It turns out “Joe the Plumber” (real name is Joe Wurzelbacher) isn’t really a plumber, and has no real plans to buy anyones business in the near future. In addition, he currently makes about $40,000 a year, and if he did manage to buy the business he has his eye one, he might, if he’s lucky, make about $100,000.

Exactly. Based on the reports, the profits of Wurzelbacher’s small business are well under $250,000, so Obama’s proposal wouldn’t adversely affect him at all. He’s apparently concerned that he may someday have those kinds of profits, though, which is obviously his prerogative. In the meantime, depending on some of the details, Wurzelbacher would probably get a tax break under Obama’s plan, and if he’s like most of the middle class, his break would be bigger under Obama than under McCain.

Joe the Plumber” is a perfect example of a puzzle I’ve been trying to solve. Help me understand this. I can’t figure out why anyone making less then $250,000 would vote Republican. Their basic domestic economic theory is “trickle down”, which means they tend to put money in the hands of corporations (in the form of tax breaks, etc. Already it has been shown that most corporations pay ZERO taxes!) and subsequently their top management, hoping that they will use the money to hire more people. Of course we’ve all heard of the outrageous salaries corporate managers pay themselves, but I suppose some of the money does get down to “the little guy”. But why would the ordinary worker want to purposefully put money in the hands of someone else, in the hopes that they will see some of it in some form or another, rather than put it directly in their own hands? Why would they want to forfeit that control? For power and control, always look to “where the money is”.

In Republican ideology, they want to put the money in the hands of your and my boss. This puts us “worker guys” in a compromised position, hoping that “the boss” will share the gold. In my experience, most bosses I’ve worked for take the majority of it home for themselves. If you’re demanding enough, he/she might share a piece of the pie and give you a raise. But again, if you control the money, you control your financial future directly.

It’s puzzling to say the least.