NOTE: This method of screwing Ohio taxpayers only works if you’re a Democrat whose salary is paid by the people.

Step 1. Use your position, while on taxpayer funded time, to dig for dirt on a private citizen. The private citizen should be an innocent person who simply asks any question that makes your preferred candidate look bad.

Step 2. After using your resources to search private information on said citizen, get the info out to the nutroots in an effort to discredit and smear the innocent citizen. You can also do this on taxpayer funded state time.

Step 3. When said private citizen sues you, use your resources within the Democrat sleaze machine to have your legal defense fees paid for by the taxpayers. – You know… the very people you screwed in the first place.

Repeat as necessary.

Last fall, Joe the Plumber’s name was dragged through the muck when he dared to ask a question that Obama answered badly. How did the media respond?

JOE THE PLUMBER OWES $1,200 IN BACK TAXES!!!!!

Headlines like that were splashed across the liberal media.

Furthermore, news outlets investigated intensely and reported things like: He’s not a licensed plumber! His name isn’t really Joe! He’s not originally from Ohio! And on and on and on….

Flash forward to now.

Obama’s pick for Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, owed $32,000 in back taxes which he quickly paid up when he found out he was going to be tapped for the position.

What are the headlines?

GEITHNER’S SKILL MAY TRUMP TAX ISSUE

GEITHNER’S MISTAKE ON TAX IS COMMON, EXPERTS SAY

See? It’s just a common mistake in Geithner’s case! There’s no controversy here! There’s no double standard here!

Joe the Plumber is a private citizen but when he made Obama look bad, he was vilified for a measly $1,200 tax issue.

Timothy Geithner is about to be put in charge of the IRS in spite of a $32,000 tax scandal and the New York Times emphasizes his skill and a common mistake.

Where’s the outrage?

VP elect Joe Biden said that it’s patriotic to pay taxes.

Does that mean Timothy Geithner is unpatriotic? If so, doesn’t that negate his candidacy for Treasury Secretary?

All things considered, it should.

Joe the Plumber, the American man who was thrust onto the national stage last fall when he dared to ask the anointed one a question that made him look bad, has put down his plunger and headed to Israel.

On a trip sponsored by Pajamas Media TV, Joe went to Israel a few days ago and has already begun sending back reports. Some people in the media are having none of it.

David Sugerman, a writer for the Examiner in Boston, wrote a piece last week titled “New Reason to Leave This Planet. Joe the Plumber to Become War Correspondent.”

In his piece, Sugerman laments:

“And we’re supposed to listen to Joe the Plumber? Please. We’ve spent the last eight years embracing the ultimate average Joe who has run our country into the ground. It’s time for competence and discernment. Joe, please.”

Of course, the President Elect’s lack of experience is no problem at all for Mr. Sugerman, who wrote on his own blog after the election:

“Senator Obama left me in tears. As I’ve said before, regardless of who you support and what happens, we’re better as a country for his candidacy.”

So Joe the Plumber isn’t qualified to go report on the situation in Israel because he lacks experience but Obama, who could make or break policy that actually affects the outcome of the current conflict is perfectly qualified regardless of his stunning lack of experience. Joe is to be scoffed at while Obama makes Mr. Sugerman weep tears of joy. Yeah. OK.

Michelle Malkin has a jewel of a piece on the subject which she published this weekend called “Who’s Afraid of Joe the Journalist?”

“If a community organizer can be president and a Saturday Night Live comedian can be a U.S. senator, why can’t a plumber be a reporter?”

Hear, hear Michelle.

Finally, for anyone who’s wondering how Joe’s doing over there, check out this update from PJTV where Joe comes under rocket fire, video included.

Give ‘em hell, Joe!

UPDATE:

Mr. Sugerman, who is mentioned twice in this post responded today with a lengthy comment which you can read by viewing the comments for this post. While American Glob appreciates Mr. Sugerman’s response, I can’t help but continue to see a double standard is still afoot.

He makes this point:

“My criticism of Joe the Plumber is more that the situation in the Mideast is profoundly complex, and here’s a guy whose sole qualification for reporting and analyzing this complex situation is his celebrity.”

Well, isn’t Barack Obama’s sole qualification for president “his celebrity” as you put it? It’s certainly not any real experience.

He goes on to say:

“But more important, don’t you think he’ll do a better job than the guy who has been in charge for the last eight years? Admittedly, that’s a low threshold–maybe we should aim higher?”

Frankly, I hope Obama does as well as George W. Bush has done. Like so many liberal writers, Mr. Sugerman ignores the fact that the economic crisis we currently face is due largely to Chris Dodd (D) of Connecticut and Barney Frank (D) of Massachusetts.

Furthermore, George W. Bush has kept America safe and prevented any further attacks on our soil since 9/11.

I hope for the sake of America that Barack Obama is capable of protecting our country during his watch.

God help us all if he fails.