The controversy over who built what


On the lookout for a fresh slogan, Mitt Romney's campaign seized on half a sentence uttered by Obama a couple of weeks ago which, as has been well reported, was excised from its context and misinterpreted. Obama's comment, made in the context of a campaign speech in Roanoke:

"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.  The Internet didn’t get invented on its own.  Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

Romney's campaign turned this into a "We Did Built This" tour with eighteen rallies in 12 states on one day alone. The furor seems to have died down, but the irony over the clash of Romney's claim ("We did built it!") with basic Christian values lingers. Maybe you did built your own business. Maybe you even did it without any government assistance. But did you really do it all?

The last part of Psalm 65 comes to mind as an ecstatic shout of joy for all that God has done for us. Yes, human hands planted the grain. But do we dare ascribe the resulting bounty to our power alone?

6 By your strength you established the mountains;
   you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas,
   the roaring of their waves,
   the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it,
   you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
   you provide the people with grain,
   for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
   settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
   and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
   your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
   the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
   the valleys deck themselves with grain,
   they shout and sing together for joy.


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