Did Joe the Plumber Win the Obama/McCain Presidential Debate?

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher or Joe the Plumber from Ohio was mentioned prominently in the Obama/McCain Presidential Debate. Who won the debate from a partisan point of view is definitely a contentious highly debatable subject especially from the context of where one stands from a polarized ideologue divide. On the other hand most of the polls coming from the media has Barack Obama as the winner in the debate and maybe at the rate it goes all the way to the voting booth.

So with that in mind Joe the Plumber is probably the winner, that is if by winning it meant being thrust into the spotlight or being mentioned a dozen of times or so by both candidates.

What the heck, who really cares about what Joe the Plumber will say except probably those who make their decision based on what their plumbers will say once their plumbing problem is unclogged? Really, enough of that please, here we are listening to the debate about how a plumber who according to a Washington Post report is not even a licensed plumber will be affected or helped by the candidates' tax proposal in buying the business is really not representative of peoples problems. The bigger problem is not with those unlicensed plumber’s wanting to buy out the plumbing business but those on the 401K Zip Codes' shrinking or worse disappearing retirement accounts due to the financial crises that we are in.

Oh geez, what a problem it is for Joe the Plumber who worries about the “socialist” tax measures of Barack Obama that will penalize him in his "future earnings" at $250 to $280K should he become a business owner…… was that putting the cart before the horse or what? Wow, that is really a "huge problem" when you pay an additional 3% or more in taxes when you earn $250 to $280K, say what now?

As I watch the wrap up on the debate when the undecided was asked for a thumbs up or down on the “plight” or mention of Joe the Plumber it was a unanimous thumbs down, so that tells a lot how out of touch Mr. McCain was in bringing up the subject. The irony of it all was that even the real Joe the Plumber like Tom Joseph, business manager for local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics was not pleased and said it was a little disreputable for someone who did not even go to apprenticeship training.

Exactly how many people are affected by the higher tax? Below is an excerpt from NY Times article titled “Plumber From Ohio Is Thrust Into Spotlight ” by Larry Rohter:

So will Americans who are in business for themselves have to pay more taxes if Mr. Obama is elected, as Mr. McCain asserted?

According to figures compiled by the Small Business Administration, there are fewer than six million small businesses that actually have payrolls. The rest are so-called nonemployer firms that report income from hobbies or freelance work done by their registered owners, earning as little as $1,000 a year.

Of these, according to a calculation by the independent, non-partisan Tax Policy Center, fewer than 700,000 taxpayers would have to pay higher taxes under Mr. Obama’s plan. But even some of these are not small-business owners in the traditional sense; they include lawyers, accountants and investors in real estate, all of them with incomes that put them in the top tax brackets.

So are there “millions more like Joe the Plumber,” as Mr. McCain contended? Probably not. Mr. Obama may well have been correct when he stated that “98 percent of small businesses make less than $250,000.”

Oh wait a minute here Mr. Joe the Plumber….. don’t you think this is rather too premature as in counting your chicks before it hatch? How about worrying about getting there first as in getting on the top tax bracket and worry about it when the time comes instead of griping now? The problem with Joe the Plumber’s problem is this is his future plan and come to think of it is really inconsequential until he reached his goal. Should he not prefer the tax break as proposed by Barack Obama that will help him in the transition towards the $250-$280K business ownership than gripe on future tax increase that he does not even have for the moment?

The problem that I think that is of utmost importance is this one by "Joe the Plunderer," you know……. in case you have not noticed......those people responsible for our shrinking 401K. The economic meltdown staring us in the face due to some "Joe the Plunderer's" greed, a stark reality that we have to grapple with now, not the future plans of one Joe the Plumber but our present predicament and our children facing a gloomy future. Guess what....... Mr. Joe the Plumber I will gladly switch places with you in a heartbeat when you get to earn $250 to $280K a year and I will surely be glad to handle that extra tax "problem." Here is a hint for you Mr. Joe the Plumber...... the biggest concern as I see it for business owners is how to survive and keep the business afloat amidst tight credit and economic hardship and not some tax increase on whoever wins the election. If giant firms like AT&T is having a problem borrowing money for payroll what more with some small businesses that are not even sure if they will be around after Nov. 4 much less have the luxury of time to daydream on tax increase........

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