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/

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2004
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 2:21pm

"I recalculated the tax cost to my family using only the earnings over $250k going up, and payroll taxes increasing only 4% over $250k. That comes to an average $1,350/mo."


I'm sorry, but if you make THAT MUCH MONEY, you can't possibly expect me to believe that you're going to make your kids go without their lessons.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2004
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 3:36pm

I completely agree.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 6:54pm

How nice of you to take my words out of context. Typical liberal fare. How did Clinton balance the budget? Did he really leave us a surplus, or did Robert Rubin cook the books as was told by the director of the OMB? What about Bosnia? We still have troops in Bosnia. That was a Clinton era military action that was only supposed to last for two years. It's been fourteen years. Doesn't it also cost us money to keep those troops in Bosnia? What about our image to the rest of the world under Clinton? Osama bin Laden thought we were a nation of cowards who couldn't stand bloodshed when Clinton turned tail and ran in Somalia. What about all the missed opportunities Clinton wasted when he was given chances to get bin Laden? Instead of getting bin Laden, Clinton gave a couple of camels cruise missile enemas. Instead of getting bin Laden, Clinton bombed a baby milk formula plant, killing a night watchman. After the bombing of the US embassy in Kenya, the Kobar Towers bombing, and the bombing of the USS Cole, Clinton swore we would get those responsible. Clinton got no one, and we looked even more like cowards to bin Laden. North Korea became a nuclear threat, thanks to Bill Clinton. Clinton was more concerned about "ridin' dirty" with Monica Lewinsky (to paraphrase Reverend Wright)than he was about catching any terrorist. Oh yes, Clinton was such a great president, wasn't he?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 6:58pm

<"There has never been anything false about hope." -Barack Obama>

Barack Obama is a false hope in and of himself.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:01pm

Only to you and like-minded people.


 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:22pm

"How nice of you to take my words out of context. Typical liberal fare."

Is that really necessary? It is quite possible to express your opinion that you were taken out of context without making offensive statements about liberals as a group.




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siggy aug 09
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:37pm

I look at it like this.

Susan

Lilypie 3rd Birthday Ticker

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:44pm

The OP has created a rather interesting topic for discussion that clearly has captivated and entertained many of us. I don't think there's any reason to attack her by accusing her of being irresponsible.




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siggy aug 09
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:47pm

Steve makes his living giving private music lessons. With the economy downturn he's already having to deal with people cutting back on extras.

>>Perhaps Steve should look at getting a real job? Is would make him less reliant on the kindness of strangers.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-05-2008
Sat, 10-18-2008 - 7:49pm

No it doesn't take a rocket scientist to teach. It takes a well-educated, caring, communicative and creative person who can engage young minds. Those are skills and talents that I don't believe everyone possesses and I think we undervalue them greatly.


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