Joe the plumber (Samuel J. Wurzelbacher) epitomizes the quintessential spirit of America - the dream to excel regardless of the situation he is in today.

Turns out he works as a plumber for someone else, does not make the kind of money he would like to make, owes back-taxes and yet he dreams of owning a plumbing business someday and hire people to work.

What is wrong with that? Many a businesses started like that. Josephine Esther Mentzer, daughter of immigrants, concocted potions in her bathtub and sold them as cosmetics. She eventually founded Estee Lauder (I wonder if she had a license to make cosmetics then). Hewlett and Packard started their business from a garage (literally) - wonder if their garage was zoned for business use? Bill Gates started Microsoft from his dorm room at Harvard ( wonder if Harvard ever claimed intellectual property rights for studying there while he started company in the dorm room).

Licensing is a big source of revenue for local and state governments. Where I live, a roofer from one town/county cannot work in an adjacent town/county unless he obtains a permit to operate there for a small fee. Who pays for the fee? You do. It simply gets added as cost of doing business and is added to your job estimate.

I am all for making sure the job is done right and that codes are followed. After all when an inspection is conducted during work, it would be the inspector's role to insure that.

So why the extensive scrutiny for Joe the plumber? All because he found holes in Obama's tax plan or he got Obama to say that his plan would spread the wealth? So distract people from what the candidate said by ridiculing Joe the plumber, exposing him as a fraud, cheat and liar. We all have skeletons in our closets and have made mistakes.

As Lou Dobbs (CNN) said the other day on his show, Joe the plumber finds fault with the economic plan and he has media circus around his house whereas Bill Ayers - radical who might have links to Obama and has professed to bombing various places has not a single media person visiting !!

http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/category/war-on-the-middle-class/

Michelle Malkin outlines the systematic destruction of Joe the Plumber in her article:

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/10/17/operation-destroy-joe-the-plumber/

In her column, Pam writes about Martin Nesbitt - treasurer of Obama's campaign who also has tax liens:

http://rightvoices.com/2008/10/17/martin-nesbitt-the-treasurer-of-obama%e2%80%99s-campaign-has-tax-liens-so-do-his-companies-but-by-all-means-lets-go-after-joe-the-plumber/

Why does the common man get trounced so easily whereas the high and mighty often escape with little or no damage? Has $$$$ bought the loyalty of all major news outlets? Or do they feel that they need to right the mistakes of the past?

Regardless of the rationale, it is individuals like Joe that will pay the price.

I have no axe to grind with Obama nor I am a friend of McCain. I loved Bill Clinton as president. My gripe is: Why is Obama treated with kid gloves? This was first enunciated by Tina Fey (SNL), then Hillary, Palin and now McCain. I have not heard Obama repudiate the media criticism of Joe the plumber - instead Joe Biden went on to criticize Joe the plumber. Obama could have turned this around by telling Joe the plumber, his tax breaks could help him achieve his goal - but he didn't.

There is a basic flaw with "spreading the wealth" economics. Ever wonder why the former USSR had so few business enterpreneurs? Why bother creating wealth if it is going to be spread around!!

So hang in there Joe and do not give up on your dreams! It is people like you that have made America the country it is today despite the tough times. Keep your chin up and keep your dreams alive. With plenty of hard work and little bit of luck you will own your own business someday.

We love you!

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