Whole Foods Boycott (IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For Failure)

IBD Editorials ^ | August 24, 2009 | INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY Staff

[Kaslin]

Medical Overhaul: Whole Foods' CEO weighed in on health care, just as our president urged. But instead of engaging him in civil discussion, angry leftists boycotted his stores. They've succeeded only in chilling debate.

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John Mackey is a successful entrepreneur. Unlike many politicians, he has actual experience providing health care for private-sector workers. So as the debate over reform cranked up, he wrote an Aug. 12 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal describing "The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare" and offering eight sensible free-market ideas that haven't been discussed on the news.

Mackey didn't criticize other plans. He merely tossed a refreshing bucket of reality onto the fever swamps of Congress, which is now trying to pass a socialized health care bill without debate.

But an honest opinion differing from Washington wisdom was too much for the radical left. They blew a gasket over Mackey, distorted his views as against health care reform and called a boycott. And their boycott drew a slew of media attention.

Now, make no mistake, this boycott is a colossal flop. But all the same, it was a vile thing to do, not only for its disproportionate response — seeking to destroy a company with 50,000 employees — but because its real effect will be to spook executives everywhere from giving their badly needed input into health care reform. What CEO would want this for his company merely for giving an opinion

[green iguana]

I don’t have any problems driving my truck with my “My President is a Marxist” bumper sticker into the Whole Foods lot. Maybe it’s the Gadsden Flag on the other side of the bumper...