Romney Campaign Press Release - Small Businesses To President Obama: Government Didn't Build It

"Small-business owners around the country have a message for President Obama: hard work, and not government programs, built their businesses. But don't expect President Obama to listen — he's spent three and a half years implementing policies that expanded the size of government and added more than five trillion dollars in new debt. America needs a new direction and a new president who values the entrepreneurs who made our country great." —Amanda Henneberg, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Small-Business Owners Continue To Speak Out Against President Obama's Claim That Americans Didn't Build Their Businesses:

Clay Allison, Owner Of A New Jersey Nursery: President Obama Is "Absolutely Clueless" About Small Businesses. "Clay Allison literally built his New Jersey nursery from the ground up, but now he fears his 80-hour workweeks are no match for an economy stuck in neutral and government regulation that seems aimed at stunting the growth of small business. ... 'He's absolutely clueless,' said Allison, who lives in the rural western New Jersey county of Sussex." (Perry Chiaramonte, "'You Didn't Build That': Small Biz Owners On The Brink Seethe Over Obama's Comments," Fox News, 7/27/12)

Mike Conlin, Part Owner Of Dynamic Displays In Wisconsin: "I Thought He Was Being Extremely Dismissive In His Whole Speech." "'He's mocking us,' Mike Conlin, part owner of Dynamic Displays of Eau Claire said. 'I don't deny that I got help, but I thought he was being extremely dismissive in his whole speech.'" (Joe Nelson, "Eau Claire Area Small Business Owners React To Obama's 'You Didn't Build That' Comment," WEAU-TV, 7/27/12)

Jim Withrow, Owner Of Splendid Fare In Kentucky: "The Government Has Been More Of A Hindrance That Anything When I Started My Business." "Withrow's brother, Jim Withrow, is also an entrepreneur, but he fears his catering business is being killed by government regulation. The company, Splendid Fare, did lucrative business with the pharmaceutical industry before a law was passed that limited drugmakers to spending just $100 on on food per doctor, per year. ... 'And the government has been more of a hindrance that anything when I started my business. I didn't have any help,' he said." (Perry Chiaramonte, "'You Didn't Build That': Small Biz Owners On The Brink Seethe Over Obama's Comments," Fox News, 7/27/12)

Theodore DelGazio, President Of Main Line Engineering In Pennsylvania: "He Was Mocking Small Business Owners Like Myself. It's Not About Government, It's About Individuals." "Theodore DelGazio, president of Main Line Engineering of Exton said he thought that the president's comments were out of line. 'I was insulted by the president's comments,' DelGazio said. 'I thought he was mocking small business owners like myself. It's not about government, it's about individuals.'" (Mike McGann, "Local Dems, GOP Spar Over Romney, Obama And Small Business," The Unionville Times, 7/26/12)

Wayne Sonchar, Whose Family Operates Two Businesses In New Mexico, Said President Obama's Comments Made Him "Very Angry." "About a dozen members of the GOP, including a businessman and the state's economic development director, gathered this afternoon to criticize Obama for saying: 'If you've got a business, you didn't build that.' 'It makes me very angry,' said Wayne Sonchar, whose family operates two businesses that are headquartered in Raton." (Milan Simonich, "Cabinet Secretary, Businessman Rap Obama," El Paso Times, 7/30/12)