The Secret Weapon: All of Us By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Published: August 28, 2012 The Republican National Convention opened by smacking President Obama with the theme “We Built it.” To pound that message, Republicans turned to a Delaware businesswoman, Sher Valenzuela, who is also a candidate for lieutenant governor. Valenzuela and her husband built an upholstery business that now employs dozens of workers. Valenzuela presumably was picked to speak so that she could thunder at Obama for disdaining capitalism. Oops. It turns out that Valenzuela relied not only on her entrepreneurial skills but also on — yes, government help. Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, documented $2 million in loans from the Small Business Administration for Valenzuela’s company, plus $15 million in government contracts (mostly noncompetitive ones). In a presentation earlier this year, Valenzuela described government assistance as an entrepreneur’s “biggest ‘secret weapon.’ ” Rest of article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/opinion/kristof-the-secret-weapon-all-of-us.html?smid=fb-share
