October 19, 2008 12:08 PM UTC

We need not fear Joe, the Unlicensed Plumber.

• 4 Comments
• by: Stringer

In Sundays Colorado Springs Gazette, their editorial staff said in part the following about then now famous Joe.

…”John McCain, … referred repeatedly during the Wednesday debate to “Joe the Plumber,” a man who had complained to Barack Obama that his tax plan might cause him trouble. Specifically, Joe had complained that Barack’s soak the rich redistribution plan (with rich meaning income of $250,000) might make it difficult for him to buy the small company he works for.

By early Thursday, Joe had become the topic of scandal: He doesn’t have a plumbing license. Neither does his boss. Oh my, has McCain unleashed a rogue plumber on the world?

Joe doesn’t have a license for the same reason he’s worried about Obama’s tax plan. A license, to do routine work in buildings and homes, is a barrier to success. It’s a tax that makes it hard for young, hard-working Americans like Joe the Plumber to work. His company generates something close to $250,000 a year, but it struggles to finance each job. For the average small business, the processes and fees involved in licensing can be genuinely burdensome.

Do plumbing licenses make for better, more honest plumbers? Not likely. Mostly, they generate money for the cities and counties that issue them. Plumbers, and other small business owners, succeed only when they provide the kind of excellent service that builds reputation.

If consumers need stamps of approval, then plumbers and such can form private, self-policing associations like the private bar associations that lawyers join. We don’t need public officials deciding who can and cannot fix toilets, based on who pays a fee. We need not fear Joe, the Unlicensed Plumber…”