[YankeeReb]

What a maroon. I have yet to see government do anything for small business except stand in its way and demand taxes and maddening regulatory compliance.

I've seen this type of crackpot thinking throughout the leftist blogosphere and among some hard left politicians.

You couldn't create a business and get rich without government infrastructure, without workers to hire without the military protecting you ---> therefore all your success is a product of the collective and none of it belongs to you.

There's one serious flaw in this argument. How come, if we all have the "blessings" of government, ...we all have roads, we all live among other people we can hire as workers, the military protects everyone etc. , why then isn't EVERYONE rich?

[Yardstick]

There's one serious flaw in this argument. How come, if we all have the "blessings" of government, ...we all have roads, we all live among other people we can hire as workers, the military protects everyone etc., why then isn't EVERYONE rich?

Great point, although he answers it, somewhat, in his speech:

"The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together."

So he's not such an absolutist that he doesn't admit that individual initiative is a factor in success. It's just that he doesn't see it as the decisive factor. But even this more nuanced position lets him crack the door open wide enough to slip in all his socialist/statist BS.

[griswold3]

“There’s one serious flaw in this argument. How come, if we all have the “blessings” of government, ...we all have roads, we all live among other people we can hire as workers, the military protects everyone etc. , why then isn’t EVERYONE rich?”

Can I quote you?