Like a contestant on some kind of cable-news reality-TV show, Joe the Plumber is bound and determined to milk his brief, inexplicable, fame for every possible penny. By joining him on SecureOurDream.com with a Freedom Membership—which, obviously, isn't free—you can gain access to Joe the Forum, which will enable you to "chat directly with Joe," and get a subscription to the "Joe the Blog" monthly newsletter. (Monthly? Apparently Joe is not only not a real Plumber, but he's not a real blogger, either.)

Joe the Plumber, who got his start as an anecdote himself, now claims to have his own Joe the Anecdote:

The other day, I was contacted by 72-year old man who pleaded with me to share his story with the media and politicians. He and his wife lost all of their savings in the stock market recently. They worked all their lives for this country and now they have nothing. Why? Because of corruption in Washington. That man asked me, 'What do I do now Joe?'

Call us liberal elitists, but we can't see why anyone would ask Joe the Plumber for financial advice. Especially if he's charging $19.95 for freedom, whereas just a few years back it was priced at a much more reasonable buck 'o five. We understand perfectly well the premium that contemporary troubles have levied upon freedom. But a price increase of almost 2,000%? Looks like 'ol Joe has more in common with Wall Street than he'd care to admit.

While we don't think Joe's attempt to create a social movement based on a nebulous conservative talk-radio brand of populism will go anywhere, it could fetch him some cash, perhaps enough to pay his taxes. If it does work out, though, he could always run for governor of Ohio in 2010, or, better yet, vice president in 2012.

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