Posted by: Jean Paul Vellotti
When I settled down to watch the final debate of this
presidential race, I never expected in the opening salvo I would hear a sob-story
about Joe Wurzelbacher, the now famous plumber from Toledo, Ohio.
And I certainly didn’t expect to hear over-and-over, “Joe
the plumber this, and Joe the plumber that.” You’d think both candidates spent
hours with this man since they knew so much about him.
Here’s why I have no sympathy. First, Joe was asking about
taxation over $250,000. Sounds about right for a plumber. When was the last
time a plumber gave you a bill and your reaction was, “Wow, that’s so
much less than I expected.”
If you don’t think plumbers charge way too much, how about
this: One day a man returned home from work early. In the driveway was a
plumber’s truck. He said to himself, “Please, let it be an affair.”
Or this: A plumber gave a surgeon a bill for $450. The
surgeon said, “This is outrageous. I don’t make that much in an hour,” to which
the plumber replied, “Neither did I when I was a surgeon.”
On a somewhat more serious note, some years ago I wrote a
series of those little books you can buy for a dollar at supermarket checkouts.
One of them was called, “How to Talk to
Your Plumber.” Since I grew up in the trades, I presented a way for
homeowners and tradesmen to communicate with each other in a clear and
respectful manner. The book sold out and was widely reprinted.
When I wrote it, I specifically thought about the way I was sometimes
treated by affluent homeowners who thought I was nothing more than their
servant.
It felt something like the hollow and insincere way Obama and
McCain addressed Joe the plumber during the debate.
John and Barack, you don’t know how to talk to Joe the plumber. I do, and
so do all the other tradesmen who work with him every day.
