I decide to take a break from blogging for a bit and look what happens, all the sudden we have a new gauge on the state of the Presidential election, what does Joe the Plumber think?  It seems like this has happened in the last several elections.  In order to seem more at touch with the people watching at home, one or both of the candidates highlight the story of someone they met on the campaign trail.  Perfectly understandable.  It also drives me crazy, and this time, it just about pushed me over the edge.  Apparently, Joe the Plumber (actually Joe Wurzelbacher) lives in Ohio and dreams of purchasing the plumbing company he works for but is afraid if Obama gets elected, he won’t be able to afford to run said company.  This is a perfectly legitimate and meaningful question and debate point, how do the tax proposals of each candidate impact small businesses?  Joe, and the American public, have the right to know.  Here’s what makes me so frustrated though.

Joe is a plumber, probably even a good one.  According to the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average plumber in Ohio makes $47,930 per year.  Lets round that up to $50,000 since Joe is actually a good plumber and a nice guy.  Now, for the ease of discussion, lets say Joe pays back 20% of his wages in taxes, $10,000 per year.  This leaves him with $40,000 in take home pay.  Now, lets say that Joe, after purchasing the plumbing business, is fortunate enough to make $250,000 per year, the point at which Obama’s higher tax brackets would kick in.  Even if Joe then paid 50% of his wages in taxes, his take home pay would still be $125,000 per year.  Heck, even if Joe paid 68% of his wages in taxes he would still take home $80,000, twice his original $40,000.  My point is this.  There are certainly tax reform issues that need to be dealt with in America, there are things that need to be examined and discussed and fixed.  However, decisions about the future cannot be made based on the possibility that maybe someday we might become rich.

Furthermore, how rich do we really need to be?  We already, and still, are the richest country in the world.  I, on my meager ministry wages, can afford what by the standards of several billion people is a life of luxury.  I do not want for food or shelter, if I see something I want I buy it, no questions.  Do I hope one day to have more money than I currently do so I can pursue my hobbies of photography and computers?  Of course!  I just get tired of people who protect essentially meaningless tax rates on the rich because they think one day they might be rich too.  I certainly do not wish anyone lose their home or even their job in the coming months, but if we are headed into a deep dark recession, hopefully it will become a chance for America to re-examine our priorities and the measures by which we judge the quality of our lives.  Because I can tell you, even if you are living in your car, you have it better than billions of people fighting starvation, war, and disease in the developing world.

Filed under: life by Jonathan