A question for you: What is the primary objective of a company in America?

According to a recent Rasmussen survey, two-thirds of us believe it is to create jobs for the overall economy. Only 25 percent of us believe it is to create value for the owners.

Another question for you: Suppose you open a restaurant. You employ six people. One morning you find demonstrators on your doorstep. They flaunt placards. They jeer at you. “Hire more workers!” they cry. “Create more waitress jobs!” they insist. “Live up to your responsibility.”

How do you suppose you would react?

Most Americans would tell the demonstrators to stuff it. Why then do we think differently toward companies? My guess is that as a restaurant owner you would look out for yourself. You would not add waitresses to salve your conscience. You would not add a cook because lots of cooks are out of work.

Instead, you would do what works best for your business. That is what companies large and small do. That is what six-person restaurants do. And what one-person newsstands do. Why then do so many Americans feel companies should strive to create jobs?

Well, a lot of politicians and media types encourage folks to feel this way. The President does. He chides businesses for not creating more jobs.