Joe the Plumber, a new spin

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Joe the Plumber, a new spin
166
Fri, 10-17-2008 - 4:16pm

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/

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 12:43pm
I agree with the value they may gain by doing community service, our kids will be expected to understand how the world works and why it's important to help others. I don't think the government should reward my family with $96k for it.
Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 12:48pm

As a previous poster stated, the benefits to the young people are more than monetary benefits.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2007
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 12:52pm

"Why on earth should our government be giving my family $96k towards education!!!"

Jess


Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 12:54pm
My kids can do community service and volunteer worth without the government paying us $96k to encourage it. That's a lot of money that should be going toward the budget deficit, national debt, or the bottom 1/3 who need it.
Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 12:58pm

Our economy and our government are in financial crisis - that's the big picture. Paying rich kids $40/hour for community service should not be part of the plan.

Why raise my taxes so the money can be spread right around back to my family? How much does it cost our government to collect and spread the money around to then benefit wealthy families too? How does the extra $100 billion he's going to get from the top 5% come anywhere close to funding all this?

Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2007
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 1:04pm

"Our economy and our government are in financial crisis - that's the big picture"

Jess


Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-23-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 1:53pm
I said nothing about the deficit. I was merely pointing out that ONE of the president's jobs is to do what's best for the economy. As I pointed out in a prior post, one element of economic "health" is the spending power of the middle class. It appears that is what he is trying to increase with his tax proposals. As for the tax increases killing businesses, there is no proof of this happening. Businesses have had it great for the last 8 years and the economy has tanked. I can't see how balancing things out a bit could hurt any more. Or we could continue on the same path and expect different results. I know that generally, when things aren't going well, it's time to look for a new approach. Are there risks to trying new things - sure - but is there potentially a larger risk if we do nothing and continue to watch our economy careen deeper into the gutter? I think so. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.




~Ashley~




pregnancy week by week



~Ashley~

Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 2:01pm

I'm debating ideas, I don't have a link for every idea I have and we should be able to debate our own thoughts not just other people's thoughts.

The Obama policy information I've been bringing up I get from his website, I shouldn't need to link he site in every post.

My $100 billion number: $103.3 billion according to Tax Policy Center (quoted by factcheck.org) http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_budget_according_to_mccain_part_ii.html $131 billion according to Tax Foundation: http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/23327.html

What other links am I missing?

>>>>Yes thanks to the man who has been running this country into the ground for the last 8 years.<<<<

The financial crisis is in part created by the mortgage crisis which is in part due to to deregulation enacted under Clinton with wide bipartisan support, there are many other factors besides the Bush tax cuts, and of note Obama only wants to let the tax cuts expire for the top two brackets (this is on his site, as well as here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&refer=home&sid=are4y0wpjqXU and here: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/mccains_small-business_bunk.html)

Pennsylvania Mom http://openlettertobarack.blogspot.com/
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-15-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 2:09pm
So far as I know...the program would be entirely voultary...not mandatory. So I suppose those who object to it...and feel they don't need it...don't have to participate in it.
Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket
Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-25-2008
Mon, 10-20-2008 - 2:11pm
So turn it down.

Pages