McCain Campaign Press Release - "In Case You Missed It": Joe The Plumber On Barack Obama's Tax Increases

"I mean, $250,000 now. What if he decides, well you know $150,000, you're pretty rich too. Let's go ahead and lower it again. You know it's a slippery slope. When's it going to stop?" -- Joe The Plumber

ABC's "Good Morning America"

October 16, 2008

ABC's Diane Sawyer: "Well I just want to ask you now about the issue that was raised because it's been a little confusing to me as I tried to sort it out here. To get straight here, you're not taking home $250,000 now, am I right?"

Joe Wurzelbacher: "No. No. Not even close."

Sawyer: "And you were you asking -- about the prospect, the hope that someday you would make $250,000, and you were saying you didn't want that to be taxed?"

Wurzelbacher: "Well, exactly. Exactly. I mean not that I don't want to be taxed. You have to be taxed. But to -- just because you work a little harder to have a little bit more money taken from you, I mean, that's scary. You know as opposed to other people. I worked hard for it. Why should I be taxed more than other people?"

Sawyer: "Well if people making $250,000 should not be taxed additionally -- by the way, it's 3% from 36% to 39% under Senator Obama's plan. If those people should not be taxed additionally, even though they're in the top 5% of America, what about people who make $1 million? Or $5 million?"

Wurzelbacher: "Well, I mean, quite honestly, why should they be penalized for being successful. I mean, that's what you're telling me. That's what it sounds like you're saying. That's wrong. Because you're successful, you have to pay more than everybody else? We all live in this country. It's a basic right. And Obama wants to take that basic right and penalize me for it, is what it comes down to. That's a very socialist view and it's incredibly wrong. I mean, $250,000 now. What if he decides, well you know $150,000, you're pretty rich too. Let's go ahead and lower it again. You know it's a slippery slope. When's it going to stop?"

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