Originally Posted by Honus

My "you" is the same as Obama's "you" - it's the successful business man. I'm not saying that the successful business person did not build the business, nor am I saying the little girl didn't build her Lego structure. I'm saying that she didn't build the highway on which the Lego set traveled to ultimately get to her.

I know you asked me not to use Obama's words, but I feel the need to correct something you said. If I read your message correctly, you are suggesting that Obama said that the business person did not build the business, which is not what he said. This is not a matter of interpretation. He just did not say that, at all.

Originally Posted by MTUpower

"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.”

He did say that. There's the quote. He's speaking to the business person. Apparently you did not understand my question so let me rephrase it : If YOU didn't build that then who is the you(somebody else) that did? The you cannot be the business person- as he is the person who didn't build that- so who is the you(somebody else) which built the business? Who is the the somebody else?

Originally Posted by Honus

That way I read his words, the phrase "you didn't build that," refers to "roads and bridges" in the previous sentence. Any other meaning seems absurd to me. Maybe he was being absurd. I doubt it.

Originally Posted by MTUpower

Who is the somebody else?

Originally Posted by Honus

Didn't mean to dodge the question. Wasn't paying attention. "Somebody else" is many different entities. The ones that come to mind are: government (i.e. taxpayers); privately-owned utilities; and hybrid public/private entities.

Originally Posted by MTUpower

... It's time those on a high hill know that we made the conditions that allow them to make so much money ...

Originally Posted by Honus

That's not what he said, but it sure seems to be what a lot of people heard, which says more about the listeners than it does about the speaker, IMHO.That part's probably true.