In the last few months, faced with questions or follow up questions about Mitt Romney documents or claims he’s made, Mitt Romney has asked the public he wants to win over to “trust me.” Declining not to produce the evidence or documentation that supports his claim, even when he has it, but asking people to take him at is word. “Trust me” has been his repeated quote-unquote response.

Mitt has asked the public to “trust me” on his tax documents. Assuring the public that his tax forms, forms that he won’t release, show that he paid no less than 13% in federal taxes. You can’t see them…but “trust him.”

When questions were asked about his overseas accounts and if they were used as tax avoidance, Mitt Romney says his Cayman Islands and Swiss bank accounts didn’t help his bottom line.  “Trust me” those accounts weren’t about tax savings. Take my word on it, Romney says.

Or his record at Bain Capital. A topic made valid and open for cross-examination because it’s the centerpiece of his argument that Mitt Romney is a businessman with proven results. Yet he won’t show documents. Even though the documents that can be found show discrepancies. Mitt says to the public’s proxy the press, “trust me.” No I won’t release any more documents. You have to trust that my record at Bain was good an above board.

And last night, at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, his wife asked voters to “trust Mitt” in her speech.

I say, trust works both ways. We’re supposed to trust you and take what you say on faith (a dangerous thing to do for ANY politician). yet you don’t trust the public to reveal normally disclosed information about yourself. That’s unfair. Or in businessman terms, that’s a bad bargain. It’s like taking the first price offer from a car salesman simply because they say they want to be your friend.

We, the public, are putting our future in Mitt Romney’s hands. I can’t speak for everyone, but I need a little more than “trust me.” Especially when I can pull up countless YouTube video clips of Romney on both sides of any issue. That’s already shown, like most politicians, he has an integrity problem.  Trust is earned and like a bank, I need a little more evidence collateral to give you a loan of trust.

Isn’t one of the key traits of a leader someone who wouldn’t ask the people following him to do anything that they wouldn’t do themselves? So “trust us” to make the right decision from sharing your information with us.

And the next time you ask me and the public to trust you, I remember Ronald Reagan famous phrase. “Trust. But verify.”