Bob the builder, too?

If Joe's profit is 278K a year, his monthly net income is almost 17K and the tax he would have to pay more a year with Obama's plan is short of $800 -- or $2.30/day which is about the cost of a latte. I think Joe can afford sharing a latte with a friend or customer if he is making this kind of money!

If Joe invests 10K a month of his net of 17K, he can retire at age 45 with 2 million in the bank -- or wait until he is 65 with 12 million in the bank.

I would say, with or without the $800/year in increased taxes, Joe is the American Dream.

What I have heard is that Joe's potential business is making more like 130K a year in revenue--not net profit and I assume he has expenses. In any event--Joe the Plumber will get to keep more with senator Obama's tax cuts than he would under McCain.

Even if his revenue was 278K, this would be true, because of other tax cuts and the deductions he can make.

Joe is misinformed and we are being mislead, and the lack of critical journalism is sad.

This Joe guys is indeed misinformed and has no idea what he's talking about... Too bad most Americans are like that:(

Z.

McCain was grasping at straws in a desperate, ill informed effort to surprise Obama. It obviously surprised McCain that not only did Obama remember the guy, even though McCain was mispronouncing his name, but he remembered what both of them had said.

By referring to Joe over a dozen times in the debate, McCain has made him an issue. The problem is, Joe fabricated his story, and McCain's staff did nothing to check it out, which was a huge error in judgment. They didn't even call Joe to ask him any questions.

Joe works for a two man outfit that is unlicensed to do plumbing work, he personally owes back taxes to Ohio and it's unlikely that he would have a shot at making a quarter of a million a year, even if he were gifted the business. His whole story was bogus.

Joe is a republican relative of one of Keating's VPs, who admitted that he admires McCain in one of the interviews he conducted this morning. He isn't the undecided voter he portrayed himself to be.
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The point here is that ALL small business is paying more then they can afford in Taxes. Federal, State and Local. We would love to give everybody FREE health care, often many owners don't even have it. Joe is also talking about buying the business he is working for now, and he has concerns about the future of taxes.

Many of us are concerned about where the 250k line will be, on gross or net? Or will either side say what they need now to get elected and do what they need to
after they get into office?? If you believe campaign promises the past will show that most of them are a sham.

No one can add a THOUSAND BILLION (= 1 Trillion) dollars in new programs and spending without raising taxes, on everything. The economy cannot afford a Trillion dollars in new taxes either. Not if anyone wants to keep their jobs.

Mr. Obama is a wonderful speaker and story teller. I would like to see him
make more change in his present job, before he askes me to elect him
President. He has a poor track history so far.

Nobama, a dem we can't afford.

"Joe works for a two man outfit that is unlicensed to do plumbing work"

Why do you need a license to fix people's leaks?

"he personally owes back taxes to Ohio"

I take it you like paying taxes then? Or are you envious that you were forced to pay more than he did because you have a W2 job?

"it's unlikely that he would have a shot at making a quarter of a million a year, even if he were gifted the business"

It's even less likely when you have massive taxes at federal, state, and local levels of government. Try running a small business and you'll be shocked at how much red tape and taxation you have to wade though. I guess you'd rather have megacorporations running around who are the only ones capable of hiring accountants and lawyers to jump through the hoops our superiors in government set up for us.

But that's okay, it's just one more mocha latte to the government that Joe has scrounge up every single day.

If the Bush economic policy of big government was a disaster--why does Obama want more government. Big Government has never been the answerand never will be the answer to a better society.
$11T in debt and we are going to elect, with a mandate, someone that sincerely believes in big government.

God help us

So sad the Obama supporters are. Can you think for yourself?

Joe the Plumber said he wants to buy the business he works at, which would by about 250,000! He didnt say that he makes that amount! If Joe does make that amount, he shouldn't have to share the wealth with a bunch of lazy, non working, or low income earners! He earned the money, its his money, and NOONE has the right to "spred the wealth," unless its "their" own wealth to spread! If you think a latte on Joe, Mary, Sam or any other hard working american that makes 250,000+ a year is okay then you should get a higher paying job, a higher education or move to one of the socialist countries where this is okay! Its not okay here in America.

Samcla, who are you to decide how much money someone can afford to pay?

Put it this way, if I am a jobless bum and you are a single person making 40k a year then you are rich compared to me. If I see you buying a latte can I expect you to buy one for me as well?

Instead of taking his money to spread around he should be able to spend it however he wants - afterall he earned the money. If the money wasn't "earned" then everyone would get a job that allowed them to make that much money.

I wondered whether Sam (his legal first name, not Joe) could conceivably purchase the plumbing business during an Obama administration, and thereby be subject to the higher taxes. He clearly cannot unless he gets a windfall.

Regarding the licensing issue: regulations concerning occupations tend to be drafted soon after a series of scandals or other misdeeds happens within that occupation. Those regulations then tend to prevent the worst from engaging in that occupation. It's rather like driving: we regulate driving because we determine that our roads are safer when we create a regulation scheme to keep the worst drivers off the roads. It doesn't stop all accidents--but imagine the chaos if everyone, regardless of age or ability, were permitted to drive. I'm not going to praise Sam for being late on his taxes as some here seem to do: after all, even in a Libertarian administration some taxes will have to be levied to pay off the excesses of the last 100 years. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a Libertarian administration raised our taxes so we could pay off this debt faster ... that would be the economically responsible thing to do, even if it's not the politically expedient thing to do.

Everyone please Google the Grandfather Economic Report. We can't afford to divide ourselves. We need to fix the looming fiscal crisis our nation faces! Neither major candidate is addressing this adequately.

God where is the sense.

Firstly Joe is a guy who owes back taxes so a bogus story like that isnt gonna help muchl... second i have relatives that make much much more then 250K a year. Why shouldnt he help buy a latte to that soccer mom in Ohio or a hard working factory worker in Georgia.

Please help them caffine their lives up.,

I don't drink coffee, so I don't need his latte. Plus if your the one saying he should share that latte with you, then your a thief. Nothing like a mandatory muche. If you want to muche just ask. Don't get in the habit of saying I want that so share with me because I say so. Something is wrong with your mind if you can look at another person, when you already have enough to support your self in reasonable comfort, and say if the world was perfect I could just take that cause I want it. Plus who said you have to live here. I'm already thinking about moving to New Zealand to avoid this socialism. Yes New Zealand already has their socialist issues, but it is responsible socialism. The only thing worse than socialism is reckless socialism, like were talking about. So let me live here while you move away, cause this is America. Consider America like a nature reserve. Just keep it the way it was made. Somewhere in the world needs to be non-socialist even if the rest of it turns that way. If you don't like the way we run things then get out. And if you think that is too much expense for me to ask from you, what about the expense are you asking from Joe. Aperiently asking for costly things from one another is OK, and mandating it too. So move. And there is a reason these other countries are more expensive to live in, a lot of them are socialist.

You're all missing the point...

No matter how you do the math Bob Barr is better for America.

Word AequitasVeritas!

What Republicrats and the American people need to recognize is that by trying make gov't your servant, it will ultimately become your master.

Get the US out of Iraq and then get the US out of its citizens lives!

Joe the plummer is a circus act I don't know a single plummmer in the
state of California that is an employee not an owner that makes anywhere
near $250,000. And as for paying taxes What? he thinks beacause he makes $250k a year he shouldn't have to pay more than me who doesnt even make half of what he claims he makes! (is there any proof to his story?)
I think Joe the RAT needs a vist from the IRS and should spend a few weeks in the slammer for all this B.S. he's caused and he still owes back taxes. Hey Joe the RAT hope your dream about buying a plumbing buisness never happens because you would make a horrible owner and would rip the people in your neiborhood off!