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Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that." [W:417]

Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

There's nothing unclear about what he said ... if you actually reall all the words. Not reading all the words is apparently a right-brain problem.

There was nothing unclear about it. We can agree on that.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Chicken and egg, chicken and egg, chicken and egg.

Almost every individual effort is shaped in part by environmental conditions which were likely shaped in part due to individual efforts which....on and on.

As I said to a few friends on email...the funny thing is…he’s right, but he’s wrong as well. The reality is, often, success is a mixture of environment/community and the individual. Sometimes environment almost alone can spur it…sometimes the individual almost on their own can do it, but usually it’s a mix. The difference is…and it’s so interesting reading it because it’s often a great dichotomy between the two parties…is which of those two ingredients do you choose to highlight, promote, and give adulation to and which do you downplay or degrade or write off.

Obama chooses to highlight and promote the community while devaluing and downplaying the individual. Traditionally, Republicans hype up the individual while downplaying the community. What becomes interesting is which of the two arguments will win over the fickle American people this time around.

Well, if some guy/gal didn't put in a lot of hard work to get a business going, the government wouldn't have done it in their place. Seems to me that without the entrepenuer, there is no business. The same can not be said about the government.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Maybe someone else has posted some of the rest of his speech, but here's the line, "You didn't build that."

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help," Obama said on Friday. "There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business. you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

Obama to business owners: 'You didn't build that' | Fox News

I don't have that much of a problem with what he said; although his writers should have phrased it differently. In his speech, Obama put the credit for building a successful business on "the system." That's a bit of a stretch.

"It must be because I was so smart," he said, discounting the entrepreneur. "It must be because I work harder than everybody else," again discounting the amazing perseverance, talent and guts it takes to build a successful business.

Successful business builders are smarter than the average bear. They do work harder than most. They make sacrifices others aren't willing to make. To short-change entrepreneurship in the name of, "We want to pay more in taxes," is disingenuous at best.

I built a very successful business. I did it in spite of sometimes onerous government regulation. Did my government give me roads?? Well, duh.

Edit: Now I know where Haymarket gets his talking points. This is his mantra as well. Party line. Sorry, Hay. ;)
 
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Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Is this the latest Leftist talking point? How many times has this been used in this thread?



Without consumer demand. If a business owner meets that demand, he purdy much did that on his own.

We live in a society of 311 million people. Nobody does anything of that sort of substance on their own.

As to talking points - it is revealing that you consider the statement about business NOT existing in a vacuum a talking point. Most people not worshipping at that particular ideological altar simply consider that reality.
 
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Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Maybe someone else has posted some of the rest of his speech, but here's the line, "You didn't build that."



Obama to business owners: 'You didn't build that' | Fox News

I don't have that much of a problem with what he said; although his writers should have phrased it differently. In his speech, Obama put the credit for building a successful business on "the system." That's a bit of a stretch.

"It must be because I was so smart," he said, discounting the entrepreneur. "It must be because I work harder than everybody else," again discounting the amazing perseverance, talent and guts it takes to build a successful business.

Successful business builders are smarter than the average bear. They do work harder than most. They make sacrifices others aren't willing to make. To short-change entrepreneurship in the name of, "We want to pay more in taxes," is disingenuous at best.

I built a very successful business. I did it in spite of sometimes onerous government regulation. Did my government give me roads?? Well, duh.

He put credit on the government, as the main weath and job creator and he's way off base with those remarks.

The government can't create jobs, nor can it create wealth.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

He put credit on the government, as the main weath and job creator and he's way off base with those remarks.

The government can't create jobs, nor can it create wealth.

Really - who in the heck built Hoover Dam and the TVA?
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

We live in a society of 311 million people. Nobody does anything of that sort of substance on their own.

Nobody built my business for me. I'm the one that borrowed the money. I'm the one that paid the taxes. I pay the note. It was my ass if it flopped. I don't recall a single person saying, "hey dude, don't worry. If your business flops, I'm going to be right their with you". Not my customers, the government, nobody.

Obama's comments take away personal accomplishment and a sense of self worth for every ambitious person in this country. Pissin' on our parade, as the saying goes.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Really - who in the heck built Hoover Dam and the TVA?

Some private construction companies? Where did the money come from? Without the private sector, neither of those projects would have existed.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Really - who in the heck built Hoover Dam and the TVA?


Without the "private sector," there is no government. There's no money for Hoover Dam and the TVA. Perhaps he should do a speech about that. Ha!
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

This arguement is and the President's comments are to the point they're laughable.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Obama is absolutely right in that the business success isn't completely due to the business owners. It is a joint partnership between the consumer and the owner.

I've known a few people that have worked their asses off, but their business never got off the ground due to not enough consumers. Just because the business owners are hard working does not mean they will have a good business, they NEED consumers as well.

You can't have a successful business without the owners AND the consumer
.

First of all, Obama didn't make any reference to the consumer. He was saying that the businesses couldn't have gotten where they are without government. Of course businesses need consumers, bu consumers didn't "build the business." They don't even create the demand. Marketing and a damned good product or service creates the demand- neither of which can occur without the hard work of the business owner.


What's so hard to comprehend? In fact he even emphasized it by saying "The point is..."

You say emphasized, I say backpeddled.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Maybe someone else has posted some of the rest of his speech, but here's the line, "You didn't build that."



Obama to business owners: 'You didn't build that' | Fox News

I don't have that much of a problem with what he said; although his writers should have phrased it differently. In his speech, Obama put the credit for building a successful business on "the system." That's a bit of a stretch.

"It must be because I was so smart," he said, discounting the entrepreneur. "It must be because I work harder than everybody else," again discounting the amazing perseverance, talent and guts it takes to build a successful business.

Successful business builders are smarter than the average bear. They do work harder than most. They make sacrifices others aren't willing to make. To short-change entrepreneurship in the name of, "We want to pay more in taxes," is disingenuous at best.

I built a very successful business. I did it in spite of sometimes onerous government regulation. Did my government give me roads?? Well, duh.

Edit: Now I know where Haymarket gets his talking points. This is his mantra as well. Party line. Sorry, Hay. ;)

Do you think this was a prepared speech? I had just assumed this was a more impromptu, off the cuff statement. If it was prepared in advance... if he let it go through like that... that's even worse.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Maybe someone else has posted some of the rest of his speech, but here's the line, "You didn't build that."



Obama to business owners: 'You didn't build that' | Fox News

I don't have that much of a problem with what he said; although his writers should have phrased it differently. In his speech, Obama put the credit for building a successful business on "the system." That's a bit of a stretch.

"It must be because I was so smart," he said, discounting the entrepreneur. "It must be because I work harder than everybody else," again discounting the amazing perseverance, talent and guts it takes to build a successful business.

Successful business builders are smarter than the average bear. They do work harder than most. They make sacrifices others aren't willing to make. To short-change entrepreneurship in the name of, "We want to pay more in taxes," is disingenuous at best.

I built a very successful business. I did it in spite of sometimes onerous government regulation. Did my government give me roads?? Well, duh.

Edit: Now I know where Haymarket gets his talking points. This is his mantra as well. Party line. Sorry, Hay. ;)

95% of small businesses in the US are in one of 3 states. . .

1) Failed (Chapter 7/11/13 filing)
2) About to fail
3) Barely surviving

Truthfully, what the government does or doesn't do has little impact on a business' long-term survival. Ultimately, it's the businesses' management (or owners) that make or break it.

Any business owner who blames Obama for his business failing, therefore, is dumb.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

95% of small businesses in the US are in one of 3 states. . .

1) Failed (Chapter 7/11/13 filing)
2) About to fail
3) Barely surviving

Truthfully, what the government does or doesn't do has little impact on a business' long-term survival. Ultimately, it's the businesses' management (or owners) that make or break it.

Any business owner who blames Obama for his business failing, therefore, is dumb.

Tell that to all those oilfield service companies in South Louisiana that are losing their asses because of the drilling ban.

Why do you think I'm working in West Texas, now, instead of South Louisiana?
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

So if we just waited, businesses would build it themselves, right? Because they're usually about throwing around money and profits.

Yep, I'm sure they would have all gotten together and pooled their resources -- maybe even agreeing to some kind of assessment on profits, and formed a group to collect the assessments, and other groups to contract out the work and oversee the construction, and then perhaps they'd have agreed to additional assessments to pay for maintenance and expansion.... Hmm, I think that's what we call government and taxes.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

So if we just waited, businesses would build it themselves, right? Because they're usually about throwing around money and profits.

Who ever said businesses would do it themselves? You are putting forth the classic moving of the goal posts. The point is without all the businesses, the government wouldn't have the money to spend on good things it should do, or to waste on all the stuff it wastes on. Government exists because of business, not the inverse.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Yep, I'm sure they would have all gotten together and pooled their resources -- maybe even agreeing to some kind of assessment on profits, and formed a group to collect the assessments, and other groups to contract out the work and oversee the construction, and then perhaps they'd have agreed to additional assessments to pay for maintenance and expansion.... Hmm, I think that's what we call government and taxes.

But when the gov't decides to "build" a Solyndra instead of a dam is that equally good? Building PUBLIC infrastructure is not the ONLY thing that gov't spends tax money on. One can have legitimate debate on what is GOOD public policy without having to say the ALL public spending is bad. One can also acknowedge that private investment, production and invention has helped the entire population as well. Is it not odd, that out of the massive "stimulus" package, that only 6% was allocated for those "shovel ready" infrasctructure projects? Just because a president is a "wonderful" speaker does not mean that they actually DO what they say. A gov't may indeed produce infrastructure for the common good, or it may also impose regulations to shut down company X and at the same time subsidize company Y.
 
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Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Do you think this was a prepared speech? I had just assumed this was a more impromptu, off the cuff statement. If it was prepared in advance... if he let it go through like that... that's even worse.[/QUOTE

I'm pretty sure you can take this to the bank: Obama never gives an off-the-cuff statement.

95% of small businesses in the US are in one of 3 states. . .

1) Failed (Chapter 7/11/13 filing)
2) About to fail
3) Barely surviving

Truthfully, what the government does or doesn't do has little impact on a business' long-term survival. Ultimately, it's the businesses' management (or owners) that make or break it.

Any business owner who blames Obama for his business failing, therefore, is dumb.

I think many, if not most, businesses succeed despite onerous government interference.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

179132_10151039977511575_2112823652_n.jpg

.......... :roll:
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

So if we just waited, businesses would build it themselves, right? Because they're usually about throwing around money and profits.

Have you ever tried to start your own business?

Certainly doesn't sound like it
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

If he'd flunked out, I'm sure he would have shouldered that blame all on his own.

Maybe. Certainly some would see it that way. But, it may have been lack of the proper help. I support being honest in both directions. Not sure why you see this as wrong.

However, it reminds me of a Billy Joel Song. Part of it went something like this: "You're not the only one who's made mistake, but they are the only thing you can turely call your own." ;)
 
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Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

I have a friend, a woman, who came from such dire proverty, I'm not talking no air conditioning proverty, I'm talking no inside bathroom and leaking roof proverty. The house would have been condemed if anyone had found them living in these conditions.

This lady and all her sisters decided they were not going to go out in the same conditions. She got a job as a drugstore clerk as soon as she could work. Graduated from HS went to work fulltime and college at night. She graduated from college after 10 years of working fulltime and going to school, that she paid for. One of the reasons it took her so long, because she is/was smart, was she worked for the USPS and while working drove her little car under a bus. She was in the hospital for 2 months in traction for multiple breaks in one leg. Took her sometime to get back on her feet, literally. She had to drop out in her senior year due to the bills and injury. She went back to finish 2 years later.

She started her own accounting business with her friend. She is doing well now due to her hard work. She works from January to April, every year, 7 days a week 12-14 hours a day. She has 5 employees and pays for their HC and a fair wage.

This lady built her business stick by stick, her own hard work and something "special" in her that drove her to succeed. Without this something "special" in her first, it wouldn't matter what the community or the govt "did", she is the reason that she succeeded.

And again, that's your objective reasoning placing importance onto one portion and devaluing the other. That's fine to do, but it's also no different than what Obama is doing. You make the argument that without that "special" something in her first, the community wouldn't have mattered. Someone could turn right back around and say that she could have all the "special" in her she wanted....if the drugstore guy wouldn't hire her, if the school didn't have teachers that facilitated her education, if that college didn't deem it worth while to have night classes, if the places she worked full time didn't hire her, if the USPS wasn't an entity to work for, if she didn't likely have the family and friends that undoubtably must've helped her in some fashion while being "off her feet", if she didn't have her friend to start the accounting business with, etc etc etc...then that "special" in her would've been for naught or at least for less.

Again, there's nothing wrong with you valuing one side more and feeling that it means more and devaluing the other side. But excuse me if I don't buy individuals on either side getting so high and mighty as to believe that their opinion on it is some absolute truth regarding it because everything they use to argue is entirely subjective and guessing based.

I personally am one of those people that tends to value the individual more than the community and place a larger amount of the burden/praise on that. However, I recognize that it's my subjective opinion and not some universal truth.
 
Re: Obama to business owners: "You didn't build that."

Well, if some guy/gal didn't put in a lot of hard work to get a business going, the government wouldn't have done it in their place. Seems to me that without the entrepenuer, there is no business. The same can not be said about the government.

"Community/environment" doesn't speak just to government.
 
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