In a recent commentary on CNN, by Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, he suggests that we need to support people like “Joe the Plumber”, and provide the climate in which such entrepreneurial ventures can grow and prosper. Although he doesn’t say so directly in his commentary, I suppose this is an indirect attack on Obama’s tax plan. He also advocates supporting “employer based health insurance” (which is a huge mystery to me. What about all the people that work for themselves, or are out of work altogether? Where are they in such a plan? Answer: without health insurance at all. Aren’t people running a one-person operation “entrepreneurs? My understanding is they wouldn’t qualify for health insurance, or it would remain prohibitively expensive .) But if Joe were smart, he would not only vote for Obama, but he could easily capitalize on some of Obama’s initiatives.

if Obama is elected President, he would funnel needed support to “green” business, such as solar, clean coal, and other companies that will do their best to get us out of our OIl Habit. Maybe a better move for Joe the Plumber would be to reinvent himself, and become “Joe the Solar Guy”. I should think plumbing skills would transfer nicely to such businesses. We don’t need another plumbing business, we DO need something that will help Joe as well as help get America out of the Oil Ditch. With Obama’s plan Joe would likely get the “tax break” everyone is so excited about, AND probably some low-cost federal “start up” funding to boot.

A new paradigm, “thinking outside the box”, is what this country needs, not another plumbing business. I could listen and watch news about “Joe the Solar Guy” until the cows come home.