This is in reply to Kitty Kouns’ letter of 19 August.

Your interpretation of Mr. Obama’s comment is the way I would hope he meant what he said. But, his words (your quote), “If you’ve got a small business, you didn’t build it — somebody else did,” is understandably very offensive to the insightful and hard working people that did build small businesses from scratch.

Your comment was that all of this is “nitpicking.” It is not.

Mr. Obama insulted these courageous, energetic, imaginative people by saying they “didn’t build it — somebody else did.”

While all of those things you mentioned: “teachers to mold character, give knowledge and tools.” “Banks to loan money.” “Highways and bridges to locate where profitable” are an advantage to building a small business, I feel like Mr. Obama and you have overlooked the main ingredient in this processes.

Long before teachers, banks and highways existed, individuals with an idea for a small business used their courage to go forward with it, their energy to keep working at it and their fortitude to fight against all odds to keep the business running.

Blood, sweat and tears. That is what builds small businesses. And large one’s too. It is an insult to say that these courageous, energetic, imaginative people “didn’t build it — somebody else did.”

As a voter I am looking for a man that has this type of courage, energy and imagination.

Obama never started a business and has failed to show any of these qualities.

Mitt Romney possesses all of them, and more. This is why I think he “can do a better job of running this country and getting us out of this mess!”

Charlotte Rowley

Ironton