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How’s this from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957):

James Taggart on Hank Reardon:

“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?” (page 262).

That’s what missing in this whole discussion of Obama’s about “You didn’t build that by yourself”: Every inventor of something new worked within an existing social and economic circumstance, and did what no one else did. That is why it is foolish to insist that the inventor didn’t do it by himself. Instead, he worked within the existing circumstances and did what no one else did. In that sense he did do it by himself in spite of what Obama thinks.

Yes, thank you, and I would add to that, that not only do some us do things with out help, we also acomplish things against great odds, with others - even family members - saying “You can’t do that, it will never work out.” And we get up and do it anyway. That’s what really makes me angry about that statement.

Good post, and the last sentence gives a good explanation about why Zero is wrong.

Thanks for the Atlas quote.

That’s what missing in this whole discussion of Obama’s about “You didn’t build that by yourself”: Every inventor of something new worked within an existing social and economic circumstance, and did what no one else did. That is why it is foolish to insist that the inventor didn’t do it by himself. Instead, he worked within the existing circumstances and did what no one else did. In that sense he did do it by himself in spite of what Obama thinks.

Bingo.....

If roads and bridges are what "made" everybody's business, why then doesn't every body have a successful business? everybody