferred issue. Look for the one who talks about goals and provides details about achieving them.¬†
Question the details but pass on the one who focuses on “pie in the sky” and never really tells you specifically what must be done to get there.
ARTHUR THOMAS
Gloucester
