Wow, Nut! That’s one great big, illogical and idiotically stupid leep that you just took!
So…I assume you hire aliens from Mexico? And I assume they are all “legal,” so that you’re doing legal business? And I assume that you’re paying them at least your state’s minimum wages? And that they have a benefits package as well? You know what that is: health insurance and such? They can file L&I claims for injury without being fired?

And yet you FAILED to answer even ONE OF MY QUESTIONS about what kind of employer you are!!! I guess I don’t have to wonder what kind of employer you really are to illegal aliens.

Minimum wage was $1.00 when I started working, but was in effect only for companies that did interstate business. I started my first business when I was junior in high school (not counting selling papers on the street or paper routes). I don’t mix politics with my business and I have a closely held companies, so I will not divulge their names. You can believe or not believe. It took me eight years and numerous colleges. I worked summers and, during college, evenings from 7-midnight. Occasionally I would have to lay out a semester to earn enough to keep going. During the latter stages and graduate school, I worked full time night shift while supporting a wife and two children.
If you think government is here to help you run or start a business, I would encourage you to try. The real world will quickly become apparent.

The country that allowed me to start (and sometimes fail) businesses, is not the same country that we have today. I believe I’m joined in that sentiment by other individuals who created successful businesses but don’t believe it could be done today, such as Bernie Marcus of Home Depot. Instead of trying to denigrate the individuals who built the businesses that employ most Americans and have provided the U.S. with a standard of living second to none (until recently), why aren’t you asking, ‘Why have we stopped?’ ‘What would it take to get the risk takers active again?’ Do you really think that today’s economic climate it is not government’s fault? Do you really think the bunch running the country today has the slightest idea of what takes to even start and run a hot dog stand? Why don’t you try so that you will have first hand knowledge of what our potential entrepreneurs are up against.

I didn’t live in the 20′s, but I do know one individual who is denigrating business owners and he lives in the White House.

I’ll admit that Romney would not be close to my first choice for a candidate, but since the choice will be between him and Obama, there is no choice. The fact of the matter is that Obama should never have been elected President. The only thing, and I mean the only thing, he knows how to do is give a good teleprompter speech. I know you wish dearly that he was something else, but he isn’t. He does not inspire me nor most of the people I know simply because they know he is an empty suit with a far left ideology and his words are empty. He does not have the real world experience of growing up in American or know its history. He has absolutely no idea how business or our economy work, and neither do the people who surround him. Fortunately, he has some fairly decent people helping him in the international affairs area, because his initial forays were ridiculous and Putin is still laughing. Romney will be a more pragmatic President than you think and if you really want this depression to end allowing people to get back to work and the middle class to return, he will be the only choice. It should be quite clear, that after four years, Obama either still doesn’t know what to do to get the economy moving or simply is too ideologically driven to admit there is another way. Romney hasn’t been successful at every task he has attempted by being a dummy or a go it alone type. As far as the Palestinians are concerned, over the years they have made their choices. They should pay heed to Einstein’s definition of crazy.
By the way, what is a ‘neo-conservative theocracy’?

And I suggest you try to start a business so you can have some first hand, real experience.

Here’s the irony, joy, none of the people you mentioned asked a thing of government.

The government during Jesus time was Roman controlled. Jesus did not get involved in those affairs. Gandhi lead a movement (like the tea party) for freedom and was not involved with the British controlled government only requesting relief from it. Mother Teresa did not demand the government do anything for her. She was responsible for her own charity work. Our government was not established to do charity work, but to provide a framework where it could exist and work freely. You seem to be mistaking vote buying with charity.

You and the rest seem to get a kick out of saying I and other business owners didn’t build what we have all by ourselves. Technically, you are right. Would that business have been started, would it have grown without the individual(s) who had the courage, determination and skills to make it happen? Many businesses can continue without their founders if the right people succeed them. For example, in the case of Apple, when Jobs left the first time, the company was nearing death until he stepped in again. Did the employees save it? Did government save it? Did roads and bridges save it? No. It was simply one person who built it and revived it. Now we shall see if the next set of people can keep it going this time.
I notice you are willing to castigate Cheney because he had a relationship with Haliburton, but no mention of GE, Solyndra and numerous other Obama donators who got BILLIONS? One final thought. I would suspect that one year of Romney’s taxes exceed what you make in a lifetime. So is he ‘ponying up’?

I wouldn’t call the columnists at the National Memo unbiased or exactly truthful, so any take they had on Cheney would require a load of skepticism.
You need a closer look at GE’s record since Welch left.
There was a reason Bush didn’t fund Solyndra. His people looked at the numbers. Obama acted on it because of his donors at Solyndra.
So don’t buy Apple products. The argument was whether Jobs created and was the soul of the company that made it great, not about their business operation. Production didn’t change when he retired the first time.
There was no Gates vs Jobs argument. Personally, my feeling is that Jobs was a visionary while Gates was a marketing genius, but short on technical skills.
Perhaps you would like to think a little. Find out a little about Bain’s profit, Romney’s share of it and the tax code, and then you tell me what loopholes and deductions Romney could have used to get a zero liability. If you find them, I could sure use them.

Congratulations. How about sending that analysis to Whuthesaid?
I think I hit my point on Jobs. I would agree that no one actually builds a company alone, but without the inspiration, the desire, the willingness to sacrifice a lot of your life and the vision, it won’t happen, no matter how many other people there are or the infrastructure available. That was demonstrated when Jobs stepped down the first time. Everything was still in place and a supposedly capable person took his title, but it didn’t work. I don’t think it would have worked if Woz had stayed and Jobs left. When Jobs returned, it worked again. Now, Apple is probably on the same course as the first time when Jobs left.
Romney’s tax returns are a distraction and you know it. Sure he’s rich. Sure he used the tax code, just as most of us would have. Did he do anything wrong? I don’t hear any allegations of that made by anyone who would know better. The 95% you speak of have no idea what the tax code is. The majority of them believe the nonsense about ‘loopholes and big deductions’ for the rich, simply because none of them have ever had to face the taxes on a large income. The 95% also don’t realize the total percentage of the tax revenue that the rich pay.
I’m not a birther, but I do wonder how a self-admitted stoner got into Occidental, Columbia and Harvard without a sterling record. One possible explanation is that he registered as a foreign exchange student. He needs to release his records.
The draft dodger and religious stones are being thrown in a glass house.
JIM CROW? Do you want legal, alive citizens to vote or is it okay for the dead and the illegal to vote? Shame of DNC for trying to poison our elections.

If you are a student of history, you know that the rich have always had significant influence on government. That isn’t going to change, and it certainly hasn’t changed under Obama.
You seem to have a tendency to read your biases into my writing. Just where have I pointed my finger at the poor and downtrodden? I will say that from own personal experiences at being poor and downtrodden, if you want that to change, there is only one person who can do anything about it, and its not President Obama.
Please don’t try to equate Romney’s situation with teachers or Walmart clerks. His children will obviously benefit from his success, with or without what you consider to be a ‘tax shelter’. And that tax shelter is available to any Walmart clerk who has equivalent funds, so it is not special to him. You should also note that personally created fortunes tend to be dissipated within a few generations.
Lobbyists in Washington? They didn’t go away when Obama was elected. Compare his campaign promises with the lobbyists actually a part of his White House.
Did Prince make money off of taxpayers? Did Brian Henderson (Solyndra) make money off taxpayers? Sure. Is it right? No. However, if you think that the wealthy are going to pay a disproportionate share of taxes without having an appropriate share of the say, you are living in a dream world.
The people will only have equal power when their share is equal. When 50% don’t contribute, don’t expect them to ever have any say. They are takers, not contributors.
I didn’t know Sheldon Adelson had more than one vote? I learned something.

So if you went to college government helped you cause government created colleges!!! How did you get to your various jobs you worked during college? You probably drove there on the roads that government built and maintains.
You are just anti-Obama and that is why you won’t admit government helps anyone. If a Republican was in the White House you would be singing a different tune! Remember Bush got us into this recession Obama is just trying to get us out! With all your education you should know that consumer spending is what drive economic growth not you so called “risk takers”.

The Dept of Education was created in 1867.

The Department of Educations was proposed by Jimmy Carter in 1979 but wasn’t established until 1980.

You had me laughing out loud Dave……literally.

Nice try, but you know full well we are talking about the Department of Education as created in 1979.

I did not say those words….. Obozo said them. He knew what he was saying and listening to his tone of arrogance while he said them, he meant exactly what he said. I get that your an Obozo zombie and that you would vote for him even if they had pictures of him performing lewd acts with a minor. After all, he is your messiah.

Have a nice day!

Pretty funny!

Barbara – all those people who “helped you along the way” didn’t do it for free. Those are their chosen careers for which they got paid money. And I say chosen because if they don’t make as much money as a guy like Romney because they chose to teach instead, then to each their own. Not every teacher is rich – but then again look at all the Harvard professors – we do know that they can be rich. Likewise not every businessman gets rich – in fact most don’t. And my employees don’t come to work every day as a donation to my success. They come for a paycheck. And, to be honest, most of them don’t want to work a minute more than they have to even if they get paid for it. They come, put in what they need to, get their paychecks and by Monday it’s all gone. I didn’t make them this way – they did.

And do you know who built that “great american system”? Americans! Hard working, ambitious people looking for success. They built it and only some of it was financed through their own tax dollars which came from their profits and incomes. Government doesn’t sit around inventing things so that we can all be successful. They didn’t say “hey let’s build some roads and maybe someone will invent a car.” Someone invented the car first, created the demand for roads and the Government follwed suit by keeping up with our demand and our expectations. They didn’t invent the internet in order to give companies a tool to market their products. It was the companies who figured out that it could be used that way and some were successful at using it and others were not.

And Government, at best, only ever partially keeps up with these people’s expectations. I personally have a successful construction company. And the one thing that constantly baffles me is the inadequacy of the building departments. Sure we need regulations, licensing, and minimum code requirements to keep the bad businesses from straying, and I believe in that whole heartedly. But as the enforcer and developers of these rules it always boggles my mind to see how inefficient and rediculous they are in managing the process. They are mindless, thoughtless paper pushers and for some reason are not encouraged to be anything other than that. For the most part it is pretty clear that they don’t understand the industry that they regulate and they forever try to fix compounding problems created by their own “one size fits all” rules with more “one size fits all” rules. And it never works.

Just reading your tripe is depressing because I can’t help but think that there are others out there that are as idiotic and uneducated as you! And to think you probably vote!

Hi Doug. Unfortunately, I’m reasonably certain that it’s impossible to “get the politics” out of politicians… I’m just sayin….

And yes, election year politics are good fun. Too bad so many Americans are more interested in Dancing with the Stars than they are in paying attention to what is happening to their country.

If we really want to cure our ills in America, we already have the solution. It’s called The Constitution. We need to completely rip down the current post-constitutional government in order to restore it to its proper function and role in our country. I’m not optimistic that this can happen without radical social upheaval, though. I hope I am wrong.

Have a nice day!

high… the Constitution does not mean whatever you want it to mean just because the times are different. If you want to change it, it even prescribes a methodology by which we can do that called the amendment process. And it was written to say that we have God given rights that government’s can’t take away, but which the primary purpose of that government is the protection of those God given rights. The Constitution is supposed to be the ball and chain around politicians’ legs to keep them from encroaching on our freedoms and liberty. Unfortunately, we live in a post-constitutional era where guys like Bush and Obozo and most members of Congress basically ignore it. Since FDR, the SCOTUS has been ignoring it also in many cases. This is why we are in the position we are in.

Have a nice day!

Business owner for 45 years and I totally agree! Congress is a broken entity!

Hey Friv! What’s up? Hope you are well.

Well, well, well…. lookey what we have here. A lefty that seems to be, maybe, beginning to possibly get it. You’re half way there, buddy.

The government produces nothing. It only takes and redistributes. It can only take $$ from the private sector who has created some form of value that others desire or need and which results in the creation of wealth.

Which came first? The car or the road? You know the answer to that. The car. Which was developed by an individual and whose production was perfected by Henry Ford to make cars available to the masses. It was that development which led the government to make roads. Not the other way around. There are NO examples of it working the other way. For without the private sector pursuing profit through innovation, the government w0uld have no money.

Have a nice day!

Friv… we do agree on some basic things, for certain. I actually think that all of our debates need to be focused on what the proper role of government is under our Constitution. If we dont like what it says, then change it through the established amendment process. But we should not just ignore it make things up to accomodate our wishes of the day. To do so is to ignore the law. And to ignore the law is the first step toward disolution into lawlessness which ultimately leads to tyranny. Unfortunately, that is the road we are on. I am not optimistic that we can avoid as there are too many benefiting from the process.

Have a great day!

So billabob who owns these “private toll roads” you speak of and where exactly are they? Not that i think you are spinning a yarn or anything I am just curious. Anyway one other item here for you , who provided your security on a national level? Oh yes you hired your own mercenary force right I forgot.

Good Lord, enough of your self-serving whoppers already. President Obama was talking about infrastructure — specifically bridges and roads — when he said “you didn’t build that”, and he was correct.

What we have here are a bunch of greedy revisionists who snorted up my tax dollars like there was no tomorrow, and now try to justify cheating on their debt to the rest of society by telling lie after lie until it seems like they must have tongues built of asbestos.

Anybody who benefits from the opportunities provided by the U.S. and becomes successful owes a very large part of their success to others. Anyone who denies this is simply a liar. There are many, many successful entrepreneurs who will admit that success would have been much more difficult or even impossible in other countries. Sadly, successful people can turn out to be liars and cheats just as easily as being responsible and honest. We can see the path that you chose.

Don’t be an imbecile. We all know that there are greedy slugs in this world — that’s nothing new. But coming out in public and telling ridiculous whoppers in some moronic attempt to make greed look noble is the quest of a fool. The public just isn’t that stupid. Save your breath — it seems that hot air is the limit of your generosity.

You sound more foolish every time you speak. You’ve assumed that there is something negative about my ‘position in life’ and also that I think all businessmen are ‘greedy slugs’. I’m doing quite well, thank you, and I’m one businessman who doesn’t claim that I magically created wealth from thin air. There are many others who share my beliefs — much to the dismay of modern day Scrooges.

No, all businessmen aren’t ‘greedy slugs’ — just the ones who come out here telling whoppers to justify being deadbeats toward the society that offered them the chance at success. 30 years ago you say? Thirty years ago the tax rates were much higher than today, and the forked-tongue revisionists all suffer collective amnesia about President Reagan raising taxes — 11 times. Not only that, but Reagan specifically stated his belief — in no uncertain terms — that wealthy Americans paying lower tax rates than the less fortunate was unreasonable and unfair.

Further, you would have us believe that a) businesses all fail in Europe, and b) all of Europe has infrastructure at least as good as the U.S. You didn’t say why you limit your flawed observations to Europe only — but the cynical among us might think it’s necessary for you to pick the most favorable scenario for your flawed points.

Facts are facts, and the fact is that you benefited a great deal from the contributions, hard work, and sacrifice of many other people who were not as stingy or irresponsible. I might add that many of these were Democrats, although you seem to think that only Republicans start successful businesses or wish that their tax burden was lower. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Everybody would like lower taxes — Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents and any mixture thereof, but the difference is that some people are responsible enough to realize that some things are worth paying for. Some even go so far as to be willing to pay for things that don’t benefit them directly, like feeding hungry children — imagine that! Without responsible people who understand what makes a successful society, you wouldn’t be able to flap your ungrateful jaws all over the Internet.

We all know that there are greedy, selfish people in the world. All I ask is that you don’t make us endure outrageous, self-serving whoppers in a futile attempt to polish the proverbial turd. Be what you want, but for the love of God stop lying about it.

What makes you think that I’m out here trying to ‘convince’ anyone of my success? You’re the one tooting your own horn all over this forum as if you yourself invented business.

Charities? Let me ask you this: Were you somebody’s ‘charity’? Did you get your opportunity because somebody felt charitable one day? Or was it more like other people in society made contributions that perhaps you made use of in your own unique way with your own unique ideas? What if nobody likes your idea of business and they all decide they will not donate to you? If I don’t like the car that you drive over roads my tax dollars helped build can I just come and force your vehicle into the nearest ditch?

Or perhaps you can look at it another way, since you are obviously the most business-savvy individual in the history of mankind: Do your customers get to choose whether or not to ‘donate’ to you for your product or service, choose how much they ‘donate’ and perhaps even decide which person in your company they wish to donate to? Perhaps I don’t wish to ‘donate’ to you, but I’d rather give the janitor $5 for your $200 product. Can’t I just ‘take’ your product or service and decide that I just don’t feel ‘charitable’ this week therefore I don’t need to pay you for your goods at all? I thought not.

Perhaps you really are the uber-entrepreneur you believe yourself to be, causing the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to hang their heads in shame in your presence — but you don’t know a damn thing about the purpose of taxes. Nobody is ‘redistributing’ YOUR money — they are collecting what you OWE. Stop acting like you are being unjustly victimized instead of paying your BILLS. Yes, we like to gripe about taxes, and sometimes they seem unjust or too high. If that’s the case by all means join with like-minded people to try to get them lowered. But that’s what you OWE to this society for the benefits that you receive. I’m one of the people in society that you OWE, and I demand that you pay your fair share if you want to use my bridges and roads, emergency services, safety provided by my armed forces, ad infinitum. Do you get it yet?

It’s one thing to complain about taxes. It’s quite another to rant all over this forum about how you ‘magically’ built the most successful business in history from nothing other than your bright ideas and the lint in your pocket — that’s a load of crap. Try moving to Antarctica and building your ‘magical’ business there, where there is no infrastructure built on hundreds of years of work and contribution by other people and no economy in place to speak of.

Do your customers get to choose whether the income from your products goes to people they deem ‘worthy’? No, of course not. Once the money changes hands that’s the end of their involvement. The exact same principle applies with taxes: You pay your bill and once you do this your involvement as the as the debtor is over. Owing money to the American public does not entitle you to pick and choose where it goes.

You DO, however, get to participate in how government works, but there is a process that everyone must follow. If you don’t like government payments going to people who are capable of working you have every right to try to change it by voting, protesting, making contributions to a candidate who shares your views, etc. But you have absolutely no say about what happens to the money you OWE after it is paid, nor can you refuse to pay.

There’s a difference between a ‘handout’ and a ‘benefit’. There are certain things I’m willing to pay for even if they don’t benefit me directly. I don’t think any child in this country should ever have to go hungry, and I’m willing to part with some of my earnings to make sure they don’t. That’s one ‘handout’ that I can live with; chasing down the parents who aren’t living up to their responsibility is a separate issue. I’m willing to chip in my share for national defense, but I don’t feel the need to have a military that is 100 times more powerful (and expensive) than what is needed. That’s a benefit that’s worthwhile if the cost is kept within reason or is absolutely necessary. You may have different priorities, but yours are not more important than mine or vice versa.

I’ve been in business a long time, so I know a bit about taxes and regulations. I know that taxes are much lower than they have been in the past. Regulations come and go depending on the industry. Some I agree with, some I don’t. I have to live with it because I’m not the King of the world. So do you. You don’t have to like it, and I can understand if you don’t. All I ask is that you do us all favor and stop claiming that you are being horribly and unjustly persecuted by having to pay your share. And stop claiming that you created wealth out of thin air — it just doesn’t work that way.

Your customer can choose not to buy your products, yes, but once they’ve decided to buy, tendered payment and taken delivery the transaction is over — they do not get to follow the money around and dictate where it goes and to whom.

I assume that by ‘the point of a gun’ you refer to law enforcement. The same ‘gunpoint’ protects you from people just coming along and snatching your products away from you. So if you really want to look at it from that angle, the government unfairly forces me to give you money for your products at the threat of ‘gunpoint’. What if I just want your products, but I don’t want to pay for them? Society (read: the public at large) has put a system in place to prevent it. Woe is me — I’m forced by threat of violence to pay you for the products that I take — I get no choice!

The products and services that you take on a daily basis have a cost as well, and it’s not really that different a concept. You may ‘choose’ to avoid taxes — simply remove yourself from society and realize your dream of being untaxed (I hear Antarctica is nice this time of year).

Welfare and charity is done purely for vote buying? Not any more than anything else, after all, the very design of an elected government is that elected officials are supposed to behave in ways that make people vote for them. Are oil and gas subsidies any different? There are immense sums of money going to corporations and or wealthy individuals for the same purpose. At least the lower income individual can lay claim to an honest need.

I’m glad that you chose the example of building a bridge to illustrate your contributions to society, because without many others that bridge would a) not be needed, and b) could not be built. The common working person is the real engine driving the economy. You will need labor to either build that bridge or produce the capital to funds it’s construction. You will need customers for the bridge to have a reason to exist. There is no way in hell that your business runs without customers and labor. Further, it won’t last without protection from those who would just take it away from you by force or stealth. This is a bare minimum of contributions from others — I could go on and on.

Like I said before, you have every right to dislike the way things are done, and you should vote and contribute accordingly. You willingness to endure a 2% increase based on what you feel is fairness with respect to those who pay very little is a reasonable starting point for debate. You may want to think also about those who are getting unreasonable breaks at the higher end of the scale as well. All I ask is that you realize that you derive many benefits from the rest society — whether you actively seek them out or not — and stop claiming that you create wealth single handed.

Mixing apples and oranges is perfectly reasonable if your making a fruit salad, as is the case here. There are a lot of different issues.

The US Constitution does not ‘require’ a lot of things. The purpose of the Constitution is not to spell out in detail what federal and state legislators should enact, rather, it is to give a framework on what the federal government may not do. If the Framers really believed that they knew what laws the federal and state governments should have, they could have just written the laws right there and then.

That you would attempt to heighten the virtues of ‘corporate welfare’ is telling. Vote-buying is vote-buying, and trying to excuse it under the guise of ‘enticing private industry’ is blatant hypocrisy. There are vices and virtues to any program, and the fact that you are bent towards that which benefits you in particular is no surprise to anyone.

Don’t talk about how “[You] can build a bridge or the government can build a bridge” unless you can tell me the time and place where I may travel to witness montanabill erecting a bridge with his very own hands using materials and tools he personally fabricated. Anything else is a coordinated effort drawing from many resources — some you pay for directly, some you don’t. Many of the resources were created by other people including past generations.

I see you quickly abandoned the ‘highway robbery’ argument about taxes as soon as I pointed out that said robbers protect your personal wealth using the same threat of ‘gunpoint persuasion’. This is predictable: Nothing is more assured than wild gyrations of tortured logic, excuses, crying, and outright lies when listening to the greedy trying to justify avoiding payment of their fair share. We get it — why do you think that you’ve created a new and novel argument against ponying up your share? It’s as old as the hills, and the public recognizes it for what it is.

Yes, under Clinton the government learned to live within a budget. Then came GW and blew a massive hole in that budget through unfunded wars and tax breaks. So tell me, why do we need a flat tax to correct the problem when you yourself reminisce fondly about the Clinton years? Why not just go back to those rates when everybody was doing just fine?

Lastly, to answer the ‘does wealth exist without my genius’ question: If you didn’t create the wealth you speak of somebody else would — perhaps even me. Say, I think I want your wealth right now, so I’m coming over to your place to take it by force — how’s that sound? Luckily for you the ‘evil government’ you cry about so much will prevent that from happening, yes?

Your quote from the US Constitution is a cutesy swipe at something you dislike, but proves nothing. In fact, I don’t doubt that you ‘borrowed’ it from some right-wing zealot — despite your frequent and near hysterical claims of being self-sufficient.

I have, in fact been on farms and ranches. The bridge I’m talking about is not a foot bridge over a stream nor is it a model bridge over a model river for your model trains. I’m talking about significant infrastructure projects, and I’m sure that you are well aware of this. Just because it invalidates your claims to self-sufficiency doesn’t mean that you can excuse yourself by making up absurd arguments to evade the point.

Yep, a railroad across America was indeed a form of vote-buying. Would I still support it? Yes. Would it be done differently today? Yes. Does that help your arguments in any way? No.

Newt Gingrich may have played a part in the Clinton Administration’s budget, but he certainly wasn’t the engineer. It was just a happy collision of events and circumstances. Say, did you vote for that nutty Newt? If not, why not?

If you really believe that two major unfunded wars and 10 years of tax cuts wasn’t largely responsible for the deficit, then you won’t have to build a bridge ever again because I have one that I can sell you — repeatedly. Better go check your numbers again, and my advice is that you break down and purchase a calculator this time rather than using your toes.

Finally, yes — your tough talk has me so impressed. There are plenty of headstones at the final resting place of tough guys. If you didn’t have government to protect your assets, somebody would eventually snatch them right out of your grubby little hands — you can bank on it.

I’ve told you before, I’ve done just fine for myself. But then I’m not out here claiming to be the ‘magical businessman’ who builds vast empires from world-class smarts and a can of beans — that would be you. I stand to get a tax increase if Obama gets his way, but then I’m fine with it. So are many other people even if it seems adverse to their interests. But it’s not really adverse, because these people understand what utterly eludes you: A healthy middle class expands everyone’s wealth.

Sorry to burst your self-serving bubble, but the Framers were most certainly NOT right-wing zealots. In fact, they were radically progressive for their time. Before you attempt to trot out your ‘I have the right to be greedy because x, y and z happened 2 centuries ago’, you could at least learn a bit about that history. Loudly proclaiming things based upon faulty knowledge just makes you look silly.

Gingrich was no engineer. Gingrich only served as Speaker of the House, and he was forced out by his own minions. He was a burr in President Clinton’s saddle though, and the House did force Clinton to compromise. But to say that Gingrich did it is as far from the truth as the moon bases he wants to build. I remember it very well, so don’t try your revisionist history lesson on me.

Nobody claims that government creates anything. Government is nothing but the will of the public setting down guidelines and systems to make everything (hopefully) work well for everyone. The welfare of the average Joe or Jane is vastly more important than that of you or me. I understand this, and it’s OK with me. I don’t mind chipping in my share, even if some of it goes to things I do not like — such as subsidies for huge oil companies. If you think that anyone will put your desire for a few more shiny pennies ahead of food for a hungry child, then you are nuttier than your pal Newt.

Drop the tough guy talk already. I don’t care if your hands are 6′x8′ monstrosities hanging at the end of gorilla-sized arms — you would be the first one to cry like a baby if somebody took all your golden nuggets away from you. And have no doubt, big man, that somebody would without that evil old government and it’s laws to stop them.

Actually, we elect people from our legislative districts, congressional districts ,and from states at large for the US Senate to represent our needs and wishes in the state and Federal legislatures. We also vote for people called governors and presidents to handle executive decisions and to present a vision for what the people see as the direction they want their states and nation to go. Government exists because we created it to take on bigger tasks individuals and small groups of people can’t efficiently or effectively handle on their own. You act like governments aren’t people, too. Like corporations, eh?! Only they collect money to build the country, not buy it.

Hey Bill, pray tell,

what private “Toll Roads” are in Montana???
Do us good folks, whom are genuine “Montanans” a favor and change your handle to something that is more fitting your true character like, “BullshitBill”

You sir, are an imposter and a charlatan.

I am just saying… Have a nice day…

You are correct that a lot of business men will take advantage of government. During Bush’s administration, friends of Cheney did well. Under Obama, GE and Buffett are gaming the system, as well as, green energy companies. The only agency that I’m aware of that actually provides help to small business is the SBA and their help is usually the help from hell. Otherwise, most government agencies are in the ‘prevent’ business. They see their jobs as ‘protecting’ the public, but in most cases, it is a small man or woman with big authority. Much of the pettiness has declined now that the economy has faltered and politicians are worried about their tax bases, but the mountains of regulations and rules is still growing. If you are a well-funded start-up, you can hire lawyers and ‘consultants’ (friends of government employees) to get your business started. If you are a little guy, you can be beaten down just trying to get through the system. It didn’t used to be that way. If the economy is going to recover, we need the potential small business entrepreneurs to have the courage and determination to give it a go and no amount of highway or bridge building is going to help them get past the bureaucrats.

I have to agree with your assessment. The problem is very much akin to the Senate producing a budget. As long as they don’t do it, they can’t be held accountable. Both Presidential candidates are in the same boat. The minute either one produces a specific plan, the sniping begins. It is one reason why I admire Ryan for creating and disclosing his budget plan. He knew he would get shot at, but at least he had the guts to do it. Unfortunately, instead of debating the details and offering alternatives or enhancements, it is simply being demagogued which serves none of us. If someone has an alternative plan, let them disclose it.

Let me know when your village has your business up and running for you.

Government was created for doing common good, but it has nothing to do with creating, building or running businesses. Government couldn’t build squat without taxpayer money. Money that comes from people working for businesses, running businesses or selling farm products. If businesses hadn’t been created by people, government would have been limited to trying to tax barter or farm workers. This is not a ‘chicken or egg’. Businesses were created before government, in spite of government and feed government.

I’m glad you had help along the way. It is true that I was able to achieve what success I have enjoyed because of the freedoms presented to me. I didn’t have the help you did, but that made reaching goals that much sweeter. The problem I have with the current (and previous administrations) is simply the usurpation of power. Every new law, every new regulation, is a freedom lost and more power granted to government. We can’t function without laws and some regulation but this country has reached a tipping point. My father and his forebearers enjoyed far more freedom than I have enjoyed, but I see my grandchildren closing in on the tight restrictions of Europe where entrepreneurs are a vanishing breed. No matter how tightly government tries to control things, there will always be abuses. If we allow government to curtail the freedoms of all of us just to make it harder for the cheats, you know where we will end up. Maybe you simply didn’t have the freedoms I had to do things like sell papers on the street at age 10 or hunt at age 12 in lands with few fences. Maybe that’s why you don’t miss those freedoms…because you never had them.

Are you trying to say that you are the only person who has ever built a business? Perhaps you are trying to say that you built the best business on earth? Or is it just that you are the only person who has built a business that understands what business is about?

Give it a rest, fella. Many of us who have built a business are responsible enough to give credit where credit is due. Don’t make us all look bad just because you choose to be a greedy slug who lies about the benefits afforded you by the rest of society. Stop trying to pretend that government is some monolithic and evil entity that is hell-bent on stamping out individual success. There are good and bad aspects to any government, but we do have the ability to make changes — even if it’s difficult to do sometimes.

Government in this country is supposed to be the will of the people. I know that greedy slugs wish that it was the will of corporations, and we can all see how hard the Koch Brothers are trying to make it so, but incessant lying about how your success was utterly independent from the rest of society is really making you sound like a nitwit.

Where would this newly fired person get the money to hire some law firm for this discrimination suit? Can’t imagine that there would be too many pro bono firms out there for this kind of thing.

I saw a documentary called Hot Coffee recently. There was a lengthy study done in Texas after medical tort reform and caps were put in place. Medical insurance premiums actually increased over inflation during this period. There never has been any reduction in doctor’s malpractice insurance premiums to this day. It’s just been a windfall and goldmine for the insurance industry. What has happened though, is that people wrongfully and grievously injured were not able to collect anywhere close to the amount that a jury calculated would be needed to give them the life long care necessary to sustain themselves. The judge had to cap the jury’s good judgment at a much lower figure forcing the injured to resort to medicaid. They were still shortchanged (god knows their fate) and the taxpayer ended up on the hook.