Bob The Builder, Dora The Explorer, and now Joe The Plumber?
Posted: Thursday, October 16, 2008
by Sandra E. Graham
My Books and Articles
As I sit with my grandson watching television and flipping through the cartoon channels, I ask him what he wants to watch. I find Dora the Explorer, but he says no, not that. Then we come to Bob the Builder and again he says no, so on down the guide we go.
I pause for a few minutes on MSNBC to catch the latest and you guessed it- Joe the Plumber is holding a nationalized curbside press conference in his driveway.
If you want your dirty laundry hung out for the world to see, just rub elbows with a politician on the campaign trail. Then it's a given that whatever you have hidden in your closet won't be hidden for long.
And now we get the scuttle that Joe the Plumber-the all-American, tax-paying, every-man-is not. There are rumors that he is behind on his taxes. He is totally against social security. "I have a mom and dad; I don't need someone telling me what to do with my money". His big concern seems to be whether he will have to pay even higher taxes (not that he has paid any) if he buys the plumbing company that he currently works for and ends up making over $250,000 per year. Thank God he doesn't do plumbing in Arkansas-my plumber has to have a second job to make ends meet and he does exceptionally good work as a plumber; he just doesn't charge an arm and a leg!
I wonder if Joe's Mom and Dad feel the same way as he about social security? I'm afraid there would be many, many seniors out there that would be lost without their mere pittance of social security-which they are probably glad to get. It's true that many of our elderly didn't pay social security, but now someone has to take care of them and if that takes the younger generations paying in social security; then so be it. We can only hope that social security does not go the way of the stock market (belly up) for future generations.
If Joe hadn't wanted the rest of the world to know his secrets, he should have avoided advertising on national television. It is well known that the media pecks and scratches until something is dug up besides worms. In this world (unless of course, you were born of the Virgin Mary) you have to learn quickly to keep your head down, your mouth shut, and stay out of the spotlight.
No matter what promotion one side of the political arena comes up with, the other side will dig up the dirty pin that will poke a hole in their bubble. And now they have stooped to using the every-day-working-man as a pawn in their fight for the top. Each party would do well to do their homework before writing their campaign speeches-for who knows; Bob the Builder may be taking kickbacks from his construction contractors and Dora the Explorer could very well be writing off her Alaskan cruises as researching new oil drilling possibilities. I'm afraid to hazard what Sponge Bob is up to!!!!
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Sandra E. Graham, author, AMOS JAKEY and NICOLINA published by American Book Publishing. I also write book reviews for authors through Book Pleasures. Visit my website for more information on my books that are in print now and reviews I have written.
http://www.sandragraham-articles-books.com
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More commentsI agree with you, Sandra! Samuel Wurzelbacher, the real Joe the Plumber thought he was doing someone else harm when he allowed himself to be used by McCain in that way. My thing is Joe doesn't seem to even understand what social security is. He doesn't seem to understand the economic plight this country faces either. He needs a spank in the rear from his parents about his stance on social security. He is probably glad he is not making $250,000 (but he won't say that). For a man making less than $40,000, Joe will not even qualify for a loan to purchase a $250,000 business.Thanks for reading and commenting, Zeambo. And welcome to searchwarp.Sandra
$40,000 a year, now who makes that? Only kidding about 60 million and most likely less then that.That's right, Robert. My husband and I both now draw social security--we will never see $40k again! Thanks for reading and commenting.Sandra
I wonder how much of the problem is the candidates, and how much is the rampant disrespect of media for privacy? The candidates bring up these subjects to their own advantage, but the press floods our senses with every irrelevant minutiae of it. The floodgates are open, and while I am the last person to give up freedom of the press, it's kind of like gun control. Do we want a society where the press can expose every flaw, any more than we want a society where anybody can own a submachine gun or live hand grenades? Whatever happened to sensitivity and compassion...a rhetorical question, you don't have to answer.Thank you, Gregory, for reading and commenting. And welcome to SearchWarp.Sandra
I really like your article.
The smear on Joe the plumber is hilarious. It is the media trying to cover-up Obama's comment to "spread the wealth" to Joe the plumber. They have dug up more stuff on Joe then they have on Obama.
Sandra, what great insights you've shared in this article! Enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for the time you devote to writing for us all. Keep up the creative writing. ~mogama~
Good article, Sandra. I don't agree with you on parts of it, though. Joe asked a question. He is not the one that should be scrutinized. I have owed back taxes in the past. Doesn't mean I didn't pay them, just that not enough was taken out of my check so I had to make payments. I know many that have owed taxes at some point in their lives. You made me laugh, though - Loved the reference to Jesus! And I agree that there will be dirt dug up on both sides of the political arena - sadly.Have a good day, Sandra. Your articles are always a good read.
WONDERFUL JOB!!! TO THE POINT AND VERY TRUE TO THE FACT. PROPS TO YOU MR. GRAHAM.
Another great article. Wonderful writer. Some may think you are taking sides and 'cutting down' Joe. But I didn't read it that way--I think you are right about the media making mountains out of mole hills.Keep writing.Phyllis.
This was absolutely wonderful. If there is a problem with Search Warp that I have found, it is that there are just too many fantastic articles to get to them all. Glad I found this one. Thank you Ms. Graham
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