The McCain campaign's vetting process fails once again
First, there was Sarah Palin. Then the revelation that William Timmons, who heads up McCain's presidential transition team, used to lobby for Saddam Hussein.
Now, John McCain has latched on to "Joe The Plumber" as his mascot. McCain mentioned "Joe" more than a dozen times during the debate at Hofstra University, has invited "Joe" to join him at campaign rallies, and has "helpfully" provided "Joe" with talking points for a string of national television and radio appearances, and now features him in his ads.
Problem is, "Joe" isn't what he originally told Obama, or the press.
He's not undecided; he's a registered Republican who let it drop that he decided who he was going to vote for a while back, and a few years ago was registered with the Ohio Natural Law Party, whose platform includes such novel ideas as ending wars by manipulating the serotonin levels in peoples' brains.
He doesn't make anywhere near $250,000. He may like the idea of one day owning a business worth $250,000, but the one he has his sights on doesn't even make $250,000 now, so the likelihood of this small business which does mainly local residential work making $250,000 any time in the near future is probably slim, and the possibility that "Joe" may one day buy it even slimmer.
"Joe" hasn't got a plumbers license, and if he's worked in Toledo, has done so in contravention of the law. "Joe" owes the State of Ohio over $1,100 in back taxes, and currently has a lien on his pre-fab home.
His name isn't even "Joe". It's "Sam".
Don't get me wrong. I don't begrudge "Joe" -- I mean "Sam" his dreams of one day getting his plumber's licence, paying off his debts, moving out of the trailer, buying a business and eventually earning over $250,000. But I wonder what John McCain's economic policies are going to do to help him achieve them?
For the record, the business "Joe" works for now made $510,000 last year, but only about $150,000 in taxable income. And taxable income of $250,000 is where the tax increase kicks in. So "Joe" would have to grow the existing business by some 80% in order to be subject to the tax increase. If he grew the business by 100% (that's a hell of a lot of blocked drains and bathroom refurbs), then he could expect to pay an additional $1,000 in income taxes.
A million bucks gross profits versus a thousand bucks in business tax. Kind of a no-brainer, isn't it?
October 17, 2008 2:34 PM | Reply | Permalink