Joe is not what is in question here--it's the fact that Obama slipped up and said what he actually plans on doing--redistributing income of those that have earned that money to those that haven't. Socialism, plain and simple.
Is it impossible to believe that some people disagree with the principle that the government should decide how much income is too much and redistribute that income lower income individuals? I make under $40K per year as a teacher, so I could be selfish and be all for taxing the "rich" being as I won't be making 250K any time soon. I do, however, value personal responsibility, small government, and individual initiative. I know it's hard to believe that here in this liberal wonderland called "free your mind," but some people do still believe that if you work hard and make good choices, you can (and should) be rewarded without the government taking your money and redistributing it.
repeating hard right talking points, dodging the questions asked, and pointing to tired boogeymans of "socialism" while insulting people in the forum probably isn't the best way to make any points.
but, on the subject of points, one about "socialism." there is "socialism" in the US to varying degrees. society cannot exist without a government to support it, as government organizes people and, yes, attempts to work for the greater good. i find it strange that, almost alone in the western world, Americans fear the government in an almost pathological manner.
there's a charming naivete in your post, too, as you don't seem to realize that bad things can happen to good, honest, hardworking people. people do lose their homes. they get fired. their health insurance premiums skyrocket. they get cancer. they are born with disabilities. spouses die. higher education can put you in enormous debt.
all this can and does happen, and it happens frequently. a little over a year ago, i was the victim of a totally freak accident, and i've probably spent over $10K in rehabilitation and hospital bills ... and i'm insured! i used to pay a little under $150 a month for that insurance, but it's now gone up to about $200 a month. that's about a $600 a year increase. and i'm lucky. i make really decent money, and i don't have any kids. what do people do when disaster strikes, and they can't afford it?
so much has been made, even by Obama, of Americans living "beyond their means." well America's "means" have decreased in comparison to the cost of living. food, gas, health car, education -- these costs have skyrocketed compared to personal income, and so we have to put things like food and gas on the credit card. are some people irresponsible? sure. did some fools think that nothing was going to happen to them with 0% down with an ARM? yes. but the reality is that most people do the best that they can with what they have, and still some people are locked into cycles of poverty or near-poverty with little hope of upward mobility. and it's not even so much upward mobility, but the fact that life has gotten drastically more expensive, but they're earning less. we have a rapidly disappearing middle class -- and who is more invested in social stability than the middle classes?
do the rich not owe a greater debt to society? the drive on the roads, use the schools, and, especially, rely upon the police to keep them safe. is not the measure of a society how well we treat our most vulnerable citizens? is there not some obligation on the part of the rich to help the poor in some way? and do the rich not benefit? when unemployment goes up, when people get more desperate, does crime not increase? do our cities not become less safe?
and there are things that only government can do. we can talk about how lovely it is to volunteer at a soup kitchen, but personal charity isn't going to educate millions of kids. personal charity isn't going to run a bus system that's efficient enough to get a poor person who can't afford a car to be able to get to her job in the suburbs on time. personal charity isn't going to address the need of working parents for child care.
there are things only government can do. Republicans have told us for years that the government only screws things up. yes, when bad people are in government. and by "bad" i mean incompetent. government can work. government can be better than we've been trained to think it can be. government is not the answer, but one part of a larger solution.