Presidential Debate: Why Joe the Plumber Matters

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In no way shape or form does "Joe the Plumber" need a plumbing license for his job. Have a house built and take a poll as to how many of the employees have a license......
The guy asked a legit question and you guys are bashing him, its pathetic how few people in this country can be in the middle and listen to both sides of the story.

of OH 1:14PM October 29, 2008

Joe the whatever. They all should form a PAC and hold a 2 week strike starting at 1:00PM Eastern on January 20, 2009. Let's see how these stiffnecks cry when they have to shovel the crud for a few weeks.

Joe the ''Whatever'' of TX 7:51AM October 18, 2008

To all whinning socialist. Please go live in Cuba for six months to experience the wonderful world of socialism.

Ray Russell of KS 10:31AM October 17, 2008

Obama is right:
Spread wealth is good thing for America and the world!
We need to spread our wealth to the all the people around the
world so that we can get richer!
Go Obama and long live Socialism!

Judy Miles of CA 5:53PM October 16, 2008

Chinaman for president
I promise every citizen will have a couch and unlimited supply of potato chip. Here are my solutions to all our problems.
Federal deficit. No more foreign invasion like Iraq. Enough billions will be saved to fulfill my above promise for many generations to come!
Trade deficit. Sell every missile, atomic bomb and carrier to China as we do not need them any more. Make the Chinese promise not to use them against us, or we can change the GPS to reroute all the missiles back to Beijing.
Economy. Only bail out greedy companies as greed is good. How hard to speed up the money printing machine? Or, borrow more from China. No money, no import.
Human rights. No gun for our citizens. If that Chinese had an AK 45 in the Beijing Olympic incidence, imagine how many would be killed. Learn from the human right lovers.
Illegal immigrants. When caught, send them to Alaska for the hardest labor on earth. I bet even the dumbest Mexican will not come here illegally. Problem solved. The nice guy I pay pennies to clean up my yard is the only exception.
Education. Just import some smart, young, educated Chinese that they have plenty to spare. Why spend billions to produce mediocre college graduates who cannot count from 1 to 12 (unless they have 12 fingers)?
Social welfare. All welfare cheaters including all politicians will be sent to China for re-education. Cheap and effective.
Obesity. The more walking refrigerators we have, the wealthier we look. Feel sorry for the skinny Chinese suffering from malnutrition.
Permissibility. Encourage teenage pregnancy - our politicians set up great examples. There will be more under-aged gymnasts to choose from.
Social security. Import more young foreigners for jobs, hence contributing to social security. Encourage old citizens to die early to reduce the draw from the pot by giving them unlimited supply of Viagra, alcohol…
Politicians. They tell you want you want to hear: no income tax, bailout, rebate checks, and free medical delivery. They think you’re stupid enough not to ask “where the money comes from”.
This message is paid by your friendly Chinese government, who wants you buy more couches and potato chips.

TonyP4 of MA 5:41PM October 16, 2008

Joe doesn't matter because he's misinformed. Under the current tax system McCain, the 33% tax rate kicks in at 197K, or 53K LESS than the 250K floor proposed by Obama. For folks who net (after deductions, etc.) 250K under Obama, their tax rate would go from 33% to 36%--where it was under the Clinton Administration. At that income level, the increase amounts to a $900 increase. Everyone below that level of income? Would get a tax DECREASE. I'm in that 33% bracket and will barely notice $900 in taxes, but would be delighted to see it go to improving healthcare, education, defense, etc.. Which, of course, won't happen under Obama or McCain because of Bush's massive deficit and the greed-driven debacle he (with McCain's support) allowed to decimate Wall Street.

Paul Curtis of CA 5:32PM October 16, 2008

Klyn you are as much a business owner as Joe the Plumber is. You can deduct the wages you pay and so it really would not work out the way you say. Grow up and learn how real business works. Think about the real world and not some ideology that you think Ronald Reagan talked about.

of 5:08PM October 16, 2008

You would rather beat up on a guy that is trying to make a living, rather than ask any questions about a man that wants to be President of the United States. He is a snake oil salesman and if you would open your eyes you could see that. Not once have I heard him give a straight answer and that didn't change the next day. He will tell you whatever you want to hear just to get your vote, suckers......
If you want to give blind trust to some guy you know nothing about go ahead. He is nothing more than a big government socialist that thinks he and the federal government knows how to spend your hard earned money better than you.
Get ready for higher taxes, higher prices (Inflation), and higher unemployment. But don't you worry "Big Obama" is gonna take care of you. What the hell ever happened to personal responsibility in this country? I know you all just gave up so you could blame someone other than yourselves.
You get what you deserve!
Hey Matt, I am also glad to see that you are an unbiased journalist. Where's your Pom Pons and your skirt? Joke, you and US News - left wing rag.

Larry of CA 4:26PM October 16, 2008

Well, Joe the plumber is now a celebrity. A friend of mine said they would like to get Joe to fix their leaky tub faucet and expected that since Joe is famous now he will raise his rates.
Sadly I had to tell him what is going to happen if Obama wins they're going to have to go up because Obama is going JACK Joe’s taxes up. AND you know what that means...Joe is going to have to JACK his fees up. Also, since the guy Joe buys his plumbing supplies from and Joe's accountant and Joe’s liability Insurance company and Joe’s Doctor and Joe’s Dentist and Joe’s Supermarket and Joe’s mechanic, etc., etc., etc. are all going to get their taxes JACKED up, Joe is going to have to JACK your fees up even more. Well, you can't pay Joe that much because your employer just got his taxes JACKED up and he had to either let you go or not give you a raise. Well, since you're a very good employee, your employer decided to keep you on but here is the problem. You use Joe's accountant and Joe’s Insurance company and Joe’s Doctor and Joe’s Dentist and Joe’s Supermarket and Joe’s mechanic, etc., etc., etc also. Well, now you have to pay all of those guys more and you can't afford to pay Joe's fees so YOU get to sit in your house trying to sleep with that tub dripping all night long. It keeps you up all night until you finally get to sleep BUT you over sleep and are late to work so your employer fires you because there are 8 gazillion people in line for your job who will be there on time. Now where are you? The moral of your story is this. Economics really is the "house that Joe built". Everything has an effect on one or more other important things. Obama's tax plan is certain death for the economy, Joe and ...I'm afraid... you and me as well.

Independent Business Owner of CO 3:56PM October 16, 2008

"Joe the Plumber" isn't a plumber. He works for one, but has no license of his own. At most, he's an apprentice plumber. He works for the owner - the only employee of the owner - and has noodled around with the notion of buying the owner out at some future date. No definite plans. No timetable. No burning urge to get the business. McCain could have chosen a better representative of the small business owner wannabe. But that's beside the point.
Let's not forget, we're talking about PROFIT here. Not gross income. A business IS NOT TAXED ON GROSS INCOME. After expenses - which includes wages, benefits and other compensation paid to employees, the taxable portion of business income is all about profits. And if a small business is turning that much of a profit - and after factoring and subtracting all expenses - it can afford the taxes. That's what profit means: Money made after all expenses have been taken care of.
I do NOT get the conservative mentality thinking you can throw money at things without actually having the money to begin with. The war in Iraq, bailouts for wall street investors and bankers, huge increases in defense spending... The national debt has doubled, on average, under every Republican President since Eisenhower where it has gone up only a third (at most) under Democratic presidents. Nobody LIKES paying taxes, but the alternative is to shut down government.
If the government under any president is to balance the budget, we have to have the money to do it. That means taxes. Taxing the most profitable companies more than the less profitable companies doesn't hurt those companies ability to do business. I take exception to the assertion that these 2% have the greatest impact on the economic growth. They have a greater impact than the bottom 50%, but not in the overall against the 98% of small businesses. That 98% have more employees, generate more revenue for their local economies and keep more cash flowing than the 2% that comprise the most profitable companies. And taxing the most profitable 2% of US businesses will not seriously impact Joe the Plumber's ability to run his business, put a roof over his head, food on the table and provide for his family.
It's not like the higher taxes will take any of that that away from him. If someone can't grow their business on $200,000/year in PROFITS, they need lessons in money management. I don't see how a business owner will look at the tax table and say, "Wow, we can't make more than this or we'll be losing money". It's PROFITS that are taxed - not gross INCOME.
The government needs the revenue from taxes - especially in hard economic times. And what part of the logic that those who can AFFORD to pay more taxes should be the ones to pay more taxes is hard to understand?

Fatesrider of CA 3:42PM October 16, 2008