You are both right. Obama’s words there clearly demonstrate the view from the left that government has the right to “manage” private enterprise and that individual rights are nice rhetoric, but they really believe in playing Robin Hood while ignoring those rights.

I’m a big fan of “corporate responsibility” (often interpreted to mean charity work and otherwise playing nice), but I see such a path as a logical choice for any company that intends to be around long for the long term. In other words, intelligent companies (properly) choose to give out of their own self-interest. If there actually is some altruism involved, so much the better.

Still, it smacks of socialism to suggest that work exists primarily for the benefit of the employee, not the consumer or owner.