The
"Joe the Plumber" conversation between Joe Wurzelbacher (for the record, his name is Samuel Joseph) and Barack Obama, which John McCain referred to in the debate Wednesday night, was captured on video.
Here is the unedited conversation in which Joe asks if he would pay more under Obama's tax plan.
Find Your Joe
You could have some fun with this story. I went to the
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (every state has a similar department) and found a handful of "Joe's Plumbing" companies. Just think, you could have your very own Joe to interview!
Take a look at this video to see how Joe spent his day.
How did he end up on the national scene?A CBS blogger explains:
Obama met Wurzelbacher on Sunday, just shortly after landing in Toledo, Ohio. Before heading to his hotel for an intensive two days of debate prep, the campaign organized a quick stop in Holland, Ohio. The plan was for Obama to walk down Shrewsbury Street, knock on doors, and ask people to vote. For all intents and purposes, it was a photo op.
But then Joe came into the picture, a burly, middle-aged guy with a goatee, who approached Obama and asked him if he believes in the American dream. He proceeded to tell Obama that, after working as a plumber for 15 years, he is going to purchase his own business. The catch was that the business was worth more than $250,000 and Joe asked if he would be taxed more under Obama’s plan.
As it turns out, Joe
has some tax problems (though as Huffington Post notes,
he may not know about it). Court records show that he has a $1,182.98 lien on his property for not paying his Ohio income tax. The lien was filed Jan. 26, 2007. (
You can see the lien statement here.)
Joe also does not have a plumber's license, although he says he does not need one because he has been working for another company that is licensed.
Putting all that aside, would his taxes go up under Obama's plan?
Joe says he lives in a middle-class neighborhood with homes valued between $90,000 and $140,000. He says he plans on buying a plumbing company that earns $250,000 to $280,000 a year. He says he has lived paycheck to paycheck and now is successful enough to buy a business. (
Listen to an interview with Joe.)
Obama says his tax increase would apply to people making $250,000 or more annually. Joe's company might bring in $250,000 to $280,000 a year, but that does not mean he would have $250,000 in net income. You'd have to subtract expenses to figure his tax bracket. Whatever you think of Obama's plan, that is a point worth keeping in mind.
And it would depend on whether he filed taxes as an individual or a business,
as WCCO-TV in Minneapolis explains.
Even if Obama doesn't get the "Joe the Plumber" vote,
he was endorsed by the plumbers and pipefitters union.
Almost nothing about the Joe the Plumber story makes any...
