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The new Everyman
I just listened to a good fraction of the last Presidential debate of the year, and I have a new best friend: "Joe the Plumber". His moniker certainly makes him sound ordinary, salt-of-the-earth, just your average guy. He even has the same first name as "Joe Sixpack", the best friend of a week or two ago. But let's see...
"Joe the Plumber" has been working for a plumbing company for ten years, during which time he has built up enough savings to buy the company. After buying it, he expects to be netting at least $250,000/year, and to have over ten employees, as evidenced by the facts that his taxes will go up under the Obama administration and that he'll be fined if he doesn't provide health coverage for his employees.
I have a Ph.D, I've been working for a University for twelve years, and I thought I was doing pretty well for a middle-class American. I think our household income is about 90th percentile for the U.S. I have a retirement plan and a mortgage that I can afford, but basically no liquid savings -- certainly not enough to buy a company. I don't earn anywhere near $250,000/year, and I don't have any employees. Joe the Plumber is considerably wealthier than I am. But I guess from where McCain sits, Joe really is "salt of the earth", and I'm somewhere below the salt, not rich enough to even register on McCain's radar.
Good to have that cleared up.
"Joe the Plumber" has been working for a plumbing company for ten years, during which time he has built up enough savings to buy the company. After buying it, he expects to be netting at least $250,000/year, and to have over ten employees, as evidenced by the facts that his taxes will go up under the Obama administration and that he'll be fined if he doesn't provide health coverage for his employees.
I have a Ph.D, I've been working for a University for twelve years, and I thought I was doing pretty well for a middle-class American. I think our household income is about 90th percentile for the U.S. I have a retirement plan and a mortgage that I can afford, but basically no liquid savings -- certainly not enough to buy a company. I don't earn anywhere near $250,000/year, and I don't have any employees. Joe the Plumber is considerably wealthier than I am. But I guess from where McCain sits, Joe really is "salt of the earth", and I'm somewhere below the salt, not rich enough to even register on McCain's radar.
Good to have that cleared up.
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OK--that makes sense (the photos I've seen of Le Palin-P'tit Fils did not look like a Down Syndrome infant).
The little devil perched on my left shoulder is wondering whether the whole special-needs baby motif was a fabrication to woo the forced-birthers (lessee whether five years from now--assuming anyone remembers the Palins--some miraculous combination of therapy and prayer have rendered li'l Trig as NT as you or I) :-/
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But that was just the devil on my shoulder speaking...
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