Star of Romney “You didn’t build this” Ohio event took government assistance

Mitt Romney is busy attacking Barack Obama for a statement he made about who “built that” in the context of small businesses, suggesting the President was belittling the efforts of entrepreneurs. The truth is, the President’s words to remove where the President talked about roads and bridges and other public investments that are essential to allowing American businesses to succeed:

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.

But no matter. Romney’s forging ahead with his “you didn’t build that” road show, complete with three Ohio stops.

is in Cincinnati and features Ken Seilkop, CEO of Seilkop Industries, a company that, just last year sought and received government assistance to expand its business.

From the meeting minutes of the Ohio Tax Credit Authority from July 25, 2011:

Seilkop Industries, Inc. appeared before the Tax Credit Authority requesting a tax credit for a project in the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County. Crider made a motion to approve a tax credit of 45 percent for 5 years for the Seilkop Industries, Inc. project in exchange for a commitment by Seilkop Industries, Inc. to create 25 new full-­time equivalent employees generating $700,000 in additional annual payroll and retain $2.5 million in existing payroll at the project site in City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and to reserve 10 percent of the new, full-­time jobs for disadvantage and/or minority persons. In addition, the company will claim the tax credit on income tax revenue generate at the project site in excess of the company’s baseline income tax revenue at the project site of $74,114 a figure that will increase annually by a multiplier of 1.022. The tax credit would begin in 1/1/2012 and ends in 12/31/2016. Fightmaster seconded. The vote was 4-­0. All present voted yes.

Yes, you and I underwrote the expansion of this business with our tax dollars to the tune of almost thirty thousand dollars, according to the state’s .

But this guy is going to get on a stage and tell you how government has no role in helping business.

This isn’t even the first time in less than a week that team Romney has blown it. The star of their national and a with whom Romney appeared both sought and received government help. Yet they are moving ahead with an Ohio event featuring a recent recipient of taxpayer assistance. And this comes just days after they stood up as co-chair an “Ohio Woman for Mitt” who didn’t actually vote for Mitt.

Someone on Romney’s Ohio advance team is asleep at the wheel.