BLOG: Who Built That?
Recently, I awoke at 5am to the sound of my six-month old daughter Amelia crying. When I entered her dark room to soothe her, I saw my wife, struggling to stay awake, holding Amelia in one arm as she was attempting to work on her barely lit computer screen with her other arm. My wife Paula is an entrepreneur and a small business owner. She also happens to be a first generation immigrant, who suffered through much chasing her American dream – all of her hard work culminating in her pledging allegiance to our flag as part of her citizenship ceremony. We both remember this as one of the proudest days of our lives.
I am writing of this incident because it succinctly describes a scenario repeating itself all over America today. Small business owners are making incredible sacrifices in their struggles to keep their businesses afloat. This is the reason why the President’s “you didn’t build that” comment has infuriated Americans across the political spectrum. The simple fact is that my wife did build “that.” She built her business, through countless hours of hard work and a commitment to a quality work product. I marvel daily at the countless hours she spends at her home office designing and repairing small business websites. She is the very epitome of the American dream, collectively enhanced but most importantly, self-made and personally driven.
The President’s statements are equally infuriating because he is attempting to create a fissure between Americans where there isn’t one. No Republican I am aware of is running for office on a platform of no taxes, no roads, no teachers and no military. I cite these examples because the President chose to mention the use of roads, the work of good teachers and the development of the backbone of the modern internet, through a military research initiative, as examples of how government should be the primary recipient of accolades for individual success. This is absurd and displays a backward logic which is hard to justify. It is the very success of people, such as my wife, willing to put their names behind a business endeavor, with no guarantee of success, that finance government projects. It is my wife’s, along with millions of others struggling for a better tomorrow, sweat, toil and willingness to take a risk that has made America exceptional amongst nations, not its roads.
The economy is clearly struggling. Americans are hurting and they are scared. Scared that for the first time, yesterday may have been the best it was ever going to be. This outlook has never been a component of our national psyche. The President’s statements will haunt him in this election as they echo all over our vast country. As my wife and I struggle through this historically poor economic recovery, I feel the pain of Americans hoping and praying that there is a better tomorrow and I ask the President to stop creating division by asking who built what, and to focus on getting our growing legion of unemployed Americans, just asking for a chance to build anything, back to work.
Dan Bongino, a devoted husband and father, served in the United States Secret Service for more than a decade, in which he was assigned to the elite Presidential Protective Division. He represented the U.S. as a lead government security official in over 25 countries. Holding graduate degrees in Business Administration and Psychology, Dan has gone on to start several successful businesses in Maryland. As an entrepreneur, he understands the role small businesses play in establishing a framework for continued prosperity and economic growth.
Jo Stanfill
9:57 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
President Obama was not talking about your wife or anyone else not building their business. He was talking about roads and infrastructure--an individual did not build those things. Collectively we built those things--it's called the government. So, your wife didn't build infrastructure except as a tax payer. I'm tired of out of context clips that distort the speaker's real comments.
Jo Stanfill, Severna Park
Judith Moylan-Forman
10:40 am on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
You Olympians, however, know you didn’t get here solely on your own power,” said Romney, who on Friday will attend the Opening Ceremonies of this year’s Summer Olympics. “For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them. We’ve already cheered the Olympians, let’s also cheer the parents, coaches, and communities. All right! [pumps fist].”
Mitt Romney addressing the 2002 Olympians
Amy Leahy
2:21 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Jo - those comments were NOT taken out of context and if you listen to that whole section of the speech it sounds worse and even more insulting to people who have started their own businesses. Roads and infrastructure are important but it is by the sweat of someone's brow, the passion and desire, the sheer will to build something, that makes someone successful. I agree with the president that there are lots of hard working folks out there but anyone who takes the risk to start a business has an inner courage and drive that not all of us posses. And that does NOT come from government. That comes from the spirit of entrepreneurship.
For the president to disrespect business builders/owners everywhere with that speech is just another volley into the class warfare battle of his.
Judith Moylan-Forman
3:57 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thanks Amy.....your above talking points as in "sounds worse" are from the RNC and Romney talking with Larry Kudlow.
However, I don't think this is disrespect. From President Obama's speech on July 13: “The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together,” he said. How is ths being disrespectful?
From Mitt Romey after the speech:
(Romney agreed with Obama as recently as last week, saying in a campaign appearance) “I know that you recognize a lot of people help you in a business. Perhaps the bank, the investors. There is no question your mom and dad, your school teachers. The people who provide roads, the fire, the police. A lot of people help.”
Amy Leahy
9:00 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Judith in your opinion it may not sound disrespectful, but business owners are certainly miffed about his comments. Let's face it. Why would a sitting president make a speech that does nothing but alienate small business owners? Gotta ask yourself what the purpose of saying something like that is. ??? Never in my life has there been a president who has attacked certain segments of the population as he has. His idea of "doing things together" are similar to his view of "spreading the wealth". No thanks.
http://freebeacon.com/obama-if-you-have-a-business-you-didnt-build-that/
Chet Brewer
11:10 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Amy I guess you slept through 2000-2008 when anyone who disagreed with the security measures that were condemned as traitor according to GWB and his little band of draft dodging droogies including disabled vets from Vietnam. You obviously missed that part. You are also doing an excellent job of taking excessive offense at harmless statement and your breathless hyperbole is amusing.
you know very clearly that Obama was discussing the public infrastructural that supports business and was begun in the case of interstate highways by a republican war hero
Judith Moylan-Forman
10:00 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Some business tax cuts and credits created or extended through legislation signed by President Obama.
Some (8) were included in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the economic stimulus), the Affordable Care Act (aka the health care law), and the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (aka the Hire Act). Among the cuts: the exclusion of up to 75 percent of capital gains on key small business investments; a tax credit for the cost of health insurance for small business employees, and new tax credits for hiring Americans out of work for at least two months.
More (8) came via the Small Business Jobs Act, signed by President Obama in September of 2010. These included: adding deductions for business cell phone use; creating a new deduction for health care costs for the self-employed; allowing greater deductions for business start-up expenses; eliminating taxes on all capital gains from key small business investments, and raising the small business expense limit to $500,000. Three months later, the president signed a tax bill that raised the expense limit to 100 percent of small business new investments until the end of 2011. It also extended the elimination of capital gains taxes for small business investments through the end of 2012.
Judith Moylan-Forman
11:04 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
In the full text of the president's speech, President Obama wasn't maligning small businesses, but rather, he was challenging the idea that successful businesses/individuals have never benefited from government programs. For example, in Mr. Romney's latest ad and as expected, seizing the moment, his ad- "These Hands"- repeats the President's out -of-context quote. Ironically, Romney uses the owner of Gilchrist Metal Fabricating (Jack Gilchrist) of Hudson, NH in the ad. As it turns out, Mr. Gilchrist received $800,000 in tax exempt revenue bonds as reported in the New Hampshire Unon Leader paper. He also took a U.S. Small Business Administration loan for $500,000 and matching funds from the federally funded New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center. Mr. Gilchrist later says...'I'm not going to turn a blind eye because the money came from the government." " Shame on me if I didn't use what's available," "I'm not stupid." Case in point, Mr. Gilchrist benefited from millions of dollars in government loans and contracts while blasting the hand that fed him or rather helped to start his company. In other words, his "hands" didn't build the company alone. This is not "spreading the wealth" but more like "doing it together."
Chet Brewer
11:13 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Of course Mr Bongino was busy sucking down tax dollars and making road trips on the publics' nickel for ten years supporting his wife as she started her business. Its not just entrepreneurs that are up late working and dealing with kids, its just about anyone with kids who is working. He needs to come up with something other then tea party rhetoric if he wants to win an election
Judith Moylan-Forman
11:50 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
In Mr. Romney's "We Did Build This" multiple events (24 of them I believe in battleground states), local business owners spoke out against the government and President Obama. However, there is more irony and really poor background research from the Romney team as many of these same business owners got significant financial support from the government. Just to name a few: (1) Ball Office Products (VA) - received a loan of $635,000 through the SBA according to USASpending.gov. They also received a +$50,000 contract with the General Services Admin. (2) Midwest Tapes (Ohio) received stimulus funds from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. (3) Columbus Truck & Equipment (Ohio) a contract from the DOD. (4) Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp. (PA) has had a contract with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs since 2007. (5) The Larson Group( Missouri) received stimulus funds.(6) Brady Industries (Las Vegas) has had a contract with the Dept. of Veterans Affairs since 2009.
Get the picture....Each one of these companies had speakers at these "Events" ....and while slamming the President, what this really does show is a "combined effort" between as President Obama said..."individual initiative and the government". More of "doing it together".
Judith Moylan-Forman
12:09 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
I guess too what I don't understand from Mr. Bongino is that he says he writes all of his own material.....No PR person.....this makes him more authentic and credible. So am I assuming (correctly)? that he wrote the above initial blog. In most of his writings, posts, speeches, he says that he and his wife have not 1, not 2, but "several successful businesses in Maryland" -the very "business unfriendly" state. Is he struggling or is he successful?