OTTUMWA —
Not only did government not build my business, government has been one of the biggest obstacles to running a successful enterprise.
That was one message during a campaign press stop organized by the Mitt Romney campaign, where a group of local business people said they take issue with recent comments made by President Barack Obama. The sign on and behind the podium stated, “We did build it!”
Keith Caviness, who has owned The Photo Shop with his wife more than 40 years, said President Obama seemed clear when he said if you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made it happen.
Obama supporters insist that statement was taken out of context and the president had been talking about highways and other infrastructure necessary to have a profitable business — that all he meant was business owners didn’t build those things.
“That’s how they backpeddled,” Caviness said.
But even if he was to believe the president’s staff — which he doesn’t — they’d still be wrong, he said.
After all, government didn’t really pay for those roads, sewers and fire departments. The people and their tax dollars built up the infrastructure necessary to run a business.
What’s worse, perhaps, is that government has created “an almost hostile business environment ... for small business,” said Kelli McDonald, co-owner of LadyFit in Ottumwa.
She said she’s someone who wants to invest in her community, wants to grow her business and wants to hire more employees.
In fact, McDonald was ready to expand, but prohibitive regulations stopped her cold. Twice. Even hiring full-time employees is made difficult, and she’s had to go with part-timers.
Jeff Messerschmitt, co-owner of Messerschmitt Ice, believes Mitt Romney has a good answer to one of his company’s biggest problems: the high cost of energy.
He feels Romney is willing to put a pipeline across the United States, to drill for oil where it exists and take other concrete steps to make fuel available in a cost-effective manner.
“I [co-own] Messerschmitt Ice, a family business here in Ottumwa. My mom and dad started it. We went from 300 pounds of ice made in a [machine] in the basement to 84 tons. The government certainly didn’t build it.”
Romney gets that, he believes.
But do you understand what he’s talking about, asked another business owner? Families and everyday citizens are the ones who risk everything, added Trudy Caviness, Keith’s wife. They may have to put their homes up for collateral, work 70 hours a week and see that no matter how business is, that they meet their payroll.
“I don’t think Obama understands what that’s like,” she said.
The Caviness’ business once had 13 employees. They’re down to seven. In the past, they paid 80 percent of their employee’s health coverage. They can’t do that anymore, and two workers have no insurance at all. Financially, Obamacare is out of reach for the small business owner, he said.
Not only has government not helped them be successful, he said, they put up roadblocks. He wants to run his business, he added, as do the owners of LadyFit and Messerschmitt Ice.
“The government simply needs to get out of the way,” Keith Caviness said.
Local News
Business owners take aim at Obama
Say government has created ‘almost hostile business environment’
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