"If you've got a business, you didn't build that."

[Flagg]

"If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8Xh...layer_embedded

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/presid...se-made-happen

As a small business owner, I find this comment particularly disturbing.

It would appear the President is prepared to throw small businesses and their owners under the bus, instead of treating the small business community(owners and employees) the way it should be.......as the seed corn of the economy.

Eating your seed corn is a recipe for economic disaster.

[Sigaba]

Did you view the entire speech or read the entire transcript?

Is your business based in the United States?

Are you eligible to vote in the upcoming election?

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

Did you view the entire speech or read the entire transcript?

Is your business based in the United States?

Are you eligible to vote in the upcoming election?

I was and am; in my case, I can just go by the source-I don't have to open the link to know it's f.cked up.

[tonyz]

Originally Posted by Flagg

"If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j8Xh...layer_embedded

I read Obama's remarks in VA - maybe I misread that shit - but they are something less than interesting even when read in their entirety.

IMO, the remarks by Obama, referenced in the OP, suggest that Obama visualizes this country as a collective - it takes a village.

But, I can see how a sympathizer might find comfort.

The balance of the speech, IMO, is nothing more than a rehashed campaign speech that we have heard time and time again. Nothing enlightening therein - despite the OBAMA defenders dripping panties - and accusatory style.

[stfesta]

I had a small business, I was able to hire one part time employee.

I was taxed out of existence.

The government made that happen.
sf

[alelks]

Hmmm,

Let's see.

I only have a high-school education.

I spent 20 years in the military (all in SF). I became a Program Manager for Lockheed Martin making over 85K per year in Fayetteville, NC while at the same time starting my own business which now has 17 years under it's belt.

You're DAMN right I did all that by myself. The only people I have to thank for it are my parents for raising me right and the soldiers who fought and/or fought and died so I could have the freedom to do it.

[tonyz]

Obama's recent statements and policies appear to be those of a true statist ideologue who is hell bent on fundamentally transforming this country.

Those of you who have founded, built, maintained, advised, or managed businesses over the past few decades have probably done so despite the government and its choking regulation - not because of it.

And, that government infrastructure that helps us all do business...was generally funded and paid for by taxpayer dollars, your dollars, earned and voluntarily paid over to government because of your labor and sacrifice.

In most any discussion, by Obama, regarding business (and, frankly many other areas) I'm afraid that this wanna be Emperor, too, has no clothes.

[Flagg]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

Did you view the entire speech or read the entire transcript?

Is your business based in the United States?

Are you eligible to vote in the upcoming election?

Yes

No(although my company has sold a shipload of US manufactured export goods to defray all that cheap junk coming in from China)

Yes

I DO realize it is JUST a soundbite.

I also realize that politicians go thru a fair bit of media training to try and avoid such soundbite catastrophes.

To me the President's comment seaqueway's nicely with his attack on the wealthy and his shift in aim towards the affluent and the upper middle class income levels.

I see a lot of media stories on political campaign contributors receiving stimulus, what has been done over the last 4 years to simply get out of the way of small business owners and prospective small business owners?

[Flagg]

Originally Posted by alelks

Hmmm,

Let's see.

I only have a high-school education.

I spent 20 years in the military (all in SF). I became a Program Manager for Lockheed Martin making over 85K per year in Fayetteville, NC while at the same time starting my own business which now has 17 years under it's belt.

You're DAMN right I did all that by myself. The only people I have to thank for it are my parents for raising me right and the soldiers who fought and/or fought and died so I could have the freedom to do it.

I've built, bought, and sold a few businesses.

While I took the most risk(my capital and my credit), I definitely appreciate all the folks who supported me along the way. Family, friends, mentors...and especially outstanding staff.

In my opinion, and in my business, our competitive advantage is having the best team in the industry....which means I spend the biggest chunk of my time keeping my staff happy.

Politicians stepping deeper into that relationship between my staff and I, or as a non-working, non-shareholding "partner" is quite scary.

If there's one thing I'd be keen to see US small business owners or just prospective entrepreneurs learn is the difference between new business formation in the US compared to other countries such as New Zealand, Singapore, Australia as just a few examples.

Way down here, it's easy(to start, NOT to compete...that's a different story). Way up there, not so much anymore.

Just my 0.02c

[Flagg]

Originally Posted by tonyz

Obama's recent statements and policies appear to be those of a true statist ideologue who is hell bent on fundamentally transforming this country.

Those of you who have founded, built, maintained, advised, or managed businesses over the past few decades have probably done so despite the government and its choking regulation - not because of it.

And, that government infrastructure that helps us all do business...was generally funded and paid for by taxpayer dollars, your dollars, earned and voluntarily paid over to government because of your labor and sacrifice.

In most any discussion, by Obama, regarding business (and, frankly many other areas) I'm afraid that this wanna be Emperor, too, has no clothes.

I'm grateful for where/when I was born and where I live.....I've magically appeared on one of the better games of Monopoly.

What grinds me a bit is the President comes across as attempting to teach small business owners a lesson in gratitude.

Every small business owner I associate with(regardless of which country they reside in) is incredibly grateful for the opportunity of birth they recieved.

But to be grateful for infrastructure for which they've paid and continue to pay?

That's just weird.

I'm grateful for my family's ACCESS to electricity and water, but I'm not grateful at PAYING the bill...I'm grateful to my family/friends/mentors for helping provide me the tools I needed so I can PAY the bill...and pay employee wages...and hopefully have some left over for the risks I've taken with my capital that no one else has.

I know politicians make mistakes, even though they are trained to mitigate them....but this one kind of irks me.

[Paragrouper]

If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

Probably Al Gore.

Obama is very good at playing a crowd--sriking a cord that resonates with the audience he is speaking to.

I imagine he would have something different to say if he was addressing, for example, small business owners.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video...l.business.cnn

I never doubted his political prowess, just his leadership.

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by Paragrouper

Obama is very good at playing a crowd--striking a chord that resonates with the audience he is speaking to.

I think that the president is playing his opposition.

He's figured out that if he pushes the right buttons, his opponents will react--rather than respond. These reactions advance his arguments better than his inept, inarticulate rhetoric ever could.

Until his opposition develops the self discipline to break this dynamic, the president will be able to avoid a debate over the effectiveness of his policies.

My $0.02.

[USANick7]

http://culpeperrepublican.com/2012/0...usiness-owner/

This is yet another frightening example of Obama's complete lack of understanding of basic economic principles.

[USANick7]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

I think that the president is playing his opposition.

He's figured out that if he pushes the right buttons, his opponents will react--rather than respond. These reactions advance his arguments better than his inept, inarticulate rhetoric ever could.

Until his opposition develops the self discipline to break this dynamic, the president will be able to avoid a debate over the effectiveness of his policies.

My $0.02.

I think when Obama gets off teleprompter he screws up and actually says what he is thinking...which is generally not a good idea if you are as left wing as Obama is.

Romney needs to get a lot better at articulating free market principles in a way that can penetrate the wrong headed yet flowery rhetoric that most people have become comfortable with concerning economic questions. It has to be approached not only from an economic standpoint (capitalism works better) but a morale one as well (individual liberty in the market place)...Reagan and Thatcher were great at that...

[Dozer523]

"The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together."

You disagree with that? Isn't that the ENTIRE point of calling an ODA a Team?
Sigaba may be correct about the "react v. respond" thing.