"If You Build It," Oh Wait You Didn't Build That

Not too long ago while President Obama was campaigning in Roanoke, North Carolina he stated "If you have a business, you didn't build that," in a speech. Coming from a family built upon small businesses ranging from a fence business to a pet store to a skate shop to selling underground pipe, I found this to be an extremely reckless statement.

        President Obama earlier this month at a campaign event in Roanoke (AP Photo/Don Petersen)

Of course the media always takes a lean ( I am a CA major and you are delusional if you believe that ANY news source is completely unbiased and does not have an agenda) and me being the collegiate I am, I read the statement in context in the speech. Still, I find this statement pretty offensive.


I understand that the President was speaking about the nation's infrastructure and how that helps small business, but isn't that why we have the government to begin with? It's not like they are doing some huge favor for the people. The government is in place to build infrastructure.We pay taxes and small businesses pay taxes which pay for that very infrastructure. That is what a government for the people is supposed to do.


As far as I know and have seen being in a family that has had small businesses for 2 generations, I have never once seen a handout from the government that helped a small business. So that is why I find it absolutely baffling that statement came out of our President's mouth. I've only seen personal sacrifice, one's own blood, sweat, and money, go into a business.


This whole idea that "you didn't build it" is simply not true or at the very least a very thoughtless statement thrown together by the Obama Campaign. No one can make success happen but the individual. It is the individual who takes out loans from private banks and the individual who pays it back with interest. It is the individual who creates their own website to market their own products or service.


In the end, it's just sad to me to see that statement in context and standing alone. After watching a few businesses that my family loved be wiped out due to this economy, I honestly don't believe that if you didn't build it that it would be quite as upsetting.