Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Say It Ain't So Joe the Plumber

The most famous person in America is not JOE-Mama. It’s Joe the Plumber. As soon as presidential hopeful Barack Obama mentioned his name during the last debate, opponent John McCain grabbed hold of it like a pit bull and wouldn’t let up.

Joe the Plumber became the voice for every hard-working “wanna be self-employed” man in America. Initially I was proud of Joe because he represented my home state of Ohio---but then, as all good journalists do, I started looking into his background and what I found now makes me think he was a “plant” for the Republican Party.

First of all, Joe said he was a plumber and would like to buy a plumbing business but was worried about Obama's planned tax increases on small business owners earning more than $250,000. Well, what Joe failed to mention was that he makes no where near $250,000 and, furthermore, he doesn’t even have a license to do his job. The county Joe and his employer live in, Lucas County, requires plumbers to have licenses. So what’s up with that Joe?

Another thing, Joe admitted later on that he doesn't have a good plan put together on how he would buy Newell Plumbing and Heating from his boss. He said he's worked there for six years and that the two have talked about his taking it over at some point. Just how long is “some point?” It could be next week or it could be in 10 years. Surely Obama won’t be in office by then.

"There's a lot I've got to learn," Joe the Plumber told a reporter.

Joe, you said it right. There’s A LOT you need to learn so here’s my advice: Meet Joan—The Teacher. She’s someone who went to school, got a degree (license) and could certainly teach you a thing or two---especially if you’re required to take some kind of test to get your plumber’s license.

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