Nightline's Daily Line

Joe the plumber won't be taxed at all unless he belongs to a very small class of business owners.

BTW,

I like womens' "health,"

AND...

I want ALL my teachers, including those from the military, certified and able to pass tests.

Joe the plumber won't be taxed at all unless he belongs to a very small class of business owners.

BTW,

I like womens' "health,"

AND...

I want ALL my teachers, including those from the military, certified and able to pass tests.

I feel as though Joe the Plumber had already made up his mind and that he just wanted his 15 mins of fame. Maybe someone paid him to ask Barack that question and to try and make Barack look stupid.

I was so tired of John rolling his eyes at Barack everytime he would say something. Like I have said before on here and I will say again, if he wanted to change the tone of his campaign, his attitude tonight did not help.

The point was that Obama said, "spread the wealth is a good thing" in which he was referring to his tax plan. Obama tax plan would benefit the most from folks that does not pay income taxes. Everyone pays social security/medicare taxes, but not the income tax. 40 percent of the people don't pay income taxes. So, Obama is giving tax credit in the form of a check each year to those who don't pay taxes. It is a welfare check!! They are getting extra income, if you will from the govt. That's socialism.

Obama is saying that he wants to even the plane by redistributing those who makes more money and direct them to folks who are poor. So, the waitress who don't pay income taxes, will receive extra money or income. So, is it fair for those who worked hard and went through college or paid their dudes for years and the america dream to give his or her money away to those who did not worked as hard as he or she did???

This article is not exactly accurate. It says that Obama's tax plan would prevent Joe from buying the business, which Joe never said. He wanted to know how it would impact him, not that this prevented him from realizing his dream. Watch the video. He would be taxed 3% more on the money over $250,000. Why is it when I work overtime I am taxed at a 50% higher rate on that money. What about my hard work and my dreams? Obama/Biden 08

Joe, millions of people voted for George W. Bush because he promised them lower taxes. How is that working out for you so far? Everything we purchase costs double now. There are exhorbitant fees where they used to be nonexistent to minimal.
Look at the big picture. How far will your dollar stretch and how much will you have left to save are the questions.

If the value of the dollar just keeps dropping lower taxes won't help much.

According to Lucas County, Ohio court records, there is a Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher who has a state income tax lien of $1,182.98. According to the court record he lives on a street that is part of the Lincoln Green subdivision, which is where Joe the Plumber lives. Is it the same guy? I don't know. But I hope somebody ( like ABC News) checks it out before making a folk hero out of him. The county's website is www.co.Lucas.Oh.us. Maybe it's a different guy. Who knowss.

if 5% of 305 422 536 (total am population) that would leave 15 271 126.8 that would fall into the 5% that would be taxed as per obamas plan. small business is the engine that drives our economy. if this 5% gets higher taxes they will pass the difference to us the consumer, move their money out, close shop, or like my uncle who owns a construction co explained it, he will have to lay off 10 men from a present 30 man crew. either way we pay.
instant gratification by sending out checks to 95% of which only 40% work and pay income tax is income redistribution/welfare no matter how you cut it.

Politico informs us that Joe the Plumber is not even registered to vote!

Yet this guy is hitting all the morning shows!

Taxpayers in the upper brackets already pay a disproportionately large amount in taxes. (Both in percentage of income and absolute $ amount.) The top 5% already pay half of all federal taxes.
When the "rich" have less to invest in the economy, fewer jobs are created. Then the middle class suffers. When the cost of doing business goes up, companies pass it on to the consumers or stop growing their business. Then everyone suffers. Have you ever gotten a job from a poor person?

ok here is your chance to convice a mccain supporter to support obamas plans, any takers? intelligent discourse only please, no emotional rants like my dog is better than you dog stuff.

if 5% of the 250 thou and higher folks have an increase in their taxes, so that the 95% get more money even if they do not work that is income redistribution.
so then what would be the motivation for anyone to want to grow their business or be successful or fall into that 5% category?
wouldn't we gradually then become like say cuba for example, where everybody has free health care, free education, free housing (substandard), free food allowances. so why work? in cuba friends that visit and professors resport that waitresses and cab drivers have advanced degrees, but no corresponding jobs or income because any amount earned over the allowed amt is taken by the government.
i mean really it sounds idyllic, i would love to just lay around and garden and pursue my interest in art.
is this where we are headed? is capitalism dead? we need to be having these discussions. i do believe that we are entering a new era, and change may be inevitable.

The Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher with the Ohio state tax lien mentioned in my previous post has a birthdate of 12/1973, according to Lucas Co. Probate Court records (marriage license). So he is of course currently 34 years old, the same age as Joe the Plumber I believe. Are they one and the same? I don't know. That's for an intrepid reporter to find out. (hint: ABC News)

Northernlights...there will be no takers because everyone knows stealing from one person to give to another is just that...stealing

yeah i noticed no takers lol.

hey i'am all for income redistribution as long as it is across the board-redistribute hollywood celebrity wealth, over paid athletes, bloated ceo/ politician salaries, mtv stars/doctors/oh and yes please newscasters... and all the talking heads over at snl...all government salaries. and yes they would qualify for substandard housing, and food allowances. this could get really interesting!

this blog is pathetic so now everyone wants to hang joe the plumber because he tarnished your messiah's message.
so daily kos/huff and puff and all the other hate mongers are our for blood. you guys are pathetic and should be ashamed of your selves. things are hard enough on all of us right now.

while we are redistributing wealth can we redistribute obamas campaign donations they are enough to support small countries for years.

Joebruin, Only when the average person has a little money in his pocket to buy the goods of the manufacturer does the manufacturer make money.
I do not believe that trickle down economics have ever helped this country. What we get are a bunch of predators feasting off the public larder to the detriment of average people and those same vultures going off to other parts of the world with their low-paying jobs in order to make a buck.
McCain hobnobs with the predators...they back him and have paid for his campaign. Look at his wife with her $300,000 outfit at the Republican convention! There is no doubt who McCain represents.

The Top 50 Swing Voters: #27 - Joe The Plumber

#50 - Hockey Moms - Demographic Power Play
#47 - People with STDs - Burning for Change
#40 - Anonymous Sperm Donors - Swimming Against The Tide
#36 - Master Debaters - Everybody"s Doing It
#29 - Nudists - Sticking To The Issues

http://swingvoters.wordpress.com

two cats then may be we should have a 3 pt tax system. 1 for 250 thou folks and then one for the super rich, politicians, celebrities, professional athletes, corporation owners, media, ceo's etc what the heck lets just tear down our whole economic structure. otherwise it will unfairly burden only the joe plumber earners at the bottom of that earning ladder.

The greatest fraud perpetrated on the US of A occurred in 2000 when the Supreme Court selected GWB as president. The second greatest fraud perpetrated on the US of A occurred in 2004 when GWB was again selected through voter fraud in Ohio through the actions of the then Ohio Secretary of State.

The greatest fraud in U.S. history will be this election. Only God knows how many illegal votes will be cast thanks to Obama groups like ACORN. Voter fraud isn't anything new. It's been around, in large scale since 1960. For years lefty groups have like ACORN have been pulling tghiss off. What's compounded it this year was the silence for months of the media on this known problem until it was too late to do anything about it.

Why is it that the people arguing against Obama's tax plan write in an illiterate manner on this comment board?

Hey another Buckeye! You are a piece of crap, who cares if Joe owes anything! Fact is Obama was called out on his tax plan, and it sucks! Now if Joe the Plumber was Black would you have reported that Buckeye? Most liekly not because you would have been called a racist! Maybe because Joe has his head shaved you might call him a Skinhead next! Give me a break, you freaking liberals want to have it both ways, we can not say anything about Obama because it is being racist, but you can say anything you want about McCain or his supporters! Obama was clear if you work hard and do well you are going to pay for it!

I have a great idea, why dont we all just stop working, collect welfare, and wait for Mr. Obama to give us a check?
Wonder how long the federal government would last if they had no taxes to collect from us!

The wealthy can afford to pay more. Why should someone who makes less pay more? So the wealthy get wealthier on the backs of the poor? That make lots of sense. Let this happen and then wonder why that angry mob of people are at your door taking your stuff like they did in the French Revolution. Poor people are just supposed to do without. Desperation makes for desperate people, and they end up taking what they need if it cant be gained through lawful ways.

Jack, The greatest fraud in U.S. election history was George W. Getting his brother to fix the elections so he could be elected in the first place. Hes a criminal, cheat, and should be in prison.

If you do not file income taxes you can't get a tax break. The right wing racist nut jobs see the writing on the wall and it's killing them! You can talk about voter fraud all you want to justify in your mind how a Black man became your President but it is just sour grapes! And yes anyone over250k will pay, including me and the atheletes and politicians and we are still voting OBAMA 08!

It is shameful how Obama supporters, writing here, look down on the concerns expressed by Joe-the-plumber. It seems it is just another indicator of Obama's "eliteness!"

For those saying that if businessmen with higher income (>250,000) are taxed more, these businessmen would have no motivation to work harder, I say the following :
1. Taxes are only based on percentages. The earners always get more when he earns more.
2. If these people who are complaining about this issue were to have a chance to earn more, even >250,000, do they think honestly that they would not take the opportunity to do so? If they won't, they need to either get more education (especially on math) or go see a psychiatrist. As the saying goes, people usually do not cut their nose to spite their face.

What do you think has happened over the last eight years? It's been WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION.

The richest 5% have DOUBLED their holdings while the middle class incomes have been stagnant at best. (Actually gone down if we account for the increased prices) .THAT'S a redistribution of wealth, but it's at the expense of 85% of Americans.

You can chant "socialism" all you want, though you have no idea what that word weally means. It's time that the tax laws were fair. I pay a higher percentage of my income than a Fortune 500 company!

McCain keeps saying businesses pay 35%, that's just NOT TRUE. The tax rate is stated as 35%, however the top 500 companies on America paid an average of LESS than 18% in taxes last year.

And Joe, the $250K/yer plumber is not even registered to vote? And yet HE'S "concerned"? Must not be that much of an issue for him.

(Ave plumber makes less that $40k/year by the way)

Joe the Plumber should go sit down. He is not even a register voter. He reminds me of Palin who uses a facade of knowledge and then Freeze when asked to expand on what she is talking about. Joe the plumber 15 min. of show casing is over.

I guess when you have 7 houses and 13 cars, it's hard to understand why the middle class would want tax relief.

Joe the quarter-million-dollar plumber? Give me a break. My eyes are dry from crying over you. And all those persecuted rich people who may have to pay more taxes. Boo hoo. The poor are always getting more than their fair share, right? The rich are rich because they earned it, right? Well, except for those who inherited it, or those who swindled and conned it, or those who lucked into it, or those who "earned" it in the underground economy, or those who stabbed others in the back to get it, but anyway, at least those honest, hardworking rich people earned it, right?

If you let the rich have more, they'll work harder. If you give more to the poor, they'll quit working.

Did anyone ever think that maybe the poor would respond to incentives, too? Maybe if they had the prospect of a real living wage, more folks on welfare would get a job.

And let's think about incentivizing the rich. If a CEO is making $500,000 a year, he must be working pretty hard already. How much harder can he work? Will he really work that much harder for an extra $500K than he would for an extra $250K? And is money the only reason he would work harder? What about pride? Duty? Moral character? Love for his job or for those who depend on him? The desire to help others or serve humanity or please his Maker?

I say, "to whom much is given, much is required." An honest person can only get rich in this country because he/she lives in a wealthy society with a good infrastructure that supports the condition for the possibility to generate wealth, as for example consumers who have money to spend and educated people to employ and create the high-tech civilized world we want to live in.

So, Joe the 1/4 million dollar plumber, quit crying, pay your taxes, and shut up.

Let me see ... income redistribution through taxation; am I getting this right? That sounds an awful lot like Carl Marx.
Isn't that kind of what was tried in Russia and a few other places? Didn't it fail there .... rather miserably as I recall.
Are we traveling back in time; putting a new wrapper on an old package?

Buckeye - Joe Plumber is indeed Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher who has that tax lien.

Why does it matter? Because Joe six pack here isn't paying his income taxes anyways!

It looks like Joe the plumber is a fraud. Some casual online research shows that there is no one by that name registered to vote in his county, and the only person named Wurzelbacher with a plumbing license in Ohio is Lawrence Wurzelbacher -- and his license expired several years ago. It looks like this might be a Republican plant.

NrthernLights...You asked a very valid question

First, the 5% tax increase cannot "automatically" get passed on to the consumer unless the market allows that price point increase. (Wish I could show graphs here, but I can't).
Additionally, for a small business to thrive they strive for growth. In other words, they need customers. Customer traffic (real or virtual) is the key. Which means the average person needs to be able to afford your product or service.

Additionally, the small business owner doesn't just pay tax on his or her own income but also has a share of the burden of payroll tax. I could be wrong but the decrease of the payroll tax could offset significantly any increase in the single tax increase depending on the payroll.

Finally, I must address your premise of the discouragement of business growth because of higher taxes. By that argument, most folks would rather make $100K than $1Mil. as the higher income moves them into a significantly higher tax bracket. You and I know that my example is absurd but illustrates a point. Yes the higher incomes are taxed at a higher percentage rate than lower incomes. However the economic thought behind this is to allow for business growth by preserving a customer base.

I know that this won't convince you. But I wanted to improve the level of discourse because you asked a very valid question.

Capitalism is alive.

Almost forgot...

Those who earn more typically have the ability to itemize deductions vs. those who earn less and take the standard deduction.

This increases the ability of those who earn more to pay less in taxes to an extent.

According to the [URL="http://www.eisenstadtgroup.com/2008/10/15/joe-the-plumber-wurzelbacher-related-to-charles-keating-oops/"]Martin Eisenstadt’s Blog[/URL], “Joe the Plumber”(Joe Wurzelbacher) is the son-in law of none other than Charles Keating. Obama could have ripped McCain a new one if he had known this in advance.

Think either of these candidates have had to pay for a plumber recently? How about $90 to $175 an hour. Plumber Joe seems like a decent enough guy but we're suppose to feel sorry for the guy because he can't buy his own company and join the republican rich?

(You mean I can't get rich and not pay taxes like other rich republicans?)

McCain looks easily unraveled. He couldn't even say with a "straight express" face that Palin is ready to be president. Massive political blunder picking her despite her celeb popularity. As an independent it just does not work for me and like many independents I'm not particularly OK with either guy.

it appears - always pay them. A filing with the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas shows that he has had state tax liens filed against him, meaning he was either delinquent or didn't fully cover taxes that he owed.

A representative at the court explained that Wurzelbacher had not paid $1,182.98 of personal income tax. The state filed a lien on January 26, 2007, and the payment remains outstanding.

Why hasn't he been dubbed "Joe the liar" or Joe the Republican" (since they are equivalent). As it turns out, he is not a plumber (not registered as one) but he is a registered Republican!!

"Joe the Plumber" seems to have missed the fact that we have a graduated tax system in this country. People in the 20% tax bracket also pay more than people in the 15% tax bracket. If Joe's thinking is to be consistent, he'd also have to consider this unfair. In that case what he's really suggesting is a FLAT TAX, and neither of the candidates has suggested such a thing. Personally, I feel that Joe's "every man for himself" thinking is what got us into the current financial mess in the first place. There is another way to look at success...as a blessing to be shared, not hoarded.

Joe,hears something to think about Obama' tax plans.His Tax Plan is going to drive more Companys to make their products in more tax frindley countries.In 1950 ,fresh out of High School at age of 16 I bought our familys first RCA TV made in USA.Last week I bought a new digital RCA TV because the analog TV will not work after Feb of 2009 and a sticker on the set said MADE IN THILAND.Last week I bought two parts for my Dodge Van One said Made IN CHINA the other said MADE IN MEXICO.I done't think his tax plan is good for USA.

Republicans don't care about Joe the Plumber... they only care about "Joe CEO"

Now that you've profiled "Joe the Plumber", perhaps you'll interview a man who has been in the news a lot longer --- Bill Ayers! (I won't hold my breath.)

Do the math. Barack (Robing Hood) Obama wants to take from the rich to give to the poor.

There are 3 million millionaires and 400 billionaires in American and our annual budget is in the trillions now and Obama wants to add trillions more to it.

If you take all the money from all the rich it ain't going to pay the bill. Someone is blowing smoke up you know where. And a bunch of folks are drinking the kool-aid.

Here are my questions......he stated that he works for a plumbing company and wants to buy it, but did he ever state that he holds the contractor's license for the company? Does Ohio State Contractors License Board require each individual to be licensed or registered depending on their trade or both? Just a few questions, only because it seems that the media is really making a point that he is not licensed.

Devon,

The reason you pay more when you work overtime is the progressive tax system; the more you make, the higher the rate of taxes.

You must like that - you're supporting Obama/Biden. That's exactly what they are proposing, higher rates for the higher income brackets.

You may be interested to know...the myth is that George Bush has increased taxes on the lower income levels...it's a lie the Democrats and the media have perpetuated...here are the facts according to the Taxpayers Union...

AGI % of income tax
For Tax Year 2006
Top 1% $388,806 39.89
Top 5% $153,542 60.14
Top 10% $108,904 70.79
Top 25% $64,702 86.27
Top 50% $31,987 97.01
Bottom 50% <$31,987 2.99

For Tax Year 2005
Top 1% $364,657 39.38
Top 5% $145,283 59.67
Top 10% $103,912 70.30
Top 25% $62,068 85.99
Top 50% $30,881 96.93
Bottom 50% <$30,881 3.07

For Tax Year 2004
Top 1% $328,049 36.89
Top 5% $137,056 57.13
Top 10% $99,112 68.19
Top 25% $60,041 84.86
Top 50% $30,122 96.70
Bottom 50% <$30,122 3.30

For Tax Year 2003
Top 1% $295,495 34.27
Top 5% $130,080 54.36
Top 10% $94,891 65.84
Top 25% $57,343 83.88
Top 50% $29,019 96.54
Bottom 50% <$29,019 3.46

For Tax Year 2002
Top 1% $285,424 33.71
Top 5% $126,525 53.80
Top 10% $92,663 65.73
Top 25% $56,401 83.90
Top 50% $28,654 96.50
Bottom 50% <$28,654 3.50

For Tax Year 2001
Top 1% $292,913 33.89
Top 5% $127,904 53.25
Top 10% $92,754 64.89
Top 25% $56,085 82.90
Top 50% $28,528 96.03
Bottom 50% <$28,528 3.97

Source: Internal Revenue Service

So, each year the "rich" have paid a larger percentage of income tax, and the bottom 50% have paid less. Approximately 40M tax filers now pay no income tax, only social security tax.

Obama's promise of $500 for people who now pay no taxes effectively reduces what they are paying for social security since they pay no income tax now.

You cannot call that an income tax cut. You can call it a social security tax cut, and isn't social security already in trouble?

So...

and here's the supporting link...
http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=6

As an journeyman electrician living in a blue state, I would on average have to take an average of a 40% paycut to live in a red state. Joe the plumber types may be happy with thier low wage jobs. I'm happy to pay a little more in taxes and earn a whole lot more in wages.

In the mean time I have to subsidise the red states with my Federal taxes. If the Republicans are so against the redistribution of wealth, they should end the way red states are the biggest drain on the domestic budget and have red states pay their fair share.

Millionaire/billionaire Warren Buffet has surveyed the people working in his office making average incomes (somewhere under $100,000), and he says that his employees pay a much higher percentage of their wages in taxes than he does, which he sees as being unfair and a burden to the majority of people in this country making substantially less than he does...he says it's time to change this...so he supports Barack Obama, as do many other rich people who realize they have not paid their fair share and want to do so...unlike so many Republicans who seem to care only about getting richer at the expense of others...
John McCain, himself, did not support the Bush tax cuts for years when he was his "maverick" self, but seems to have sold his soul to his party faithfuls...so I don't believe he really believes a word he says when he talks about taxes. He lost my vote with that move...I hardly recognize him anymore, as that move started a downhill momentum that has snowballed into an avalanche. He's scary these days.