Joe the Plumber, a new spin

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Joe the Plumber, a new spin
38
Fri, 10-17-2008 - 4:21pm

The appeal of Joe the Plumber is that he puts a face to a tax number. Even if he's really not earning that much or isn't even a plumber. I am married to someone who makes that much and let me try to make the same point from a different perspective.

Go ahead, raise my taxes Obama. You are right, I can afford it. But first I'd like you to meet Mike, Steve and Emily. I don't own a business or anything, but I do spend my money (you know, since I'm one of the have's, that's what we do). Obama wanta to spread my wealth around and here's how it will affect 3 people in the middle and lower income brackets.

Mike - Mike is a music school teacher. He does private lessons on the side to make a little extra, in addition to volunteering in a community band. He loves teaching and playing music. He teaches one of our children and we pay him $100/mo.

Steve - Steve works full time doing private music lessons. He has two kids who he pays child support for and he lives on the edge of poverty. Private lessons is his only source of income. We pay for him to instruct three of our children and me every week. We pay him $364/mo.

Emily - Emily works full time but became a mom at age 18 yo, has no education past high school and lives near the poverty level. She is on her own being recently divorced. She helps us out once or twice a week, earning $120-$160/mo.

I recalculated Obama's tax proposals and realized it will only cost my family $1,350/mo on average. I can cover almost half of that by cutting my budget back, not hiring the babysitter and doing away with private music lessons (they are luxury items anyway).

I'm sure Mike, Steve and Emily will be glad to know that instead of earning money from my family, they will get $500 refundable tax credit next year under Obama's plan. And maybe even if $300 stimulus check like they got from Bush in the past.

Make less and pay less in tax, that's Obama's plan for the middle class.

Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 9:25pm

>>>But President Bush’s policies have already led to disaster — and whatever he may say, Mr. McCain proposes continuing Mr. Bush’s policies in all essential respects, and he shares Mr. Bush’s anti-government, anti-regulation philosophy.<<<

I huge part of the current crisis relates to housing and subprime lending, the deregulation of which happened in the later part of the Clinton years and it had such wide bipartisan support it was veto proof... in addition to lack of oversight of Fannie and Freddie that both McCain and Bush called for and many Republicans and Democrats were against, even very recently Barney Frank (D) head of the House Finance Committee said Fannie and Freddie should be taking on even more subprime and Democrats called for the limits on how much subprime they could buy to be raised so they could buy MORE subprime.

Bush had tax cuts and Obama is going to extend them for most Americans. Bush had stimulus packages and Obama is already planning one of his own.

This is not as simple as the Bush economic polices causing the problem, and some of them would end if McCain was elected while many will continue with Obama too.

Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 9:44pm
Just out of curiosity...which candidate do Mike, Steve, and Emily support?
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 9:51pm
I would think Obama, because a middle/lower class tax cut sounds great. They may imagine like others have that we wouldn't even consider cutting back on our expenditures just because we had to pay more in taxes. I don't know where the idea comes from that we make so much we can be taxed more without it affecting our spending behavior. The concept seems prevalent, thought it is false.
Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 9:57pm
The problem with that is that you trust the govt to do what they are suppose to do with your money.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 9:58pm
Yes, like spending it for a war against a soveriegn nation who had nothing to do with 9/11.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 10:01pm

Let's us all remember that Monday Morning Quarterbacking is easy.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 10:05pm
what was so hard - we knew the next day that 15 of
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-13-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 10:14pm

I realize you think it's

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 10:16pm

So?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 10:25pm

I would think Obama, because a middle/lower class tax cut sounds great. They may imagine like others have that we wouldn't even consider cutting back on our expenditures just because we had to pay more in taxes. I don't know where the idea comes from that we make so much we can be taxed more without it affecting our spending behavior. The concept seems prevalent, thought it is false.


I'm sure they realize that you might cut back on your expenditures.