Romney: Government workers don't get business challenges

COSTA MESA, CA - JULY 23: Repubican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures during an event billed as a small business roundtable at Endural LLC, a plastic container manufacturer, near Endural CEO Jim Burra (L) and Beverly Oncology and Imaging CEO Ruth Lopez Novodor (R) on July 23, 2012 in Costa Mesa, California. Romney began his campaign day by speaking at a $1,000 per person breakfast fundraiser in Irvine, California, his third Orange County fundraiser since March.

/ David McNew/Getty Images

COSTA MESA, Calif. - With the presidential race reverting to its regular course following the hiatus imposed by last week's Colorado shootings, Mitt Romney on Monday attacked President Obama for failing to understand the business environment or meeting more frequently with his jobs council.

Speaking to a group of business owners in Southern California, Romney said that career government bureaucrats cannot understand the challenges that those in the private sector face.

"I happen to think that for people who have spent their entire livelihood working in government, they sometimes don't appreciate just how hard it is to start a business, grow a business, maintain a business so that you can maintain employees and pay them better wages and better benefits," Romney said. "And I hear it time and again -- people say, as you did, that they think business is the enemy or that business is getting a free ride. And there's a sense that some of you are bad guys. I see you as the good guys."

Obama's reelection campaign actually returned to politics before Romney's. Earlier on Monday, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod sent out a tweet rebuking the former Massachusetts governor for failing to release tax returns as well as other documents from his past. "When it comes to secrecy, Mitt takes the gold!" Axelrod wrote.

At Romney's event, the group of business owners and Romney sat in front of a sign reading, "We Did Build It," a reference to Obama's recent remark to business owners that "you didn't build that." The president was suggesting that business owners benefited from government-led investments such as roads and bridges.

The Romney campaign has seized on the comment, but noted in the biographies of the roundtable attendees that at least three have benefitted from contracts with the federal government. Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said that fact did not detract from Romney's belief that the private sector must lead the way in job creation.

"President Obama could not have been more clear - he believes government creates jobs," Saul said. "Mitt Romney couldn't disagree more. He believes that entrepreneurs create jobs as the backbone of our economy. President Obama continues to dig himself into a hole each time he praises government over the American business owner.

Romney also used his meeting with the group to reiterate the fact that the president has not met with this Jobs Council in more than six months while holding more than 100 fundraisers during that period.

"I would suggest between the fundraisers, get together with the jobs council and learn from people who are working hard to create jobs," said Romney, who had just come from a fundraiser of his own in Irvine, Calif.

During a two-days swing in the state, the candidate will raise $10 million from seven finance events, split between the Bay Area and Southern California.

At the Irvine fundraiser, Romney again conveyed his sadness at the mass shooting in Colorado. He suggested that instead of looking for government to play a role for the government to play in the aftermath of the tragedy, people must reach out to their neighbors.

"Our heritage as a nation is when there are problems, people respond to them and people solve them, and so at a time like this, we're inclined to look elsewhere," Romney said. "But perhaps we should say, how can we make a difference in the lives of people around us? And obviously we're not going to be able to go to ... Aurora, Colorado, rather, and salve the wounds of those who have been injured so severely. But we can look around us in our own communities, and if there is someone that we know who can't find work right now, having them in your home for dinner and just finding out what's going on in their life might make a difference."

[dauid_ben]

Amein, the problem is most people in America live directly on government assistance or indirectly on government union jobs or jobs supported by government programs like I do as a nurse aide with most of my pay coming from Medicaid and Medicare. I work for what I get most of the time being under compensated by a system that is regulation bloated system to get out of paying run by government union workers that are so cruel and picky about some rule that is motivated by lawyer's litigation since most people elected have to be attorneys to read the laws they pass in our legislatures. Based on this I will vote for a businessman like Mitt Romney that hopefully will use to White House bully pulpit to tell us about American values that we have forgotten cause we think government dependence is the only way to solve our problems voting for those that will feed us this addiction and use his values to balance our budget!

[nearl451]

"And Business workers don't get Government challenges."

Really. Can we please stop denigrating each other and what we contribute to the economy and American Society, please.

I work for private industry..... but come on.

[nearl451]

Ok. Here's another one....

"Rich heirs do not face middle class fiacal challenges."

Suck on that one for awhile.

[hhandyman]

Start that challenge with the Republican right that seems to know no compromise for growth of the nation that counts for 2/3 of the current problems with employment today. The Just say No crew is saying No to employment to Middle class Americans and Pushes for more tax breaks for Job Exporters like Mr Willard Romney pushed with His Job experience that he keeps bragging on. Its just too bad he caused harm by destruction of business that were profitable for a large profit for himself and company its like a guest at thanksgivings cutting the desert in the middle and taking the best meats for his own use leaving table scraps for the rest of the guests at the feast.

[hillzhavays]

The problem is spending handyman. The main obstacle to employment, or rather job creation, is the regulations and uncertainty set in place by the current Administration.

Also, if you had any ability at all to see Obama's "jobs bills" you would know they were nothing more than thinly veiled marketing ploys designed to make the other side look bad by presenting exactly what they said they would vote down. They were not genuine attempts at exhibiting leadership. Obama is not a leader. He is nothing more than an idealogue who has no idea what he is doing.

[wayneonly]

While Romney says that Obama does not understand business he himself has no real concept of what will make businesses grow and hire more employees. A strong middle class is what businesses need in order to prosper and hire more employees. While lowering taxes will put more money in the pockets of large multinational corporations, they will not hire more employees as long as there is no change in the MARKETPLACE. In other words, if there is no INCREASE in the numbers of the middle class, no increase in the number of CUSTOMERS, there will be no expansion of business, and no decrease in the number of unemployed. THE CUSTOMER IS WHAT BUILDS BUSINESS STUPID, not government and certainly not businesses who pay no taxes but have little or no CUSTOMERS.

This is why Congress, especially the GOP controlled House, has baulked at any jobs bill that would put American construction workers to work rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure. If Congress were to pass a bill that would employ more American workers, then the economy would improve and the government would receive more taxes. Business would have more customers and would start hiring again. But then the GOP would not be able to point their fingers at President Obama and say he "doesn't understand how business works". Congress understands how business works, but if they do something to help business WORK, they also do something to help the economy and the middle class. And they do something to help President Obama. Then they couldn't blame the President for THEIR failure. Oh yes, they are blaming President Obama for their failure already. Are we (the American voter) dumb enough to fall for this line?

[Lindag20]

Exactly. Well put and one can only hope that people can see through Romney's BS.

[nearl451]

ubumo must like Obama, because the government has not been smaller in decades. In fact it is shrinking to the effect that it is sucking demand right out of the economy.

[Lindag20]

Biggest problem with Romney is that he doesn't understand that government is NOT a business. The purpose of govenment is to look out for ALL the people, it's not a venture capital company that exists to MAKE MONEY.

[retmw2]

Dan

The government is non profit, just like the business you work for. So how can they be capitalistic?

[Lindag20]

Government is NOT capitalism. Government sets the ground rules and keeps capitalism from running roughshod over the citizens. Try educating yourself instead of drinking.

[Lindag20]

by Dan1692 July 23, 2012 9:02 PM EDT
OBAMA4ALL July 23, 2012 8:58 PM EDT
Dan is in full denial...
________________________________________________________
Even if I was, I can go to AA and cure it. Can you cure your issues? LOL
--------------
Dan: What leads you to believe that going to AA meetings will cure alcoholism?

[retmw2]

A few people I know that are in AA, always say they are in recovery, and one of them has been in AA for over 20 years. Never heard any of them say they were cured.

[Lindag20]

On topic: I really disliked the way Romney belittled the people who actually RUN our government. You know the ones who keep all the agencies going and are in the "trenches" to see that the necessary paperwork is processed, the bills are paid, that SS checks go out, etc., etc. HE doesn't seem to have ANY respect for the lower level employees of a business that actually do the "grunt work" either. I can see why the wealthy would vote for him, but the rest of the people that he's so distainful of must be REALLY brainwashed if they vote for him.

[retmw2]

Dan

The question is, who makes sure you get your check every month. Should we start by laying them off, for your smaller government.

[Lindag20]

Dan: We need ENOUGH revenue (taxes) to pay for the services our government provides us. Since you and your ilk don't want to pay your way it's become a problem. I pay my taxes and think that it's worth it to have clean air, pure water, safe products to buy, utilities at a fair price (I lived through deregulation of the electric companies in California), roads and bridges that are in good repair, etc., etc. I'd be willing to pay more in taxes if the Federal government would cut back on "defense" spending and foreign aid, plus close down all the miltiary bases scattered all over the globe.

[Lindag20]

by Dan1692 July 23, 2012 8:45 PM EDT
So you say....do you have evidence of that. You admitted to being GAY!!! I would rather be DRUNK...laying in a GUTTER, than be GAY.
-------------
Dan: No one "chooses" to be gay, it's how you were BORN. People choose to be drunk. Drunks are annoying and obnoxious.

[TimeToEvolve]

Idiots like RobMe scare the heck out of me. They are just so arrogant and so smart that you can only be there to shine their shoes. To them the only people that matter are the rich white men who support their rape and pillage of the American people.

What cage do they let these creeps out of. If you think the Bush Crime Family pushed us off the economic cliff, wait until the Top 1% pResident gets appointed.

[MurdochSucks]

by hillzhavays July 23, 2012 7:23 PM EDT
by MurdochSucks July 23, 2012 6:40 PM EDT
@hillz, demand is certainly increased when there is more expendable income. So, how do you propose we increase demand for goods and services?
_____________________________________
Less taxes (on consumers and business), less regulation, less burden on business = less uncertainty, more hiring (gradually), more expendable consumer income = hotter economy, fatter bottom lines, more room to start phasing out tax breaks for corporations and (god forbid) the wealthier earners.

I have no problem taking a little bigger cut from the rich and corporations, but during a downturn is just stupid, and worse, suicidal.

++++++++++++++

That all sounds pretty sensible. Two problems I have with the statements. I don't understand what regulations and burdens on business you are referring to, I sincerely feel this is a ruse and red herring to blast Obama, illegitimately. Secondly, if we lower taxes, we will increase debt. I'm cool with that if it will solve the problem and be paid back over time, but our friends in Congress are stonewalling any increase in the debt ceiling while passing deficit budgets. Are you suggesting we increase even more debt, because the right has been pretty sticky about that since Obama has took office. The other thing is that we have all-time low taxes now and have enjoyed such low rates for over a decade. Why didn't they prevent the collapse and why haven't they helped yet?

[MurdochSucks]

Sorry, changed "has taken" to "took" and forgot to remove the extraneous "has," LOL. Has took has a pretty good ring to it, though. ;-)

[hillzhavays]

Why didn't they prevent it? Low taxes do not in themselves counteract the cyclical nature of economic trends, so there really isn't an answer to your question.

Why haven't they helped yet? There is a hiring spree waiting to happen as soon as Obama is out of office. Business is sitting on record amounts of cash. That is as good an indicator as any I can think of that business is uncertain about Obama or else not pleased with his policies. So they have halted investment. That is a bad thing if you're a business, but worse is to operate in an uncertain environment or at a loss.