www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Joe the Plumber

This guy has aspirations and I can't believe the union is going after him for being on the news and such. So very sad!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27221645

Oh, Pani, you didn't!

If Joe thinks he's gonna be making over $250,000 a year in taxable income, I have some Lehman Brothers stock to sell him.

Alexis

There is a valid question of revenue and profit, and what would be taxable and which of the two he was referring to.

It is difficult for a candidate to be elected president to the United States after admitting his intentions of "spreading the wealth." That ideology does not fare well with the average voter and including that with the image of raising our taxes will not help either.

I believe that may explain part of why the media would like to focus on Joe the Plumber's credibility. Too many pundits who are commenting and opining on Joe have their heads buried in the sand. They can't relate to him and treat him like a foreign object, something which can be interesting to observe. Some go as far as to communicate with the tone of contentment in their voice something like, "Oh, look, he speaks so confidently. He doesn't even realize how uneducated he is."

Alexis, don't be too surprised if the results of this election don't go your way.

Terry

Terry,

I think you may take me for a fool!

Believe me, I think this election will be very close. And I think it would've been had Joe the Pseudo-plumber never existed, or even without those lovely McCain robo calls.

Your admonition to me not to be surprised if the election doesn't go my "way" is sort of like admonishing me not to be surprised if it rains tomorrow. I'm not really expecting it, I hope it doesn't, but there's a 40-something-percent chance it could happen and I wouldn't be all that shocked.

Alexis

Ironically, though, this is the one area in which I agree with Obama, but only because he's saying what the Popes have already called for.

To paraphrase (or directly quote, but I'm not certain) Bl. John XXIII, a person has the right to private property, but not to everything he wants. He has the right to a residence, but not necessarily to a mansion.

Workers have the right to own their own means of production, and if "Joe the Plumber" wants to own his own business, more power to him--and, yes, the tax code should not be set up so as to impede him from doing so.

But he should own his own business for the personal satisfaction of participating in God's creation. He should own his own business to be able to meet his family's livelihood and do good for the community as he freely chooses to. But that does not mean that he has the right to personally profit to the tune of $250,000 a year.

If he's making that much per year, as profit on the operating budget of his business, then how much is he charging the people he works for?

Joe the Plumer is on Hanity and Combs tonight, see what he has to say about all of this.

Personally I would be very happy to have 250,000 dollars in taxable income.
I have also had occassion to hire a plumber at 75 dollars an hour. I actually rather hope he pays some taxes.

Since I've been in the small business environment for the whole of my life, I just shook my head at all the ignorance that gets batted about in the media about money in business.

A quarter million dollars in revenue doesn't come anywhere close to being income. After paying for materials, business overhead, employees' salaries and benefits and matching Social Security taxes, there may or may not be anything left over for the sole proprietor. And, as anyone will tell you, the employees must come first in the payouts from gross revenue.

But to the average media type--and politician--that has no idea of business and accounting, it sounds so great to go after someone who has a bigger pile of cash than he has. Makes for lots of jealousy, too, if you base your ideology on promoting class conflict in order to win votes.

BOB

I agree, Bob. Joe's idea that he's gonna be earning $250,000 a year in taxable income is very naive.

Alexis

I agree that Joe the Plumber might not see a taxable income of $250,000 for a long time. If he does work hard to get to that level, however, the government should not take it from him. Socialism does not work. It only succeeds in spreading misery to everyone.

I said taxable income. That is what is left after business expenses. I made the horrible error of owning a small business years ago and never did manage to make a penny from it. If Joe has 250,000 in cash flow he may well be in trouble. But I would have been very pleased to have 250,000 left after wages, social security and every other expense one incurs in business.

I also freely admit I am not a good business person.

Socialism is not Christian. Neither is class envy.

Higher taxes also make it harder for women like me to stay home. Oh I'll get free state run daycare when I am forced to go to work. Great then my children will learn about all kinds of imorality and I'll not be able to object. Higher taxes also make it harder to send my children to Catholic schools.

My husband works very hard for what he gets. The more we have the more we give.

MrsMW, you are a generous person. A lot of people don't give - and the more they have, the more debt they incur (caused by buying more stuff they don't need.)

"But that does not mean that he has the right to personally profit to the tune of $250,000 a year. - John C. Hathaway"

John,

That claim is interesting. If it is just to cap personal profit, how would such a "just wage cap" be enforced? At what point should wages be deemed "excessive", and by whom shall it be so deemed?

This perception can give hope to the Leninist-Marxists and the Neo-Marxists in our country. Perhaps revolution is not so far away.

Terry