Ann Romney raised some eyebrows this week when she used an appearance on the The View to equate her sons' missions for their church with military service to the nation. But while many Americans were doubtless disgusted with her analogy, few should have been surprised. After all, Mitt Romney hasn't merely stated that his five boys serve our nation by "helping me get elected." As it turns out, the Republican candidate for President has repeatedly insisted his tithing to his church is no different than paying taxes to the government of the United States of America.
On Thursday, Mrs. Romney set Whoopi Goldberg straight by pointing her family's faith does not prevent its adherents from military service. That is a choice, one her husband and sons simply decided against. As she explained:

"He was serving his mission and you know my five sons have also served missions. None served in the military. But I do have one son that feels that he's giving back to his country in a significant way, where he is now a doctor and he is taking care of veterans. We find different ways of serving. My five boys and my husband did serve missions, but did not serve in the military."

Asked during his first run for the White House why sons why his boys were campaigning in the corn fields of Iowa instead of on the front lines in Iraq, surge supporter Mitt Romney explained in2007 that the Five Brothers had a higher calling--their father. As CBS News recalled:

"My sons are all adults and they've made decisions about their careers and they've chosen not to serve in the military and active duty and I respect their decision in that regard." He added: "One of the ways my sons are showing support for our nation is helping me get elected because they think I'd be a great president."

That attitude explains why in December 2007 Romney could only imagine the loss of one of his sons on the battlefield. Just one day after getting emotional recounting his 1978 reaction a radio report of his church's belated decision to allow African-American members of the clergy ("I pulled over and literally wept, even to this day it's emotional"), Governor Romney described the hardest part of watching the coffins of U.S. soldiers arriving at Boston's Logan Airport. As CNN reported Romney's story from a New Hampshire town hall meeting:

"The soldiers that I was with stood at attention and saluted," Romney told the crowd. "And I put my hand on my heart, and tears begin to well in your eyes, as you can imagine in a circumstance like that. I have five boys of my own. I imagined what it would be like to lose a son in a situation like that," said the former Massachusetts governor, whose voice quivered noticeably.

Apparently, his sons lack their father's imagination. While Tagg Romney now wants to fight Barack Obama, real combat was always another matter for the five brothers. During a 60 Minutes interview in May 2007, the late Mike Wallace asked the assembled Romney sons, "Not one [of you] agreed or thought about serving in the military?" Josh Romney, then the 31-year-old middle son, claimed, "I feel guilty not having done it." His baby brother Ben seemed relieved to admit, "I've seen a lot and read a lot that has made me say, `My goodness, I hope I never have to do that.'" Matt Romney, who four years later would resort to Birther jokes on the campaign trail, made a promise of sorts:

"I hope to be able to make a sacrifice of that caliber at some point in my life."

We're still waiting.
And if you're still waiting to see Mitt Romney's tax returns or to hear a satisfactory explanation for why is federal tax rate is so appallingly low, don't hold your breath. After all, Romney didn't just tell Scott Pelley of CBS that it was "fair" for him to pay a lower share of his income to Uncle Sam than many middle class families. As it turns out, Romney insists that his sizable--and secret tithing--tithing to his LDS church make his paltry tax rate "really closer to 45 or 50 percent."
Earlier this year, Romney protested to Parade magazine that his tax returns should remain private. "One of the downsides of releasing one's financial information is that this is now all public, but we had never intended our contributions to be known," Mitt explained, adding, "It's a very personal thing between ourselves and our commitment to our God and to our church."

But if charitable contributions are "personal thing" between him and his church, Mitt Romney also wants credit for it from the voting public. As Romney spun it to Jorge Ramos of Univision on January 25:

"Well, actually, I released two years of taxes and I think the average is almost 15 percent. And then also, on top of that, I gave another more 15 percent to charity. When you add it together with all of the taxes and the charity, particularly in the last year, I think it reaches almost 40 percent that I gave back to the community. One of the reasons why we have a lower tax rate on capital gains is because capital gains are also being taxed at the corporate level. So as businesses earn profits, that's taxed at 35 percent, then as they distribute those profits as dividends, that's taxed at 15 percent more. So, all total, the tax rate is really closer to 45 or 50 percent."

(For her part, Ann Romney gushed to Parade, "I love tithing. When Mitt and I give that check, I actually cry." Why? "I know this money is an indication of how much we trust God and love the principle of sacrifice." Of course, the support of her church that Mrs. Romney calls a "sacrifice" is also known as a tax deduction.)
Put off by the "small-minded" 63 percent of Americans who believe he should release more of his tax returns, Romney announced in August that he never paid less than 13 percent in taxes (which ones he didn't say) over each of the last 10 years. Once again, Mitt insisted that get credit for the dollars donated to the LDS:

"Every year, I've paid at least 13 percent, and if you add, in addition, the amount that goes to charity, why the number gets well above 20 percent."

Not to the U.S. Treasury it doesn't.
Now, millions of Americans give to their houses of worship each year. Religious donations represent far and away the largest share of Americans' charitable giving. (It also explains why red-staters give a larger share of their income to charity, though if faith-based donations are excepted, blue-state Americans are the bigger donors.) But that's hardly the same thing as paying one's fair share to the our "government of the people, by the people, for the people." And Ann and Mitt Romney's declarations notwithstanding, their sons' proselytizing on behalf of their church--and their father--is no substitute for joining the armed forces to defend the United States of America.