Context...doesn't matter

Look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something—there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. 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.

Here's why the context of the "you didn't build that" comment doesn't help Pres. Obama.
If the "that" he was referring to was the business you've got -- a grammatically sound interpretation of the remark -- it shows, at best, economic ignorance and, at worst, hostility towards free market capitalism.

But let's give him the benefit of the doubt and concede that it was just a grammatical error; let's accept that he was referring to roads, infrastructure, the American system, etc. Under that interpretation, it shows that Pres. Obama believes that we the people don't own an investment in our own government. We didn't lay the asphalt, fire the steel, or teach the leaders of tomorrow (even though some of us actually DID do that), so we didn't build it. Government put it all in motion (except for those handful that actually DID those things); we just paid for it. 

When was the last time Pres. Obama, or any member of Congress, pulled out a wallet and said, "This school construction project? Yeah, that's on me," and then picked up a hardhat and went to work? The government doesn't do these things unless they can stick us with the bill. So, while maybe we didn't physically build it (except, again, for those people who had a direct hand in it), our financial contribution to it is reduced to nothing, and government gets all the credit.

Let's finally put all this equivocating aside. People have a right to be incensed with the president for saying, "you didn't build that," because no matter how you slice it, it's damned insulting.

America's Yo-Yo Diet

This economy is rebounding like a champ.

Half of last month's new jobs came from a single employer:

McDonald's.

pen·al·ty • noun /ˈpenltē/

President Obama's Solicitor General finally spoke truth this week about the administration's healthcare reform law when he suggested that people who wanted to avoid the mandate could do so by choosing to earn less money.

Let that sink in for a moment.

"It’s a penalty on earning a certain amount of income and self insuring."

Solicitor General Neal Kumar Katyal defending the healthcare mandate

Just so we're clear, the government's STATED aim here is to discourage people from helping themselves as they would by seeking higher education and well-paying jobs, and choosing insurance plans that fit their needs and the needs of their families.

Are you pissed off yet?

The Daily Special 9.13.10

Greetings and glad tidings! I was told today that I looked beautiful which boosted my confidence and prompted me to make a mental note that daily showering and mascara are good investments. Such is the life of a law student -- my standards of beauty and socially acceptable hygiene are so low after two years that a swipe of lip gloss transforms me back to a mildly attractive human being.

• In that vein, check out this self-esteem booster. "Does this J.D. make my ass look fat?"

• The U.S. will ban mouthy teenagers, but drug mules are still OK.

• Space Aliens v. The Pope -- It's all fun and games until God starts smiting you.

• Democrats putting their midterm hopes in...Justin Bieber?

• SkyNet is coming.