We Can't Help Everyone, but Everyone Can Help Someone.

Speaking of "job creators," there seems to be a fundamental disagreement between the two candidates about invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.  Governor Romney is of the opinion that people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Ray Kroc and "Papa" John Schnatter (he mentioned him, seriously) are brilliant people who created business empires without the help of another single person or thing, including the dreaded government.

These are brilliant men who did, in fact, succeed in business with wonderful innovations, ideas and technology; but to claim they did it all by themselves is factually incorrect and delusional.  Yet, this is the kind of message that fires up under-informed voters. It makes them believe that success is right around the corner, that they needn't be dynamic to be the next big thing, that if the government would just get out of the way, I will be the next Donald Trump!

That's why the Romney campaign made sure America heard Obama say "If you've got a business—you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."  Of course, those two lines are part of a bigger text referring to how personal ambition and creativity are peaked, molded and assisted through interaction, opportunity and history.  Here is a fuller quote from the President:

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads or bridges. If you've got a business—you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all companies could make money off the Internet."

While it is not eloquent to read, if you can imagine the stops and fervor with which he spoke those words, you probably would be inspired or at least hate him a little less.  Here is a short list (off the top of my head) of inventions aided by the government:

• ABC Computer (ISU!)
• ENIAC Computer
• UNIVAC Computer
• ERMA Computer
• MICR Computer
• Integrated Circuits
• Satelite Television
• ATM Machine
• Internet
• Microchips
• The Bar Code
• GPS
• Cordless Tools
• CAT Scanner
• Heart Rate Monitors
• Smoke Detectors
• Insulation
• Cell Phone Cameras
• Wii
• Trash Compactors
• Water Filters
• Memory Foam

Even Henry Ford needed the government to build roads in order to sell cars and McDonald's needs farm subsidies to keep their meals cheap. There are symbiotic relationships throughout the world that are necessary for success.  Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers says, "My wish with Outliers is that it makes us understand how much of a group project success is. When outliers become outliers it is not just because of their own efforts. It's because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances—and that means that we, as a society, have more control about who succeeds—and how many of us succeed—than we think. That's an amazingly hopeful and uplifting idea."

It's impossible to live in a vacuum and be successful unless you are a character in Atlas Shrugged.
 

The title is quote is from Ronald Reagan.