by Bobby Casey, Managing Director
Read the following excerpt from Ayn Rand’s, “Atlas Shrugged”;
“He didn’t invent iron ore and blast furnaces, did he?”
“Who?”
“Rearden. He didn’t invent smelting and chemistry and air compression. He couldn’t have invented his Metal but for thousands and thousands of other people. His Metal! Why does he think it’s his? Why does he think it’s his invention? Everybody uses the work of everybody else. Nobody ever invents anything.”
She said, puzzled, “But the iron ore and all those other things were there all the time. Why didn’t anybody else make that Metal, but Mr. Rearden did?”
Sound familiar?
No? Read the following and see if you see any similarities:
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. (Applause.)
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. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.
You guessed it, that is the leader of the free world, the Chief Executive Parasite, President Obamessiah. (Please address all hate mail to: [email protected]).
I’ve had some interested debates regarding the Obamessiah’s speech earlier this week. Many, even those not on the left side of the fence, are saying he was talking about the roads and bridges with his comment, “You didn’t build that.”
My reaction was that this is merely a clever tactic by his speechwriter to allow the message to be clearly delivered but allowing for a backdoor to soften the blow to the real producers in America.
Personally, I find his speech offensive. The Obamessiah hasn’t done one single thing in his entire life to create economic productivity and yet he claims that without government assistance none of this would be possible. The arrogance makes me want to vomit.
I am 38 years old and have started, bought, and/or sold several businesses in my 20 year professional life. Over that period of time, the business I started employed thousands of people providing paychecks for them and their families.
My companies have delivered products and services to hundreds of thousands of customers during this time period, providing them with a benefit greater than the money used to buy it (the definition of free-market trade).
And yet, this arrogant parasite who has produced nothing during his lifetime just told you and I that if it weren’t for people like him, we wouldn’t enjoy the success we have today. Am I the only one outraged here?
Obviously infrastructure plays a crucial role in the ability for businesses to efficiently operate. But what was conveniently left hanging was that tax dollars paid by productive businesses are what funded those infrastructure projects. Of course it has been proven time and again that even infrastructure projects can be more efficiently managed by the free market. No government necessary.
Building roads may be considered one of the main functions of government, but the Obamessiah administration is twisting the argument around in an attempt to make it seem that businesses could not succeed if it weren’t for government infrastructure investments.
This is not a ‘chicken and egg’ situation. Entrepreneurs and investors created the businesses providing products and services consumers demanded. The demand was driven by consumers, the need filled by the productive members of society. The capital was the driver.
Roads were built in response to the demand for transportation of goods, services and people. The businesses created the capital, then paid the tax which funded the roads. Without the entrepreneurs and investors, infrastructure would never happen.
If you think this isn’t the case, take a look at road construction and maintenance in Detroit, East St. Louis or Oklahoma City. Tell me the government will just build it and they will come.
It is intellectually lazy to listen to speeches like this and take them at face value. If that is you, just click the delete key and go back to watching your ‘Golden Girls’ reruns. The PBR is in the fridge.
But even if you consider road and bridge building the sole domain of public service, that counts as a fraction of the federal budget. If that is the last holdout for fascism, I will take it.
My biggest problem with this speech though is not necessarily the parasite that delivered it, but the sheeple that accept this way of thinking. The biggest problem in America, and the Western world in general, is ideology.
It is utterly amazing to me that people can even listen to this drivel and rationalize these ideas, and allow them to permeate society. How can you pass on to your children the idea that you cannot possibly be successful without a political overlord? How can you teach your children it is ok to blame others for your failures, and that theft of another man’s labor is ok when a 51% majority says it’s so?
Personally I don’t see a shift in the positive direction coming anytime soon. You may consider that an un-patriotic and pessimistic viewpoint, but I would counter that in fact it provides huge opportunity for you to regain your privacy and your freedom.
I wrote an article a few weeks ago titled, “Who Murdered the American Dream?” I consider this to be the the new norm and the “The New Global Dream” to be the replacement for regaining your freedom and financial independence.
Obviously many of you will not take the necessary steps to internationalize your life and your assets, but many of you either have or are in the process of doing so. You are what I call the “Thinking Action Taker”.
Contact us today to schedule your free 30 minute asset protection consultation. Until next time, live well.
