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a closer look at joe plumber

no offense to ohio plumber joe wurzelbacher, but fuck joe plumber. i mean, as far as i can tell he's hard working guy with a good head on his shoulders and reasonable fears about his future well-being. in an internet interview conducted shorty after meeting barack obama, mr. wurzelbacher quite intelligently pointed out concerns he had with what could become a genuine flaw in some of obama's proposed programs. he stated, “you start giving people stuff, and then they start expecting it — and that scares me." and you know what? he's right. i've seen enough people mooch off of government funded programs to know that you have to be careful who you help, what kind of help you provide, and how you judge if they have earned that help. good point joe. if these programs are put into place they will have to be closely monitored and policed to avoid abuse and curb possible corruption. and, to the best of my knowledge, obama has admitted this and pledged to do just that. moving along...

see the real problem is that after that semi-intelligent train of thought, joe descended into a right-wing mindset, basically comparing obama's proposed plans to socialism. he felt that though he wants all people to have health care, it isn't his problem to make sure they do. really joe? so let me get this straight. you think that we should vote for a president who supports letting a man whose business makes him over $250,000 a year and a working father making about $40,000 annually fight it out on the same playing field? umm...fuck you joe plumber. enjoy your 15 minutes of fame and shut up.

and guess who the joe plumber's of the america hire when they need someone to work long hours for low wages? illegal immigrants. who won't get the health care mccain is proposing and will take jobs away from working americans. you know it. i know it. cut the shit.

my personal opinion? if i get taxed a little more (and i won't under obama's plan, and neither will you unless i'm really popular and millionaires are now reading this blog) so that children and the elderly can live healthier lives, so that we can put a greater focus on our children's educations, so that we can give those who are lagging behind the tools to better themselves and, in turn, better our country then go right ahead. and if you think that's socialism then call me john marx. it's close enough to my name anyway.

bravery in the face of ignorance

i really can't imagine being barack obama. i can't imagine campaigning across the country. i can't imagine kissing babies and shaking hands. i can't imagine orating speech after speech in front of huge crowds. and i can't even begin to imagine having to defend my patriotism because of my name. or the color of my skin. or who my friends are. i can't imagine having the cover of a national magazine parody the appearance and beliefs of my wife and myself. i can't imagine the united states election system "mistakenly" confusing my name with that of the mastermind of the largest terrorist attack in the history of my country. and i can't imagine doing all of that with a singular though in my head - today might be the day i die.

you all do realize this, right? barack obama is the first black presidential nominee of a major party. jesse jackson he is not. in less than one month this man may just be the president of these united states. and as much hope and optimism as this may bring for so many us, it also stimulates an equal amount of hate and fear in a great number of our fellow americans. and this is why i am almost positive that, despite the overpowering dedication and passion that it takes for any person to run for the most powerful seat in the land, barack obama is contantly haunted by that thought - today might be the day i die. and it could be. hate and fear are strong emotions, especially when mixed with ignorance and stupidity. there are people in this country who do not want to see barack obama in the white house for one reason and one reason only. why? let's just say they want to keep it a 'white' house. and many of those people feel they have an obligation to keep this from happening. and for some, that obligation goes beyond the voting booth. i am relatively certain that there are people in this country who will do whatever it takes to prevent obama from taking office in washington. they believe he will taint, dishonor, and even destroy our nation. and i am utterly fearful of the lengths they will go to to prevent this.

so the next time you see barack obama smiling for the cameras, giving a speech, spending quality time with his wife and daughters, or just being - try to comprehend how much courage that takes. just to be him. i can't imagine...