"The Affordable Debating Act of 2014"

With the water out in Maplewood, I thought this little story would give us something to think about the next time we need a plumber...

Only weeks after leaving office on January 20, 2017, former president Barack Obama discovers a leak under his sink, so he calls his pal Joe the Plumber to come out and fix it. Joe drives to Obama's new house, which is located in a very exclusive, gated community near Chicago where all the residents have a net income of more than $250,000 per year.

Joe arrives and takes his tools into the house. Joe is led to the guest bathroom that contains the leaky pipe under the sink. Joe assesses the problem and tells Obama that it's an easy repair that will take less than 10 minutes. Obama asks Joe how much it will cost. Joe checks his rate chart and says, "$9,500."

"What?! $9,500?" Obama asks, stunned, "But you said it's an easy repair Michelle will whip me if I pay a plumber that much!" Joe says, "Yes, but what I do is charge those who make $250,000 per year a much higher amount so I can fix the plumbing of poorer people for free," explains Joe. "This has always been my philosophy. As a matter of fact, I lobbied the Democrat Congress, who passed this philosophy into law. Now all plumbers must do business this way. It's known as 'Affordable Plumbing Act of 2014 ' I'm surprised you haven't heard of it."

In spite of that, Obama tells Joe there's no way he's paying that much for a small plumbing repair, so Joe leaves. Obama spends the next hour flipping through the phone book calling for another plumber, but he finds that all other plumbing businesses in the area have gone out of business. Not wanting to pay Joe's price, Obama does nothing and the leak goes unrepaired for several more days. A week later the leak is so bad that Obama had to put a bucket under the sink. Michelle is not happy as she has Oprah and guests arriving the next morning. The bucket fills up quickly and has to be emptied every hour and there's a risk that the room will flood, so Obama calls Joe and pleads with him to return.

Joe goes back to Obama's house, looks at the leaky pipe, checks his new rate chart and says, "Let's see, this will now cost you $21,000." Obama quickly fires back, "What! A few days ago you told me it would only cost $9,500!"

Joe explains, "Well, because of the 'Affordable Plumbing Act ,' a lot of wealthier people are learning how to maintain and take care of their own plumbing, so there are fewer payers into the plumbing exchanges. As a result, the price I have to charge wealthy people like you keeps rising. Not only that, but for some reason the demand for plumbing work by those who get it for free has skyrocketed! There's a long waiting list of those who need repairs but the amount we get doesn't cover our costs. This unfortunately has put a lot of my fellow plumbers out of business, they're not being replaced, and nobody is going into the plumbing business because they know they can't make any money at it. I'm hurting, too, all thanks to greedy rich people like you who won't pay their fair Share!!!!!!!!

(yawn)

TL;DR

(yawn)

...yea, I know. It's just a lazy Saturday afternoon; and when I get bored, the first place I turn too is the All Politics Soapbox.... ;-)

You are just an idiot. I am sick of you wasting everyone's time with your racist drivel and nonsense. Move to another town where you can be with people like yourself.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/hidden-healthcare-horrors/

RobB said:

TL;DR

yup. especially when you have a pretty good idea where it's headed.

please do not feed the trolls. Thank you.

I confess that I found this line funny... "a lot of wealthier people are learning how to maintain and take care of their own plumbing."

Cher was not fair she had dark hair.

"Move to another town where you can be with people like yourself."

Where might that be pal? Let's see, places with idiots who waste everyone's time with racist drivel and nonsense. The first place that comes to mind would be Washington, DC and the White House.

It never ceases to amaze me how I'm able to bring out the best in liberals. Come on roundhouse, tell me how you really feel. Let your brilliance bubble up out of that sewer you think is a brain...

Just in case you forgot your attribution, Art.

http://joeforamerica.com/2015/02/affordable-plumbing-act-goes-viral/

Hey Wharfrat, I know a good thing when I see it... ;-)

What began as a metaphor for the abject stupidity of not stopping the passage of The Affordable Care Act is going nuts all over the Internet.

Obama Care is a train wreck and most Americans knew it from the jump.Joe started this “Affordable Plumbing Act” last year and now it’s taking off!

Obama calls another plumber who doesn't use broken analogies. Bob the plumber understands that the poor who Joe claims to be doing pro bono work for are mostly renters and wouldn't have to pay for pipes to be repaired. Joe is fined, again, for operating without a proper license. The end.

Not one to give up that easily, Joe then reinvents himself and becomes a politician where he hopes someday to reach high office where he can get his pipes cleaned for just being the #1 head master...

Maybe Joe can run over to Millburn and fix that broken pipe. Then he can insure that the water supply being fed to Irvington, Maplewood and Millburn is free of dastardly microbes.

Then he can fade into the sunset and live forever in song and legend.

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things. The Free Market is fine for the first. It doesn't work for the second.

ajc said:

(yawn)

...yea, I know. It's just a lazy Saturday afternoon; and when I get bored, the first place I turn too is the All Politics Soapbox.... ;-)

And post regurgitated crap.

LOST said:

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things. The Free Market is fine for the first. It doesn't work for the second.

It works fine for healthcare, if your objective is to ensure that not everyone is covered.

The fundamental difference between the U.S. and nearly every other nation is that, as a society, we have not adopted the philosophy that EVERYONE has the right to decent healthcare. So, instead, it is treated like a commercial commodity and we get false analogies like this.

sac said:

The fundamental difference between the U.S. and nearly every other nation is that, as a society, we have not adopted the philosophy that EVERYONE has the right to decent healthcare. So, instead, it is treated like a commercial commodity and we get false analogies like this.

Exactly. The attitude of the OP and the Republican party that basic healthcare somehow needs to be "earned" is barbaric and immoral. The way they can dismiss the most primary needs of their neighbors is beyond sad...it's dangerous.

It lost me at Joe the Plumber, who is now Sam the UAW Member at Chrysler.

LOST said:

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things. The Free Market is fine for the first. It doesn't work for the second.

How would you know?

Woot said:

LOST said:

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things. The Free Market is fine for the first. It doesn't work for the second.

It works fine for healthcare, if your objective is to ensure that not everyone is covered.

The intervention of the intervention of the intervention of the intervention of the intervention of the intervention of the intervention of the intervention of the free market has caused tons of problems. Therefore, the free market doesn't work. Infallible logic if I've ever seen it.

roundhouse said:

You are just an idiot. I am sick of you wasting everyone's time with your racist drivel and nonsense. Move to another town where you can be with people like yourself.

Personal attack. Not cool ... For the record, "Real Life" Art is one of the most generous, community-minded folks you'll meet ... It must be something about Redumblicans and computers ...

FWIW, I'm sure roundhouse must also be a cool guy in "Real Life".

I'll bet the farm his family is proud of him, and his friends all say he's the life of the party. I mean even I knew after his first few words he was a class act... ;-)

TylerDurden said:

LOST said:

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things.

How would you know?

Plumbers are pipes. Doctors are healthcare.

Electricians are wires. Also different.

TylerDurden said:

LOST said:

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things. The Free Market is fine for the first. It doesn't work for the second.

How would you know?

A lifetime, well many many years, of hiring plumbers and buying healthcare insurance.

Woot said:

LOST said:

Plumbing and healthcare are two different things. The Free Market is fine for the first. It doesn't work for the second.

It works fine for healthcare, if your objective is to ensure that not everyone is covered.

"Conservatives" believe that they are being ripped off by "the poor" whose poverty is the result of their own laziness. By not providing free services to the poor hey incentivize them to go out and work hard.

Libertarians believe that the free market always offers the best solution to everything and government intervention is always bad.

To me both views are removed from reality.

ajc said:

FWIW, I'm sure roundhouse must also be a cool guy in "Real Life".

I'll bet the farm his family is proud of him, and his friends all say he's the life of the party. I mean even I knew after his first few words he was a class act... ;-)

A key tenet of liberalism is inclusiveness. Roundhouse is not a liberal.

It's good to see that you have opinions on people and things other than Netanyahu and Middle East chances for peace. ;-)