So ... you do understand that "We Built It" is direct reference to and attempted refutation of Barack Obama's endlessly misquoted line "You didn't build that", which in full context means exactly "no business owners build businesses on their own with no assistance from government.This is only accurate if you include things like infrastructure and "being able to hire employees educated in public schools" as "government assistance".
The real meaning of "free market conservatism" is illustrated by a closer look at the most passionate enthusiasts for "getting the government off our backs" and letting the market reign undisturbed. Take Newt Gingrich, the leader of the victorious congressional army...And as for the Raptor program:
Gingrich represents Cobb County Georgia, which the New York Times -- reasonably enough -- selected in a recent front-page story to illustrate the rising tide of "conservatism" aimed at ridding us of the "nanny state." The headline reads "Conservatism Flowering Among the Malls," in this wealthy suburb of Atlanta, one of several that "offer -- particularly to whites -- a sense of prosperity and safety, conservative Southern values and a relaxed, friendly way of life." It's a "Norman Rockwell world with fiber optic computers and jet airplanes," Gingrich comments with pride. With its "history of inhospitality toward blacks," Cobb County is scrupulously insulated from any urban infection so that the inhabitants can enjoy the fruits of their "enterpreneurial values" and market enthusiasms in "the conservative heart of a conservative region," defended in Congress by the leader of the conservative triumph.
A small footnote: Cobb County receives more federal subsidies than any suburban county in the country, with two exceptions: Arlington Virginia, effectively part of the Federal Government, and Brevard County Florida, the home of the Kennedy Space Center. When we move out of the state system itself, Cobb County is the leading beneficiary of the "nanny state." Its largest employer is Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company, which is designing the F-22 advanced tactical fighter and other military aircraft. 72% of the workforce are in white-collar jobs "in expanding areas of the economy like insurance, electronics and computers, and trade" -- all carefully tended by "the nanny state." It's remarkably easy for conservative entrepreneurial values to flourish while one is feeding happily at the public trough. Meanwhile praises to market miracles reach the heavens, notably where "conservatism is flowering among the malls."
The United States Air Force originally planned to order 750 ATFs at a cost of $26.2 billion, with production beginning in 1994; however, the 1990 Major Aircraft Review led by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney altered the plan to 648 aircraft beginning in 1996. The goal changed again in 1994, when it became 438 aircraft entering service in 2003 or 2004, but a 1997 Department of Defense report put the purchase at 339. In 2003, the air force said that the existing congressional cost cap limited the purchase to 277. In December 2004, the Department of Defense reduced procurement funding so only 183 aircraft could be bought. The Pentagon stated the reduction to 183 fighters would save $15 billion but raise the cost of each aircraft; this was implemented in the form of a multi-year procurement plan, which allowed for further orders later. The total cost of the program by 2006 was $62 billion.The story is always the same. Government programs are fine as long as they benefit the right people.
We greatly appreciative all those who have stepped forward to help just this past week! Your support will be the fuel that drives our campaign to victory in November,¡± Valenzuela said.It is really pitiful when you misquote parts of your already fabricated nonsensical taken out of context creation, to avoid looking like the complete hypocrite you are for taking millions in government money and government stimulus funds only to have your party turn around and attack government aid and government stimulus. Paul Ryan did this as well.
¡°We¡¯re also excited by the new interest our story has received, both here in Delaware and across the country. We¡¯re honored to get such coverage,¡± Valenzuela continued.
¡°Our story is an American story. It¡¯s one one that has been repeated through the generations. Start with an idea, have faith to take a risk and work hard every day to see your dream come true.¡±
From manufacturing seats for local restaurants to covers for U.S. Air Force engines, Valenzuela said her company, First State manufacturing, was blessed to contribute to many sectors of the American economy.
¡°I am especially proud of our work to support our men and women in the Armed Services,¡± Valenzuela said.
¡°Offering our military better products and services at better prices is a great deal for taxpayers. It promotes the leaner, more efficient government I strongly support.¡±
Valenzuela is also excited about the opportunity to share ways other start up and early stage businesses can help build a stronger economy. Her work to establish ¡°Business Accelerators¡± across Delaware, like the one being established in her hometown of Milford, is an example of this commitment.
¡°These one stop shops will help early stage businesses effectively access existing resources and grow their companies,¡± Valenzuela said.
¡°Make no mistake, it¡¯s the entrepreneur¡¯s blood, sweat and tears that¡¯s the key to any small business succeeding. That¡¯s why the President¡¯s exact quote ¨C ¡°you didn¡¯t build it ¨C someone else did¡± ¨C rings hollow with me.
¡°Government alone can¡¯t build our economy,¡± Valenzuela said. ¡°It should help create overall economic conditions that foster business growth and offer the encouragement and support business needs to thrive in today¡¯s global economy. U.S. Small Business Administration-supported programs like SCORE, which provides assistance with the creation of business plans, and SBA backed loans, are resources millions of entrepreneurs across the country like me have used with great results for our economy.¡±
¡°As Delaware¡¯s next Lt. Governor, my number one focus will be to grow more jobs and better jobs in our state, and I know how to do it.¡±
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help: there was a great teacher somewhere in your life; somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive; somebody invested in roads and bridges--if you¡¯ve got a business, you didn¡¯t build that; somebody else made that happen.If you listen to the actual speech it is abundantly clear that the "that" of "you didn't build that" refers to the whole slew of examples of the "help" that will have been provided to you as an American citizen. It's not a separate, complete thought, it's a quasi-parenthetical summation of the preceding argument.
Asked why his campaign continues to run an ad suggesting that President Obama has "gutted" welfare reform, despite the claim being labeled a distortion by Annenberg's FactCheck.org and "pants on fire" by PolitiFact, Beeson says it's really just a question of how you parse things.posted by daHIFI at 10:18 AM on August 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Nine governors have sent letters to President Obama asking that the work requirement, putting in place as part of an overhaul of welfare during the Clinton administration, not be waived, Beeson points out. Here's a bit of the back and forth:
Inskeep: "Doesn't the change mean that the governors can choose or can apply to change the work requirement as opposed to being forced to remove it?"
Beeson: "Again, that still is a change."
Inskeep: "But it's not, quote, 'they just send you your check,' which is what the ad says."
Beeson: (laughs) "I think reasonable people can have a disagreement over this but he [Obama] has significantly changed what President Clinton put in in 1996."
There is one thing to remember about how this convention got itself put together. As much fun as we've had here on the blog, and throughout the land, with Crazy Uncle Liberty (!), the people supporting him got pretty well screwed this time around. They got screwed at the local level and at the state level and, on Tuesday, they got rogered good and proper by their national party.I'm not going to shed a tear or play a sad song on the nanofiddle for Paul, but this is a good reminder of how much of a kabuki dance the nominating process is, with delegates who may or may not be bound to represent the voters, party officials who may or may not be bound to listen to the delegates, etc.
[...]
Two things happened on Tuesday afternoon. There was a compromise on one rule that allows the Republican National Committee now to revoke the credentials of delegates who fail to follow the binding rules set down by their state committees. (This brings the authority of the national party into a function heretofore exercised by the state committees.) And there was the passage of Rule 12, the one that got John Sununu hollered at from the floor, which allows two-thirds of the RNC leadership, rather than the convention as whole, to change any party rule. "I really don't believe that most of the people who voted here today realize exactly how much of their own freedom they voted away," said Rob Bybee of Nevada, who was fielding the questions that went past Lake. "The committee can change anything midstream. We got smushed."
[...]
This was all bound to happen. This is what always happens to people who live in a world of strict construction, whether that is a strict construction of something as important as the Constitution, or a strict construction of something as seemingly trivial as local party rules. They are always blindsided by compromise, struck dumb by the simple human impulse to power and how effective it can be when it is wielded by people who are not overly afflicted by conscience.
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And it's clearly a political parody, no financial stake - that domain name is staying around as long as Valenzuela is a public figure.
posted by Lemurrhea at 8:24 PM on August 27, 2012 [2 favorites]