Please Mr. President...No More Help

I try to keep the Mark Knows It All blog somewhat a-political concentrating on quality of life issues. From time to time, however, something happens which is so politically offensive that I have to comment. Two such things happened over this past week. Barack Obama, in a candid off the tele-prompter moment, finally said what he believed. Those people who are successful didn’t get that way themselves. They owe their success to the government. Really?

He was right about one thing. He said that there are lots of smart, hard working people out there who don’t succeed. That’s true. Most small businesses in the United States fail. But we are all in there trying. I consider myself to be a hard working lawyer, and there are lots of lawyers who are financially more successful than me. So what? I admire them. These guys and gals are the ones I aspire to be even at my age. They make me work harder and smarter. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

A friend of mine opened a small business several years ago after she retired from teaching. She was the quintessential liberal as most teachers are. All of a sudden she was faced with financing, paying taxes, facility management, infrastructure installation, EPA rules, zoning rules, business permit rules. I remember her asking me why she had to pay this. Why did she have to file that? Why is this necessary? I just want to run my business!!! No, ma’am, they’re from the government and they’re here to help you. She is a staunch Republican now.

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs..the list goes on and on…all sacrificed and worked hard and built businesses that were the envy of the world making our country the envy of the world. Titans of industry raised the standard of living in this country and most of the world…and now they are demonized…they don’t pay their fair share even though 50% of working Americans pay NO federal income tax…and they didn’t do it themselves. Where would America be without them? They made America, not the other way around.

Couple Obama’s statement with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid…the other Mormon…who said that those who want to defeat Barack Obama are angry white men. Does that mean that those who want to elect him are angry black men? What a stupid statement, but absolutely on point in their continual class warfare and quest for racial divides. This is akin to the black congresswoman who said we don’t need any more white blue collar construction jobs during the stimulus debate. That must be why the angry white men are so angry!!

How stupid. How ignorant. Harry Reid’s “j’accuse” moment is about as vile, racially motivated comment I have heard in a long time. Senator, there are angry white men, and angry white women, and angry black men and angry black women as unemployment and black on black violence skyrockets in the African American community. There are angry Hispanic men and angry Hispanic women. Bad policy is bad policy, Mr. Reid, and your prejudices are only eclipsed by your bad policies and obstructive, insulting behavior as Senate Leader these past few years.

People have criticized Mitt Romney for not being feisty enough refuting the lies about Bain Capital and his background blasted on commercial after commercial. But NONE of those commercials can come close to the moment of truth that we glimpsed from Barack Obama and Harry Reid making all of those commercials ring false.

Mr. President, my business belongs to me. My father paid for my college education out of his own pocket…not one thin dime from the government. And he came from abject poverty stealing coal to heat his family's house. I worked two jobs through college to pay for my own car, spending money, and dormitory expenses. My family, immediate and extended, is rooted in immigrant America, and three generations later their grandchildren and great grandchildren have gone from mill workers who couldn’t speak English to college educated professionals…without the help of the government.

So Mr. President, while we understand that you come from a background of liberal clap trap and radical friends and religion, please have the decency of keeping your mouth shut about something you know nothing about. For your information, property taxes alone account for 2 months of income from my business. I think I can’t afford much more of that kind of your government help. So please, in the future, don't help so much.  We can't afford your help anymore.