www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081016/NEWS09/810160418
TOM TROY BLADE STAFF WRITERS "Joe the Plumber" isnt a plumber at least not a licensed one, or a registered one. A check of state and local licensing agencies in Ohio and Michigan shows no plumbing licenses under Samuel Joseph Wurzelbachers name, or even misspellings of his name. Last night, his name, "Joe the Plumber," came up about two dozen times in the debate between Mr Obama and Republican nominee John McCain. Since last night Mr Wurzelbacher who lives alone with his 13-year-old son has been besieged with local and national news media, willingly granting interviews. According to Lucas County Building Inspection records, A W Newell Corp. does maintain a state plumbing license, and one with the City of Toledo, but would not be allowed to work in Lucas County outside of Toledo without a county license.
Mr Wurzelbacher said he works under Al Newells license, but according to Ohio building regulations, he must maintain his own license to do plumbing work. He is also not registered to operate as a plumber in Ohio, which means hes not a plumber. Mr Wurzelbacher said he was hired by Mr Newell six years ago and that the possibility of him eventually buying the company was discussed during his job interview. He said its his understanding he can work under Mr Newells license as long as the licensed contractor works on the same site. Mr Wurzelbacher said he is working on taking the Ohio plumbing contractors license test. Mr Wurzelbachers notoriety has raised the ire of Tom Joseph, business manager for Local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters, and Service Mechanics, who claimed that Mr Wurzelbacher didnt undergo any apprenticeship training. "When you have guys going out there with no training whatsoever, its a little disreputable to start with," Mr Joseph said. Mr Joseph said Mr Wurzelbacher could only legally work in the townships, but not in any municipality in Lucas County or elsewhere in the country. "This individual has got no schooling, no licenses, hes never been to a training program, union or non-union, in the United States of America," Mr Joseph said. The association has endorsed Barack Obama, according to Mr Joseph. Questions were raised Thursday morning whether Mr Wurzelbacher is a registered voter. Linda Howe, executive director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, said a Samuel Joseph Worzelbacher, whose address and age match Joe the Plumbers, registered in Lucas County on Sept. He voted in his first primary on March 4 of this year, registering as a Republican. Ms Howe said that the name may be misspelled in the database. Mr Wurzelbacher, 34, acknowledged during an interview at his home late Thursday morning that he knows hes "a flash in the pan," after his fame spread for an impromptu debate he had in front of his Springfield Township home with Mr Obama last Sunday. Mr Wurzelbacher said he objects to Mr Obamas plans to raise income taxes on incomes above $250,000. He said he makes no where near that much money but he would not say how much he makes or if he ever expects to make $250,000. Court records from a divorce show Mr Wurzelbacher made $40,000 in 2006. He said, "Is it right to take someones money because they work a little harder? Mr Wurzelbacher said he disagrees with the idea of people being taxed at a higher rate because they earn more. "Theyre going to take more of your money because youve been more successful," he said. In January, 2007, the Ohio Department of Taxation placed a lien against him because $1,183 in personal property taxes had not been paid, but there has been no action in the case since it was filed. Mr Wurzelbacher was playing football in his front yard with his son, Joey, on Sunday afternoon when Mr Obama made an unscheduled stop to go door to door greeting voters and asking for their support. In his conversation with Mr Wurzelbacher, Mr Obama tried to justify his plan tax breaks to 95 percent of Americans and raise taxes on incomes above $250,000. Mr Obama said his plan would improve the economy for other people trying to get a start in small business, and "spread the wealth." The phrase was quickly picked up by conservative bloggers and commentators saying it reveals a desire to redistributed wealth on the part of Mr Obama. During that same conversation, Mr Wurzelbacher advocated a flat tax to Mr Obama under which everyone would pay the same rate of tax which was a feature of Mike Huckabees unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nomination this year. Mr Wurzelbacher said he was surprised by the spread the wealth phrase. When is it going to be one fifty ($150,000), when its going to be one hundred ($100,000)?" He continued: "If you believe him, I would be receiving his tax cut," adding that he would not want the tax cut. He said he was born in the Toledo area, lived until he was 13 in the Florida Panhandle area, went to Springfield High School, and then entered the US Air Force. He was stationed at an Air Force base in Alaska from 1992 until 1995. Mr Wurzelbacher also said he lived in Arizona from 1997 until 2000. com By BRIDGET THARP and MARK ZABORNEY BLADE STAFF WRITERS The story of "Joe the Plumber" - Joe Wurzelbacher of Shrewsbury Street in Springfield Township - became a centerpiece of the early minutes of the presidential debate last night. And Joe the Plumber became the subject of national and international interest. Mr Wurzelbacher, 34, was more interested in taking in the debate than in assessing his place in presidential politics. "Honestly, I'm a small part of it," Mr Wurzelbacher said. "They're just using me as an example right now for the American public. He excused himself so he could finish watching Barack Obama and John McCain debate. But after the debate, Mr Wurzelbacher expressed some embarrassment that he was now known across America as Joe the Plumber. "There's a lot more important issues than me, and I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable with it," he said. "Everyone's more worried about what Joe the Plumber has to say than what Obama or McCain has to say." While watching the debate at home with his father, he was interrupted several times by calls from the national media including CNN, Fox News, and Good Morning America. In addition, CNBC, ABC News, the Wall Street Journal, the Houston Chronicle, and the BBC called The Blade in their quest to reach Joe the Plumber.
Photo Reprints Mr Wurzelbacher and Mr Obama had something of a debate Sunday as the candidate walked house to house on Shrewsbury at the start of the candidate's four-day visit in the Toledo area. He told Mr Obama that he was trying to buy a plumbing business. "I'm being taxed more and more for fulfilling the American dream," Mr Wurzelbacher said Sunday. Mr Obama said, in part, "It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody that is behind you, that they have a chance for success, too. "I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." The exchange was caught on videotape and was broadcast on a variety of news outlets and put on numerous Web sites, including YouTube. It was the "spread the wealth around" comment that caught the attention of conservative commentators, including Rush Limbaugh, and in discussions on the Internet. Mr Wurzelbacher was a guest of Fox News' Neil Cavuto on Tuesday. During the debate, Mr McCain challenged Mr Obama: "Joe wants to buy the business that he has been in for all of these years, worked 10, 12 hours a day. And he wanted to buy the business, but he looked at your tax plan and he saw that he was going to pay much higher taxes." "You were going to put him in a higher tax bracket which was going to increase his taxes, which was going to cause him not to be able to employ people, which Joe was trying to realize the American dream," Mr McCain said. Mr McCain then looked directly into the television camera and said: "Joe, I want to tell you, I'll not only help you buy that business that you worked your whole life for and I'll keep your taxes low and I'll provide available and affordable health care for you and your employees. And I will not stand for a tax increase on small-business income." "Not only...
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