AUSTIN – Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, will be in Austin this July 4th weekend to help empower citizens to take back America at the Defending the American Dream™ Summit sponsored by Americans for Prosperity Foundation.    

“We are thrilled to have Joe the Plumber speak at the Summit,” said AFPF State Director Peggy Venable. “His fearlessly speaking out as an ordinary citizen led the exposure of then-candidate Barack Obama’s plan to ‘spread the wealth.’ Obama’s agenda isn’t working for us, and we are fighting to stop the bankrupting of America. We need more bold grassroots activists like Joe, who are ready to stand up for conservative principles and take back America.”

The Summit events on July 2-3 feature some of America’s foremost free-market voices and top experts joining Joe the Plumber, including nationally-syndicated columnist Herman Cain; Wall Street Journal columnists Steven Moore and John Fund; conservative comedian and FOX News contributor Steven Crowder; ESPN commentator Craig James; Texas Gov. Rick Perry; actress and conservative activist Janine Turner; AFP Foundation President Tim Phillips and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

“Today, the voices of average Americans need to be heard. We are encouraging people to join our patriotic program this Fourth of July weekend and together, we can make a difference. While some policies are threatening to destroy the American dream – higher taxes, out-of-control government spending, job-killing regulations, and endless red-tape – we have a chance to defend that American dream,” Venable said. “This Summit will be Texas’ largest gathering of grassroots leaders from across the state coming together to learn more about issues and how we can together take back America.”

The Summit will include educational sessions on some of the top policy issues in the state and nation today, as well as programs for tea party organizers, a program for high school and middle school students, and instructional sessions on using social media like Facebook, Twitter and blogging.

More information on the 2010 Texas Defending the American Dream Summit can be found at www.TxDream.org.