“In October of 2008, a plumber from Ohio named Joseph Wurzelbacher made national headlines when he confronted US Presidential Candidate (then Senator) Barack Obama at a campaign rally: “Your tax plan’s going to tax me more,” Joe told Senator Obama. The confrontation sparked a sensation, and Joe became known nationwide as “Joe the Plumber”. He was right– his new business would be subject to a tax increase under Obama’s plan to raise income taxes from 36% to 39% on anyone earning over $250,000. Senator Obama’s response was, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.””

— Obama on spreading the wealth