Posted on 01/05/2013 3:20:48 PM PST by GiovannaNicoletta
This letter is a very sad example of what happens when our personal freedoms and liberties are taken away. America wasn’t built on this, readers, and we absolutely must share this to show people the impact the Obama administration is having on every-day Americans.
When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn’t much bigger than most people’s living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God‘s word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family.
We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.
But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.
Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that’s raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It’s not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it’s the same for everybody. But that’s not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of convenience or cost. But it won’t exempt them for reasons of religious belief.
So, Hobby Lobby – and my family – are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don’t like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit.
My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that’s a choice no American – and no American business – should have to make.
The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church.
Since you will not see this covered in any of the liberal media, pass this on to all your contacts.
Sincerely,
David Green, CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.
Of course there are companies that offer health insurance without abortion/sex change/sterilization/contraception/IVF treatments. The point is that the law now mandates that any employer who has more than 50 employees working more than 30 hours per week MUST by law provide health insurance coverage for them that pays for these things.
I wonder if this guy is using this as an excuse to drop the insurance or something. If I was the owner, I would be trying everything in my power to find some alternative.
They already have tried everything. I've made a number of suggestions for a work-around too, but many of them (like making all the sales staff contractors rather than employees) is not allowed under the ACA. This letter was actually issued months ago, prior to the finding by the SCOTUS that they are not entitled to a religious exemption from the ACA (Obamacare) bill's mandates.
Plus doesn’t this mandatory insurance stuff begin in 2014???? Why is he sweating this now????
The benefits of coverage for the uninsured kick in in 2014. Many of the obligations for employers started on January 2, 2013. The fines of $1.3 million per day start now. I don't know about you, but that kind of money would make me sweat. It looks as though the Greens have the choices of either cutting all their employees back to 29.9 hours per week, which would represent a huge loss to their employees, or closing the company altogether.
So, supporting religious-based business practices for Muslims is okay for our government, but supporting religious-based business practices for Christians is not?
Being a high-information voter can be a curse sometimes...
-PJ
Didn’t Domino’s just win their case?
MasterCard Offers New Interest-Free Sharia Compliant Credit Card To Muslims
A new interest-free credit card, the first of its kind in North America, aims to reconcile Islamic canonical law and Western consumer culture.
Until now, observant Muslims have been precluded from owning credit cards on which they pay interest, a violation of shariah law.
The iFreedom Plus Mastercard, set to be available in the coming days, promises no bills, no interest and no credit card debt.
“Everyone living their day-to-day lives, they need a credit card. You can’t rent a car, you can’t travel if you don’t have a card. Everyone wants one in their pocket,” said Omar Kalair, president of UM Financial, a Toronto-based Islamic financing firm that is launching the card with the Mastercard brand.
A new interest-free credit card, the first of its kind in North America, aims to reconcile Islamic canonical law and Western consumer culture.
Until now, observant Muslims have been precluded from owning credit cards on which they pay interest, a violation of shariah law.
The iFreedom Plus Mastercard, set to be available in the coming days, promises no bills, no interest and no credit card debt.
“Everyone living their day-to-day lives, they need a credit card. You can’t rent a car, you can’t travel if you don’t have a card. Everyone wants one in their pocket,” said Omar Kalair, president of UM Financial, a Toronto-based Islamic financing firm that is launching the card with the Mastercard brand.
But banks have little incentive to offer products that don’t bear high interest rates, causing a dilemma for Muslim consumers in Canada, he said.
With the iFreedom Plus Mastercard, holders load up their card with cash in advance, up to $6,000. Each purchase draws down on the account without accruing interest.
The concept follows the Islamic principle that finance should be backed by owned assets. It was approved by a panel of Muslim religious scholars, Mr. Kalair said.
“You’re spending money you actually own,” he said. “There’s a certain degree of stress when you use a credit card. On this one there isn’t.”
Cardholders pay $50 for two years of use and each transfer of cash on to the card costs 95 cents.
And since the new product doesn’t actually involve credit, applicants are approved without a credit check.
The card, which is primarily aimed at younger newcomers, was launched at the inaugural conference of the Usury-Free Association of North America in downtown Toronto.
“As soon as you hit university, all the banks start sending you $500 credit cards,” Mr. Kalair said. “People start using them and start getting in debt. It’s better to start someone on a prepaid.”
Card accounts will be managed by Mint Technology, which operates other prepaid card programs. But unlike other prepaid cards, the iFreedom card is personally embossed and draws on the pervasiveness of the Mastercard brand, Mr. Kalair said.
And on purchases of more than $100, cardholders earn 1% cash back.
Also, Abu Dhabi-based carrier Etihad Airways is offering a 10% discount for customers booking a flight with the card.
“And our community travels a lot,” Mr. Kalair said.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d6f_1270069237
Thanks for posting this. I’ve forwarded it on to many of my email list.
God Bless this man, his family and his employees.
Oh great, so for every $100 worth of C4 or semtex they buy, they get money back so they can buy the disposable “prepaid” cell phone for the detonator too.
Tomorrow I will shop at Hobby Lobby and buy something (they’re right across the street from Chic-fil-a, so I’ll stop there for lunch, too).
Tomorrow is Sunday. Both Hobby Lobby & Chik-fil-A are closed.
Oh, you’re from up north. We speak normally here in the south.
Thanks - I forgot about that - make it Monday, then :)
Unfortunately, even by paying their taxes they are already forced to support many of their religious prohibitions. Thus the government may point out in suit that by doing so, this new policy is merely an extension of what already exists, hence no relief should be granted by its continuation.”
This society has become a slavemaster and its bullwhip is long and thick, and becoming evermore so.
The sad reality is that, this recent election was an election brought about via voter fraud bigtime.
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