"You didn't build that."

            Vice-President Biden may hold the record for the most verbal gaffes uttered during this electioneering season, but President Obama may have given us the one that will last forever.

            "You didn't build that." This putdown of entrepreneurs is etched in stone. In a country whose fabulous success derives principally from individuals who built their own businesses with their ideas and their sweat, Obama's insult reveals not only his lack of understanding of the free enterprise system, but also his socialist belief in government as the solution to our problems.
            Americans think otherwise. As Ronald Reagan put it, "Government is not the solution to our problems. Government IS the problem."
            Obama's failure  to appreciate  American determination and ingenuity reminds me of  foolish statements by other people who lacked the vision to see beyond their noses. Here are some of my favorites:

            "Man will never reach the moon, regardless of all future scientific advances." __ Dr. Lee DeForest, radio pioneer.

            "There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom." __ Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923.

            "The telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication." __ Western Union memo, 1896

            "Heavier than air flying machines are impossible." __ Lord Kelvin, 1895.

            "Everything that can be invented has been invented." __ Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of Patents, 1899.

            "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Ken Olsen, DEC Corp., 1977.

            "I don't know what use anyone could find for a machine that would make copies of documents. It certainly couldn't be a feasible business by itself." __ the head of IBM, rejecting the idea put forth by the founder of Xerox.

            "The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." __Yale University professor grading Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service (Smith went on to found Federal Express).

            "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." __ Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

            "The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value." __ David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings to invest in the radio in the 1920s.

            "A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." Response to Mrs. Fields' idea.

            Cookies, anyone?