Editorial: Government didn’t build this

The President of the United States set off a firestorm several days ago during a campaign stop in Roanoke, Virginia, when he stepped on the toes of American entrepreneurs by telling them they owe their success not to themselves but to the government.

Obama – the man who has never worked in the private sector – pontificated before his faithful followers about all the benefits of government and then decided it was as good a time as any to stomp on the American Dream.

“Look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own,” the president said. “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.”

He then prattled on about roads and bridges and teachers before dropping this bit of wisdom:

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

Speaking as someone who has owned his own business for going on 17 years now, your humble editor emphatically disagrees with the occupier of the White House.

Entrepreneurs typically have supporters – friends and families – and they often surround themselves with good people – advisors and employees, but at the end of the day it is the owner of that business who is the driving force and the one responsible for the success – or failure – of any business.

My parents, my brother, and later my wife and sisters-in-law have all supported this newspaper. A small group of very loyal current and former staffers have done excellent work on this newspaper, and we do it all with the support of our advertisers and readers. But it was my name on the line. It was me who stayed at the office 60 or 70 hours a week in the beginning. No government agent was present. No one from Washington was helping out. It was ultimately my ideas and my hard work that made this newspaper one of the best community newspapers in this state.

That may sound a bit conceded, but anyone who has had their own business understands that while you have support, it all comes down to you – the owner of the business.

Growing up I saw this first hand with my father’s business as he worked – many times until his hands literally bled – doing electrical and heating and cooling work. The government wasn’t crawling in those hot attics in the middle of the summer. It was my Dad working his tail off to provide for his family. He was a success because he got out and worked by the sweat of his brow using his skills and time and talent.

Likewise, my wife’s family toiled endless hours in the heat and the cold to serve their customers at their Texaco station. It was her father and grandfather who endured the long hours and the hard work to make that business succeed. It wasn’t some numbskull from Washington.

Barack Obama’s comments are an insult to me, to the memory of my father, and to every self-employed person in this country. Sure the government plays a role in our businesses. Unfortunately the biggest role is that of an adversary – a behemoth that puts up barriers in the forms of costly regulations and a blood-sucker that eyes your success and then robs your money through taxes.

But the president’s comments are about more than just him insulting the businesses that drive the American economy; they reveal his very different vision of what this country should be. In American, we’ve always believed that you can make yourself successful if you put your nose to the grindstone and pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. You can chart your own destiny. That’s what we preach to our kids – stay in school, get an education, and work hard. Some folks are able to do this. Some folks don’t have it in them. And some folks are just plain lazy.

Obama has a different outlook. You can do nothing without the government, he says. And since it is the government to which you owe your success, the government is entitled to the fruits of your labors. He says “the rich” should “give something back.” And by that he means they should pay more taxes.

Well, I think everyone is paying plenty of taxes. It is the government that spends too much money. The rich are paying more than their fair share. It is the poor – many of them – that are simply taking and not giving back, and now this week there are reports that the president wants to eliminate work requirements for welfare.

Obama and his minions seek to build up the government and tear down the achievement of individual. This is an anathema to the spirit of America, and it is yet another example of why Obama must be defeated in November if this Republic is to survive as we have known it.

Meanwhile…

Early voting is underway in the Republican runoff election between State Rep. Jim Landtroop and Canadian, Texas, challenger Ken King. Next Tuesday, voters will decide which of these men will get the party’s nomination to represent this area in the State House of Representatives; and since there is no Democratic candidate, the winner will win the General Election in November.

Both candidates have been burning up the phone lines and filling up mailboxes with all kinds of campaign literature. Local voters should consider both candidates carefully, and then vote for King, in your editor’s opinion. Mr. Landtroop definitively lost my support when he was endorsed by Gov. Perry, but, on top of that, his record is not one of a true conservative. He’s a social conservative on the Religious Right, no doubt; but a true conservative wants the government to stay out of our personal lives and our personal business and wants a small role for government.

Jim Landtroop, however, co-sponsored a bill requiring Texans to show a state issued photo ID before they can vote. That is a burden on many people and an unnecessary encroachment letting local officials conduct elections. Bunny Owens – a frequent local election judge – has known me my whole life. Why should I have to show her my driver’s license before I can vote? There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in this state. Landtroop’s bill is purely political, unnecessary, and will suppress votes of the poor and minorities. Landtroop also spends too much time focusing on social issues rather than real issues and is way too proud of the budget cuts last year that were costly to this area.

Mr. Landtroop has had his trip to Austin. Let’s try someone else this time. Vote for Ken King.