There’s actually an error in this report. Joe doesn’t own the company he works for, Newell Plumbing, which may be in trouble for having Joe work in an area neither are licensed for.
Turns out that “Joe the Plumber,” as he became nationally known when Senator John McCain made him a theme at Wednesday night’s third and final presidential debate, may run a plumbing business but he is not a licensed plumber. His full name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher. And he owes a bit in back taxes.
The premise of his question to Mr. Obama about taxes may also be flawed, according to tax analysts.
An official at Local 50 of the plumber’s union, based in Toledo, said Mr. Wurzelbacher does not hold a license. He also has never served an apprenticeship and does not belong to the union. (The national plumber’s union, the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics, endorsed Mr. Obama, it should be noted.)
“He’s basically playing games with the world,” Thomas Joseph, the local’s business manager, said in a telephone interview Thursday morning.
[…]
“All contractors are licensed, and he does not have a license, either as a contractor or a plumber,” the union official said, citing a search of government records. “I can’t find that he’s ever even applied for any kind of apprenticeship, and he has never belonged to local 189 in Columbus, which is what he claims on his Facebook page.”According to public records, Mr. Wurzelbacher has been subject to two liens, each over $1,000, one of which — a personal tax lien — is still outstanding.
And his question to Mr. Obama about paying taxes? According to some tax analysts, if Mr. Wurzelbacher’s gross receipts from his business is $250,000 — and not his taxable income — then he would not have to pay higher taxes under Mr. Obama’s plan, and probably would be eligible for a tax cut.
Mr. Wurzelbacher is registered to vote in Lucas County under the name Samuel Joseph Worzelbacher.
Since his name is spelled wrong, doesn’t that mean he can’t vote?
And in case you hear about the supposed connection between Robert M. Wurzelbacher of Milford, OH and Charles Keating’s son-in-law of the same name, forget it.
Thanks to Misanthropic Scott
#70 – O-Furniture
>>“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from
>>time to time with the blood of patriots and
>>tyrants. It is natural manure.”
Gosh, O’Furniture. I’ll bet that’s just what William Ayres was thinking when he bombed the Pentagon to make a statement about their immoral behavior. Are you saying you share the same mindset today as a TERRORIST of the sixties?
Are you saying that you don’t just pal around with terrorists, but YOU ARE A TERROIST YOURSELF?
Wow. The Real Paddy O’Furniture reveals himself. Terroism among the right wing! I though you guys just shot abortion doctors and blew up Planned Parenthood offices!
Why is it that I am beginning to feel dirty reading the comments on this blog?
You liberals are turning truly frightening… like reading William Shirer in real time as the brownshirts feel their oats and begin to swagger.
#71–Mark==what “valid argument” did Joe Plumber make?
—and I hope you aren’t posting that liberal/left/dems/Obama go after anyone who disagrees with them while conservatives/right/pubs/McCain sit back passively to the same stimulus? BTW==either side that goes after anyone else and turns up valid dirt has done a public service. Your point on this is WRONG at least on two counts. Good Job.
When Republicans pointed out details of Joe Wilson’s life in response to criticism, Democrats tried to make a federal case out of it.
Here, the extra details have no bearing on the comments he was making.
By the way, Joe is a plumber, regardless of what licenses he does or does not have.
#76 – Lyin’ Mike
>>By the way, Joe is a plumber, regardless of
>>what licenses he does or does not have.
By the same logic, I’m a doctor. Unfortunately, if the revenooers catch me practicing without a license, I’ll suffer the consequences. Just like Joe.
75==Lyin Mike==the comments have EVERY THING to do with him being a plumber. He was made “the everyman small business owner” who’s life was going to be ruined by Obama’s tax program.
and just like YOU, its all BS.
or–please fill in for Mark and tell us what valid point the plumber (sic) made.
# 70 Paddy-O
The fact that you are comparing the founding fathers and what they did to a guy who just doesn’t want to bother to pay his taxes and get a license to do business is almost laughable.
# 75 MikeN
“When Republicans pointed out details of Joe Wilson’s life in response to criticism, Democrats tried to make a federal case out of it.”
BECAUSE THEY EXPOSED A DEEP COVER CIA AGENT!!!!! They put other agents that were ever associated with her in danger. You Tiger Petter
# 77 Mister Mustard
“By the same logic, I’m a doctor. ”
Don’t you get it? Dipshit(Paddy cake) thinks that they too shouldn’t have to bother with those “stupid gov’t regulations” What a fucking dumb ass.
#79 – J
>>? Dipshit(Paddy cake) thinks that they too
>>shouldn’t have to bother with those “stupid
>>gov’t regulations.
Gee. You’d think that after eight failed years of “deregulation”, he’d at least have the common sense to keep an idiotic opinion like that to himself, even if he believes it.
Joe is gonna get McCain in. It’s the hottest news story today. He’s the most talked about person in America, not Madonna, not Obama, it’s Joe The Plumber! Mentioned 26x during the debate. 4 times more than the war. Even that stupid insult dog mentioned Joe The Plumber. You guys should be selling Joe The Plumber t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, and pipe wrenches.
#61, Mustard,
Please quit picking on the retarded kid. This is embarrassing.
I think things just got worse for Joe the plumber and John McCain.
It looks like he IS related to Robert Wurzelbacher the guy who served time for the Keating 5 scandal
Here is a link to someone Martin Eisenstadt who appears to work for the campaign. With guys like this on your side who needs the democrats.
He clearly states that he IS related to Robert Wurzelbacher of the Keating 5 scandal.
http://tinyurl.com/3qz6n9
There is a lot more about this guy that is starting to look very very fishy!!!!!!!!
#83 – J
>>There is a lot more about this guy that is
>>starting to look very very fishy!!!!!!!!
There’s even more about McCAIN that’s looking fishy. For all his bloviating about war hero-dom and how much the vets love him, they seem to think he sucks donkey dick. From some links on that page:
Veterans give McCain a score of “20” (the lowest they awarded) for his record on veterans’ affairs:
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?r_id=3483
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) give McCain a “D” for his record on veterans’ affairs:
http://www.iava.org/full-ratings-list
Oh yeah. He’s taking care of his homies. And you thought Walter Reed was just an aberration? Haw!!
# 84 Mister Mustard
Wow it looks like the disabled vets really don’t like Republicans at all. lol
Why again are the Republicans seen as the pro Military party?
Lately I’ve been going to sleep thinking that when I wake up, Palin, Joe the Plumber, McCain, and the entire Republican party was just my democratic wet dream.
I hope it lasts. My worst fear is I wake up one day and I see Romney on TV addressing the nation.
You are pretending like this guy is innocent. He is not. He fucks over regular working people by skirting around the law and not spending the time to earn a license or training and then by not paying his taxes.
Anytime there are large bureaucracies running the economy, a secondary, underground economy always springs up to compensate for the inefficiencies.
Gripe about Joe all you want, but there are probably more unlicensed plumbers in that city than there are licensed ones.
If you want to back tax dodgers
You mean patriots, right?
#55, Not really. We’ve been bitching about that, too. Where have you been?
#58, Actually, before anyone hires them, they could “ask” to see their license. Now, if they are advertising that they were licensed, they might be charged with fraud. Licensing should be voluntary.
#61, Whatever you want to call it, it is wrong. Have you read that book, “Free to Choose” yet? How many kids have you fed this week? How many homeless people you got in your living room. When you start taking a more active role, THEN you come and talk to us.
#66/69, Sounds like jealousy and revenge to me, not justice.
#80, I don’t like to speak for any other man, but I don’t think he is talking deregulation. He is talking unfettered free market without government interference. There is a difference.
#87 – Liberty Loser
>>I don’t think he is talking deregulation. He
>>is talking unfettered free market without
>>government interference. There is a
>>difference.
Yeah. Deregulation only takes away some of citizens’ protections against greedy, dishonest predators. “Unfettered free market without government interference” is where they just throw away the rule book, and it’s every man for himself. Anarchy. The bank fucks you over? You can slink away with your tail between your legs, or bomb the place and send anthrax to the bank president’s home. No protection for ordinary citizens at all.
#87–Liberty Lover==Mustard has you tagged. Do you see the same “freedom” as suggesting that you should be allowed to drive your car on any side of the road you please and that traffic lights should be “advisory only?”
How about baseball? Use any kind of ball or bat you like?
You really are an idiot. It would be nice if you could experience all the free market freedom you advocate for.
Just leave all sane people out of your self centered fantasy.
#88, Liberty Loser If obama gets elected, this will be all of our names.
You can’t be farther from the truth. If you were to read that book I recommended, you would understand that.
I found an interesting article — on a msm site of all places — and dug a little further. This is what I mean by “unfettered.”
http://tinyurl.com/58qzyr
I know it violates your sensibilities because you don’t think people can really think for themselves (as evidenced by your constantly degrading remarks to anybody who doesn’t agree with you). However, if you were to actually consider that adults _can_ think for themselves and look out for themselves, perhaps a system such as this might be possible.
#51 Mr ‘tard “According to Copperfield Chimney Supply and SNEWS ”
You’re such an IDIOT. No wonder you’ve never run a business. In SoCal a “sweep” contractor concentrates on spark arrestor laws & masonry repairs due to quakes & tremors. That you don’t know that SoCal is wild fire & earthquake prone proves you live in your moms basement.
#72 “Gosh, O’Furniture. I’ll bet that’s just what William Ayres was thinking when he bombed the Pentagon to make a statement about their immoral behavior. Are you saying you share the same mindset today as a TERRORIST of the sixties?
Are you saying that you don’t just pal around with terrorists, but YOU ARE A TERROIST YOURSELF?”
No. A terrorist, like Ayres & crew set bombs that kill random innocent people.
Patriots use weapons that kill single, targeted, tyrants…
# 92 Paddy-O
“Patriots use weapons that kill single, targeted, tyrants…”
Wow you really don’t know your American history do you?
#94 JJ sputtered, “Wow you really don’t know your American history do you?”
Better than you if you think the Founding fathers would have put up with requiring a gov’t license and permission to do home improvement work and earn a living! LOL!
You crack me up!
Interesting, we now know more about a plumber who asked a presidential candidate a question than the candidate who was asked the question…
I guess all this time I misunderstood the First Amendment to the Constitution to grant free speech to citizens of the United States of America. Apparently, that right is only granted if an individual meets certain criteria established by the 4th branch of the government – THE PRESS.
God help those of us who dare to question, let alone disagree with “The One” and his coming kingdom.
# 95 Paddy-O
Paddy cake if you think that our patriots
only used “weapons that kill single, targeted, tyrants…” you are seriously misinformed about American history.
“Better than you if you think the Founding fathers would have put up with requiring a gov’t license and permission to do home improvement work and earn a living! LOL!”
Wow are you ignorant of American history. In early America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson encouraged the development of building regulations to provide for minimum standards related to public health and safety.
Guess what? That ended up requiring PERMITS!!!!!!!!!
Look it up asshat maybe then you won’t be so fucking ignorant that you will stick your foot in your mouth.
# 96 Benji
“Interesting, we now know more about a plumber who asked a presidential candidate a question than the candidate who was asked the question…”
Oh Bullshit!!!!
“I guess all this time I misunderstood the First Amendment to the Constitution to grant free speech to citizens of the United States of America. ”
I guess you did because no one is limiting his free speech. It seems as if you don’t like it when other people use theirs though. It is perfectly in line with the first amendment to attack a critic with free speech.
This guys is related to a the guy who spent time in prison because of the Keating 5 scandal. A scandal that John McCain was involved in. He is a registered Republican that gave money to the Republican party this year. Then he lied about being a plumber who was going to buy his business that he worked at for six years. He lied about the amount the business it would make. The business only makes $150,000 not $250,000.
He is a liar and a cheat and tax dodger. He is breaking the law if he works as a plumber in his county. He thinks he can get ahead without following the rules!!!! Is that fair to all the other Americans that do follow the rules? Why should he have an advantage? Why is he intitled to get a tax break when he breaks the law? If he doesn’t he pay his taxes now what makes you think he will pay any other increase he gets?
Why did he do it? Why did he have to lie? Was it because he wanted to fit a profile that the campaign was looking for?
#97 JJ
Still can’t confront that the Founding Fathers would NEVER allow the regulation that currently exists on citizens, can you?
Give it up. Just say that you disagree with the Founder’s idea of personal freedoms…
# 99 Paddy-O
How fucking dense are you?
THEY THOUGHT REGULATIONS WERE A GOOD IDEA!!!!!
YOU ARE WRONG AND I PROVED IT!!!!
You are either a complete dumb fuck or you are mentally ill.
#100 JJ
Just admit it. You’ll feel better telling the truth, for once.
I find it amazing that when a man simply asks a question of messiah Obama he is investigated and berated and his entire family history is gone over with a fine tooth comb, But when some one wants to investigate messiah Obamas working relationships and past working history it is racist and your an evil neocon
so why isnt what is good for the goose good for the gander