Column's Focus Was Not in Context

As of Friday, July 27, 2012

I hate to see Robert Levy fall into the Fox News syndrome by basing his July 22 column (“Obama’s War on Our Liberty”) on an out-of-context remark by President Obama.

He knows full well that the comment made by President Obama was in the context of making the point that all businesses depend on government for services. And all taxpayers fund those government services as business uses.

To make his point he uses his parents’ business, the old Southern Pines Fabrics. I knew both his parents well, and agree they were hard-working people who built their business on hard work. But they depended on roads to get the fabric to their shop, police and fire to protect their business, and a military to protect the country that allowed them freedom to own their own business. These are taxpayer-funded.

I don’t know where Levy went to school, but primary education is also taxpayer-funded. So when you put Obama’s statement back into context, how can anyone disagree that we all depend on others to be successful if we own a business?

I can do the same thing Levy has done with Obama’s remarks with a statement from this very column he has written. I quote (out of context), “Actually, it is not about health care. Neither is it about jobs.”

So the chairman of the Republican Party in Moore County has just admitted that his party really doesn’t care about health care and jobs.

I think the public is tired of both parties taking statements from the candidates out of context to support an opinion, and/or make the other party’s candidate appear to be someone they aren’t. The public is not stupid, and we will show that at the polls in November.

Lynn Stephens

Carthage

More like this story

skylinefirepest 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Lynn don't get carried away....We the People pay for these things with our illustrious government simply acting as a clearing house. If the government didn't build roads and bridges "we the people" would build them. Obama's snide comments were NOT taken out of context in the slightest. The man believes in big government and doesn't have a clue as to how to reduce spending of our money...which I'll remind you comes from our back pockets at the point of a gun. I'll remind you that roads were built before there were automobiles. You are certainly correct when you say that we'll remember come November...the American public, which I agree is not stupid, will vote out the most spendthrift president in history. We'll get rid of a man who seems not to be able to tell the truth. We'll kick out this imposter who says he is color blind but is actually a racist. This man who refuses to close our borders and thinks it's perfectly all right for some thirteen million illegal immigrants to be in our country. This man who goes to foreign countries and talks trash about our country while bowing to foreign leaders.

dustyrhoades 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Apparently, Pesty defines "context" as "in the context of all the myths we've spread about Barack Obama."

nothingspecial 9 months, 3 weeks ago

Lynn, asking us to take the President's remarks in context is so very funny. If we do that, take his comments together with the other things he's told us about himself, there can be no doubt he was denigrating accomplishments as he always does. By the way, with the country failing as it is, despite all those fine roads and education, isn't that then everyone's FAULT too and not just the awful rich?