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.