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Whole Foods is being boycotted by shoppers after the boss of the health stores came out against Barack Obama's healthcare plan.
John Mackey, founder and chief executive of the American chain, whose Kensington store lost £35.9 million last year, wrote an article in the comment page of the conservative Wall Street Journal.
His opposition to Mr Obama's planned “massive new healthcare entitlement” has prompted many once-loyal shoppers in the US to pledge to find alternative sources for their free-range chicken or organic cheese.
Steven Mikulencak, a 33-year-old town planner in Washington, said: “There is consensus that the company needs to re-earn the trust.” A boycott Whole Foods Facebook group has 1,600 members.
Mr Mackey quoted Margaret Thatcher to argue that the US government should not take on responsibility for extending healthcare to uninsured Americans.
Reader views (1)
I wonder how many people they asked before they came up with that 'consensus' opinion? There are a great many who are NOT fans of Obamacare socialized medicine. The man keeps going on about providing for uninsured Americans - yet the plans clearly document providing it for the estimated 20 million illegal immigrants as well, above and beyond the emergency and stabilization care they and all Americans are automatically entitled to across the board. How many illegal immigrants come to Britain for healthcare and social benefits? How many more do you think will go to the easier accessed USA once it's available 'for free'?
There's no such thing as 'free' healthcare. Someone has to pay for it and it ISN'T the government. They get their money from taxpayers. THAT is the issue, not the few and far between crazies the left leaning US media throw up as 'prime examples of the opposition' to this socialist take-over of a nation.
And that subject they keep ridiculing in the US press? Death Panels? That is a dramatization of a serious question - UK readers need only look at the frequent references to 'Post-code lotteries' to see where it originates from. This argument about Obamacare is NOT a simple argument between greed and compassion. It is a battle between an essentially centrist political population and policies straight out of hard left wing playbook that have ultimately failed everywhere else in the world.
- Rogan, Irving, 21/08/2009 01:06
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