Joe vs. Obama

ABC reports that "Joe the Plumber" has clarified his financial and his philosophical positions on Senator Obama's tax policy. It turns out that he's not about to make $250,000 anytime soon, and would more likely be entitled to a tax cut at his current income level under the Obama plan. But he just doesn't like the idea that, as he puts it, the more successful he gets, the more he'd have to pay in taxes. It doesn't seem fair to him. Would he prefer the opposite? Yeah, that'd teach those lazy loafers to get off their asses; pay more taxes the less you make! Actually, based on his meeting with Obama it looks like Joe would prefer a flat tax. I'd like to see us try to win World War II with a flat tax -- I'm sure there's a libertarian or a supply-sider out there who thinks we could have -- but our plumber seems to have a hard time looking beyond his own interests. Anything else, after all, would be "socialistic," and the poor man might not rise to the level he'd be entitled to in the state of nature. But we're not in the state of nature, are we? So why do Joe and so many other people act as if they are?