You Didn't Build That--Somebody Else Made That Happen

I read the entire speech. I have watched it multiple times. He's talking about two different things. There are brilliant people who are food servers yet will never catch a break that another person, perhaps not as intelligent, will. That might be due to luck. But, this has nothing to do with the following: 


"If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen."


That statement is complete BS. All of the risks for business owners reside with them and their investors. That is it. The avenues of capitalism are there for all of us. Are we blessed to live in this nation where we have these sorts of opportunities? Of course. So, Henry Ford did not build that company? Bill Gates did not build Microsoft? Steve Jobs did not build Apple? Any restauranteur, who risked their life savings to own their own dream job, the buck does not stop with them? Maybe they were all lucky. Or, maybe they all were driven much more so than the typical individual. That great teacher Obama spoke of, why did not ALL of their students reach their potential? It goes beyond family upbringing and their personal network. Are my college professors responsible for my successes today? No. Were they paid to provide a platform for me to show prospective employers that I can be assigned an elongated, multi-categorical task and complete it successfully? Yes. I have two friends that I went to college with who own their own companies. They took massive risks to build them into what they are today. Each had a financial backer who got a return on his investment. That investor and entrepreneur stood to lose their respective pants if the idea was not executed properly. 


All successful companies are due to team efforts to a certain extent. You must surround yourself with the right people in order for it to click on all cylinders. I sell homes. I need a quality product and a good builder coupled with a good location in order to be successful. But, they don't get anything done without a good salesperson at the helm of the community. If homes do not sell, we stall and everyone's job is in jeopardy. 


In closing, I do not think Obama is a bad human being. We just see things differently. You won't see me demonizing him essentially because it is not the right thing to do. I cannot imagine the pressure a president feels while in that oval office. They all age a ridiculous amount while there. I feel Obama is more of a salesman as opposed to Bush. Obama believes that government knows best. I emphatically disagree with that sentiment.