Just picking nits here:
I think it's terribly funny, all this fuss about "Joe the Plumber". McCain was certainly right to jump on this, but it's this same damn debate about whether or not we should have taxes, who should pay them, race and class. Don't forget competence in government, wasteful spending, socialism, etc.
1) To Obama: You blew it from the beginning of your campaign. By accepting Hillary Clinton's definition of "middle class" (that is, $250,000), you've defined "middle class", "working families" and the like at 250K. That's the top 5% of income earning households! What the hell were you thinking?
2) To "Joe The Plumber": First, thanks for getting Obama to admit that he wants to "spread the wealth around." Redistribution is something Democrats don't really want to talk about. Second, guess what? If you're pulling down 250K in income (in Ohio!), you're definitely at the top 5% of income earners. Sorry, buddy, you're going to see your taxes go up.
Here's my point: I am not an economist, but I get the feeling that the US government's going to need a little cash in the next few years. I don't really know the area under the income distribution curve for the top 5%, but I get the feeling it's not enough. It's a crap sandwich, but better higher taxes on the "middle class" than government defaulting on its obligations, etc. I'd like to think it went to pay for debt service and tanks to scare 3rd world countries, but that's an argument for another time.
