Say It Ain’t So Plumber Joe

Joe seems like a nice guy. He talks straight and makes perfect sense.

Joe mentions in the interview that the progressive tax is “a socialist view”. The last I checked, our government was taking part ownership in failing investment banks. I guess we’re already socialists. A 3% tax on %5 of the population is hardly socialist in comparison. I guess when reckless folks making over $250,000 a year put the whole economy in jeopardy then it is OK to be a little socialist and bail them out.

Joe was NOT a plant, he was simply “contacted by them and asked to show up at a rally”. The cameras just happened to be there.

In my experience, people making over $250,000 a year are able to afford great accountants. Great accountants make money disappear. I have a friend who is paying $35,000 on $1M in income. Pretty fair huh?

“Why should they be penalized for being successful?” asks Joe. Or better yet, why should they get massive tax BREAKS for being successful (Big Oil, Financial Institutions, etc.), or be allowed to base headquarters overseas to avoid taxes altogether?

Would Joe suggest simply raising taxes across the board? How about some equality! Let’s raise everyone’s taxes 3% and make a whole lot more money. And while we’re at it let’s make folks earning minimum wage pay 39% taxes. All is fair in love and capitalism right? How about poor babies that need medical care? Isn’t it really unfair that they get the care for free but a baby with rich parents has to pay for it?  Or perhaps Exxon  shouldn’t get a free ride on taxes. Maybe Exxon should pay 39% taxes as well?

Life isn’t fair Joe. And free market “fair” capitalism seems to have some subtle flaws wouldn’t you agree? 3% doesn’t seem to be too much to ask. Their accountants will find a loophole anyway.

I don’t think there is a right answer here. Obviously, there are arguments for and against. But it just isn’t as simple as Joe makes it out to be.

Kids Today: Reinvention, Reaffiliation, and the Nimble Identity

When I was in high school I had five or six close friends. We were drawn together by similar interests in music, sports, political outlook, and general demeanor (slouching, sarcasm, etc.) Just five miles away there was probably another high school with a small group of five friends just like us. But we had never met them. We knew they existed but they weren’t part of our daily reality. Our world revolved around school, our family, and our friends. Nice and Simple.

Health Insurance: Not Just For Responsible People

Hello fellow musicians, artists, etc.

Just a quick note.

Please, please, please consider getting health insurance if you don’t already have it.

If you have it and your friends don’t have it … then please forward this along.

I’m a pretty health conscious guy. I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs, I drink once or twice a month, I eat right, I take no prescription medications, and I work out regularly.

For a long time I didn’t have insurance. The very thought of participating in a scheme that I deemed corrupt made me sick. Ideology aside, I was short on money and this seemed like a good way to save. When I got sick I’d pay doctors in cash and they would usually cut me a deal. This approach worked for a long time. Health Insurance seemed like something corrupt and adult. Plus, if I was already broke, then how bad could it be?