Just because Joe doesn’t have a license doesn’t mean he’s not a “real” plumber. We have a Microsoft Small Business Specialist in town and we have to clean up after this guy every time we install a connected MFP into a location where he does the IT work. Licenses/Certs do not equate to knowledge or competancy, you’ve made that point hundreds of times yourself.

As far as taxes go I myself(GM of a mom-n-pop Savin dealership I’m planning to buy) am sick of standing in line to pay for my gas, the taxes of which are supposed to go to the infrastructure I drive on most of the day,but are really going to the dude in front of me who’s using a welfare card to buy a MT. Dew and a big bag of gummy bears and whips out brand new $20′s to pay for smokes, FUCK HIM, GET A JOB.

Joe may be behind on his taxes but at least WE AREN’T PAYING HIS BILLS.

Right on, Dave!

Vlad, you shouldn’t post at 4:49 AM when you are obviously susceptible to being lead by left-leaning blogs (yes, I mean the Washington Post). Joe the Plumber wasn’t looking for national attention, fame and stardom. All that just walked into his driveway when Obama and his hordes of news lackeys strolled through the neighborhood trying to connect with the common folk. Joe is so not the point of the whole thing and people focusing on Joe have been easily misled from the real point of the whole exchange. That point being that Obama tells average guy on the street that his plan is to “spread the wealth around”. That’s what we here in America (even in progressive Seattle where I am) call Marxism. The point is that we don’t have a government for the purpose of spreading the wealth around, redistributing funds from hardworking engines of the economy such as yourself to people who don’t want to work at 4:49 AM on a Sunday morning. We don’t want a man in the White House whose STATED goal is Marxism. Obama wants to give refundable tax credits to people who will end up paying $0 in income tax. When you pay $0 and you get a refundable tax credit, you know what that is called? Welfare! You can complain about how Joe has been pushed into the media spotlight (have you seen the pictures of his front yard and driveway full of news trucks?) and it turns out he’s not the patron saint of capitalism. Or you can focus your attention where it really matters, on the guy who will take more of your money to give it to people who hate that you were so lucky or such a cheat to get where you are… working at 4:49 AM on Sunday morning. So, say what you will about Joe the Plumber, he’s not taking your money for food stamps.

Hey Vlad…

Let us know how much “hate mail” comes your way cause of this…

He said that he hopes to buy a business… not that he owns one now. and if it is a sole pro. or an S-Corp the companies profits will be filed under his personal taxes.

Who cares if he has a tax lien from last year. If his house was getting foreclosed on, would that make a difference? The whole premise of his question was about if he did purchase a business what would happen.

Well, maybe we should vote for B.O., maybe then we can get a piece of vlads wealth.. lets spread it around.

Dave, Mike, Hawks,

Please go do us all a giant favor and either go to college and take a class on American history or at the very least read the census – social reform programs go far from “paying lazy people to have more kids and not work an honest day like I do” – the ignorant redneck ideology that keeps on putting crooks like Joe and his “compassionates” in office.

Social welfare – which goes to do everything from community organizations that provide general services to veterans benefits for people that actually fought for this country – has historically brought more people out of poverty and increased the standard for living for ALL of us.

You seem to have belief that spreading the wealth is a bad thing, yet none of you seem to mind spreading YOUR wealth and getting YOURSELF in DEBT to save the rich Wall Street crooks? In case you didn’t notice, at least 700 billion of YOUR money (assuming you pay taxes) went to bail out people much, much, much richer than you.

And as for the like “who cares that he was late on taxes?” – you all ought to be ashamed of yourselves: taking his points into the accounts is like going up to the people you think are abusing welfare and asking them for financial advice.

-Vlad

Theo,

Surprisingly little – you can see all three of them up there…

Very few people reading my blog are stupid enough to defend deadbeats, IRS cheaters and unlicensed handymen that are posing for attention instead of actually working. It’s hard for people who work to improve their circumstances and pay their taxes to find anything in common with deadbeats that look for government to help them.

While pretty much everyone disagrees with social reform and its impact, its damn hard for people that work and build businesses jobs and benefits and pay taxes on it all to find a bit of compassion for the deadbeat that for 2 years hasn’t found less than $2K to pay back his debt to America.

-Vlad

Wow….Hate mail Nice

I love reading this blog. Sometimes even I think Vlad’s ass is so clean we could all eat off of it. Hey if you can’t get a reach around from yourself, who ya gonna get it from? Vlad, spread the wealth and give away Exchange Defender…hahahaha!

JMad,

I think you missed my point. The whole “spread the wealth” line is just a load of political BS that is easily thrown around to pin people against one another and vote (against their own interests) because it tries to vilify something that is not only not evil, but one of the greatest benefits to living in this country.

Most people like to think of welfare as AFDC (Aid to Families With Dependent Children) under which families with more children get more benefits. The outrage comes from working class that sees some abusing the welfare system.

Fact: over half the government spending is on welfare. What does welfare cover? Social security. Disability insurance. Veterans benefits. Medicare/Medicaid. Still think it’s a horrible thing?

The problem we have in USA is that we’re under an immense amount of debt and the distance between ridiculously rich and barely getting by is getting wider and wider. Tax cuts across the board, as we’ve had for the past few years, have only gotten us further in debt. So to propose more tax cuts, while more and more people are out of work is basically guaranteeing more debt because you’re trying to give away more of your income while you’re getting less and less people paying (see tax system)

Back to my point: Should “Joe the Plumber” who doesn’t even pay all the taxes he owes be allowed to complain about them?

We aren’t talking about socialism here, or communism (which is what the talk radio has been implying for as long as I’ve been listening to it) we are talking about responsibility – the more you make, the more you should be putting into the society that has enabled you to get to where you are now.

We’re in some really deep shit and just throwing money away isn’t the solution.

-Vlad

[...] Patronizing for Professionals [...]

“The whole “spread the wealth” line is just a load of political BS that is easily thrown around to pin people against one another and vote (against their own interests) because it tries to vilify something that is not only not evil, but one of the greatest benefits to living in this country.”

It’s not political BS when the candidate HIMSELF stated it. Most business owners really DO NOT belief Obama when he claims no new taxes on those making under $250K? Or, wait, is it $200k, cause he said BOTH in the last debates within 15 minutes of each other. He is clearly pandering. He and a democratic majority will allow tax breaks to expire, which will..result in higher taxes…period. Social Security is a joke. Disability is great if you are poor and a minority, but if you’re middle class and white, you will never see a dime of it. Obama is the most liberal senator in Congress and will continue to push a socialist agenda through the works of ACORN and other groups that have no business in politics.

If it’s said by a politician, it is political BS. It’s not Survivor, you don’t get immunity from being full of crap if you are on the tribe that won the last challenge

They are BOTH pandering, that’s the whole point of the post. I just don’t like to see people pander to the people that don’t pay their taxes.

“Social Security is a joke. Disability is great if you are poor and a minority, but if you’re middle class and white, you will never see a dime of it.”

I am sorry you were born white and not poor, please accept my condolences for all the hardship you’ve had to go through in your life as a result of it.

-Vlad

Vladimir,
You seem to be an intelligent and articulate young fellow whose name indicate some connection with a former USSR, and yet you show total ignorance in today’s politics. Let me point you to some things that should make you think about Joe-the-plumber situation:
1. As few before me already mention, it was “That One”, who provided the conservatives the fuel for criticism (“Joe, we will need to spread the wealth around”). Joe-the-plumber did not invent it, did not lie about it, just commented on it (Messiah obviously didn’t like it).
2. Joe-the-plumber NEVER stated to make $250K or own a plumbing business. He just express a desire to own such in the future. Again, the media and the Obama campaign, not Joe-the-plumber, lied what was really said in that conversation, and you seem to believe these liars.
BTW, by repeating the ridiculous argument that lack of a license invalidates someones actual capabilities.
Just to prove my point – I can put a wager that you don’t have a license to publish, and yet …. you see where I’m going with it?
3. You haven’t mentioned anything about the vengeance and the illegal investigation started by the media and Obama followers, of a private citizen, who dared to ask an inconvenient question. Doesn’t this alarm you at all? Who gave them the right to go and dig into Joe-the-plumber taxes, family, life? Are you going to support the idea of Joe-the-plumber imprisonment, because he is a “red-neck”? Are you THAT progressive, or simply very ignorant?
5. BTW, Joe-the-plumber actually caused “The Messiah” to tweak his future tax change plans, which only confirms that Joe-the-plumber WAS RIGHT (look at drudgereport page for the article).
6. A lot of people may take your “F..-Joe-The-plumber” as a very elitist put down of a simple hard working, blue collar person by a white-collar IT liberal. Was this your intention? Is this, how you would treat your warehouse co-workers? Calling somebody names is so easy …

Oh.. one more thing. Posting a dissenting option backed up by facts and reasoning does not constitute hate mail, however posting proudly “F..k-Joe-the-Plumber” post does. I hope you do recognize the difference.