Obama doesn’t get the American dream

Richard McCord, Henderson

Monday, July 30, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.

“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.” — President Barack Obama

Public goods, including roads, bridges and teachers, are paid for by everyone who pays taxes. The purpose of those public goods is to increase opportunity for everyone.

After they are paid for, though, it’s up to individuals to make use of the opportunity they provide. But before individuals will exert themselves and take the risks of pursuing opportunities, they want to know that they can reap the rewards of their efforts. If they know that their rewards will be taken from them and distributed to others on the rationale that those others “helped” them, then they won’t exert the effort or take the risk, and those rewards will never be created.

Without those rewards, jobs and opportunities for others will not be created, taxes will not be paid, and roads, bridges and teachers will not be bought.

The order is that effort and risk-taking creates the wealth that provides the taxes to buy the public goods that increase opportunity. President Obama has it reversed. I do not believe that he understands the American dream. And on that basis alone, he should not be our president.