There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me, because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t — look, if you've been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. 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.
ABC
Conservative reality:
Are you kidding me? There are scales of effort, intelligence and will. Those who score on the high end of those scales have applied the talents and force of will inherent to their personality and core values that come from their family and faith. If the individual was only enabled by government or the uneducated collective, then the individual cannot be held accountable.......but the collective can. They wouldn't hear of that of course.
In most cases, they succeeded in spite of the government and the uneducated; they succeeded in spite of the byzantine shamble of regulations and restrictions placed on those who would lift themselves up and succeed....regulations and restrictions placed there by those who don't value competition and entrepreneurship.
If you are successful, it is far more likely that you subscribe to the spirit - and the responsibility of individual liberty. This is a spirit decidedly not enabled by government, the major parties, and certainly not the uneducated collective.
Some Random Guy
What occurred to me upon hearing this was that the Obamunists are tearing us down to build us back up in their statist image.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree with the latter. I marvel at the successful businessman who not only built a company against the normal odds of life in general, but also against the bureaucrats who demand his obeisance and their unearned pound of flesh. That successful businessman already pays taxes for the roads and other infrastructure. Government should build the roads & educate the children & then step back & let the people build the best society based on beliefs that the government has nothing to do with.
ReplyDeleteObama's comments are more of a window on his soul than many would think.
Don't forget the many laws passed with corporate-politic cronyism that essentially gives the members of a given industry the veto power over licensing of a new company, as was overturned just recently in Missouri.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pacificlegal.org/releases/Missouris-moving-business-cartel-challenged-by-PLF-is-now-officially-repealed
I am in full agreements with your conservative comments, @Constitutional Insurgent. Okay with one caveat - I disagree about the two major parties. I will admit that the GOP has this go along compromising way about them and sometimes they do violate our individual liberties but not near as often or to the degree as the Democrats do. Ex.-- The GOP has defended our liberties with health care and the horrible HHS mandate. But the fact that the GOP is a couple notches better than the Dems shouldn't be an acceptable standard for us.
ReplyDelete@Theresa - Well, we disagree on the point of the two parties and their similarities.
ReplyDeleteThe more controversial tenets of the ACA were germenated on the right; and the right hasn't governed with anymore fiscal responsibility than the Democrats during most of my adult life.
Individual liberties is also up for grabs, as each party has their pet issues. The left is better in regards to some liberties...while the right is better at others.
But you're right I believe....it shouldn't be an acceptable standard. I'm harder on the GOP due not only to their hypocrisy, but because they are supposed to be the bulwark against liberalism....and they manfestly fail.
Constitutional Insurgent: I like, no love, that you admit the system of "corporate-politic cronyism" that we have to live under right now. When most people say they hate capitalism, they don't even have a clue how far we are from it.
ReplyDeleteI found that speech completely offensive, as much as I find the daily enslavement of myself through redistribution of wealth offensive.
The only way to gain back liberty now is to starve the machine. Lower your income to as close to the poverty lineas you can tolerate(to lower taxes), grow your own food. Barter and trade and shop over the internet across state lines. The less tax money you can feed into the system, the sooner it can crumble to a more reasonable level through defunding.
I just found you blog today! I will be stopping by for sure now and again.
Thank PoI! I hope I can find the time to post often enough to keep your interest.
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