Well
there must be a presidential election on this summer, because the media has
been sensationalizing something other than shark attacks, missing white
women, or Americans' obsession with fast food.
Political Washington has spun itself dizzy in the last few
weeks over some clumsy remarks that President Obama
made in July on the role that government plays in supporting entrepreneurs and
small businesses.
In
a campaign event in Virginia, Obama remarked that government and the American
people "helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have
that allowed [small busineses] to thrive.” Pointing to the existence of roads,
bridges, and even the Internet, Obama proclaimed that “If you've got a
business--you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
Republicans have seized on the remarks by launching the
"you didn't build that" campaign meme, along with adds featuring
American business icons like Henry Ford and Steve Jobs.
The
Obama campaign has plenty of historical examples to support its case, from the
Transcontinental Railroad to the Hoover Dam and NASA. Former Minnesota Governor
Tim Pawlenty proved last year that political ads spliced
with stirring music and iconic American images can make even the most boring
politicians look like they belonged in a Michael Bay movie.
But
one great public work we’ll never hear about on the campaign trail was the
effort to bridge the Pacific Ocean via steam transportation after the Civil
War, an effort that took
several years at the cost of millions of dollars in federal subsidies. US
ownership of Midway Atoll—the first offshore possession annexed by the US
government in 1867—is an enduring legacy of this enterprise.
