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Steven M
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Joel A. Harrison, PhD, MPH
August 24, 2009 at 11:39 am
as long as this dispicable preson of a ceo makes statements like he did, and now as long as this same ceo sits on your top foods board and represents your company, i refuse to buy from whole foods market any more
we are comanded to take care of the least amung us
family values my ass!
obvousley he has and dose not want the real ones in need to have either and a greedy self centerred man such as this CEO should be put in the soup line to learn his place in life as god would have wanted us all to learn to be
August 24, 2009 at 11:40 am
ment to say whole foods board
August 31, 2009 at 12:02 am
Did you even read the statement that was written in the WSJ? I totally get the human need to follow causes and even to protest because they do not have the things they want in life, like “it hasn’t gone my way” so I have to find someone to blame. If you would have really read the article, you would have heard that he was just making a statement that this “right” of health care does not exist in the foundation created by our founding fathers. He was posing the question of whether our government should be responsible for delving out the healthcare, as socialized healthcare, like that in the U.K. and Canada has posed some problems. Look at what Mackey does for his employees, and ask the employees if they are happy. I know several, and they are thrilled to be working there. Mackey makes the argument that we should be taking responsibility for our health by eating well and taking care of ourselves. Maybe we should collectively listen to that, instead of bloodying ourselves with negative energy that seeks to impale someone for something that he did not even say.
August 31, 2009 at 9:33 am
The Constitution has been amended 17 times to bring into existence rights, protections, and guarantees that had not existed before. The founders of our nation anticipated this need. We agree that Mr. Mackey has a right to express his opinions and live by them. We live by ours as well. And, as for the “I totally get the human need to follow causes…,” well, I’m afraid you misunderstand our motives here. We are boycotting because we are working on providing health care for ALL americans, not just the ones with money and therefore able to participate in the private health insurance market. We are educated. We are families. We work hard. We vote. We pay taxes. We have the same dreams as most Americans. We are working to make our vision for tomorrow a reality. Too many Americans have faced ruination by the “negative energy” of the private insurance market- we are working to make insurance fair, dignified, and affordable to each American’s ability.
August 24, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I was a long time team member of whole foods and with in the last few years I have been what I would call run off my job. I left a year ago because I was sick, and extremly depressed. They were doing what ever the could to get me to quit. I am HIV positive and now that I am hearing about all of this that is going on. I now know for sure that it was not me. However since then I now have Aids and have been diagnosed with severe depression. All of this is due to leaving the job that I thought was the best job that I have ever had. I was a Bakery TL and helped this Company become what it is today so the thought of them doing this to me is got me really upset. I would like to know if there is a pending lawsuit against them? Please contact me I would like to be a part of getting them to change there ways. I also know of 5 others that have experienced the same thing. Thanks, Bert
August 25, 2009 at 2:56 am
Rarely have I read anything as offensive and outrageous as John Mackey’s editorial. I have supported Whole Foods for years because I believe in eating organic foods. But the health care reform issue has succeeded in revealing Mackey for what he is: a snivelling corporate hypocrite who is rich enough to get good health care and evil enough not to care about the millions of Americans who are not covered and/or are being gauged by their health insurance company. I immediately called three Whole Foods stores in my area and
spoke to their managers. Then I sent an angry email to the company. I received a wishy-washy response which so angered me that I sent the following reply:
I am horrified, appalled, and frankly astonished that, even if Mr. Mackey subscribes to these views, he would give them a platform in the Wall Street Journal. As CEO of a Fortune 500 country, he cannot fail to realize that he represents the company, even if he is speaking “as a private citizen,” as I was told by the managers of three stores I called. I am offended by his use of the word “socialism” in an inflammatory way. It is ironic that those on the right believe the Obama plan to be “socialism.” There is no socialism in this country and never will be in my lifetime, unless you count Medicare and Social Security as socialism. It’s bad enough that ill-informed and weak-minded opponents crowd the town halls to shout down any attempt at rational debate. Do we need someone like Mr. Mackey, who ought to be on the vanguard of reform, spewing this garbage in a major newspaper? While I don’t disagree with his statement that people ought to take more resposibility for their health, it does not address the issue. What if, for example, someone needs hospitalization because of a car accident? Also, many people will not take care of their health by eating organic foods and exercising. Is it moral to deny them health care?
Mr. Mackey appears to be unduly concerned about the deficit. I hope he protested the war in Iraq which has cost trillions of dollars and is being waged against people who never harmed us and against the will of the majority of Americans. And I hope he’s willing to forego the millions in tax breaks that Fortune 500 companies get, which would go a long way toward reducing the deficit. He also believes that health care is not a right like clothing and shelter (since he left out “food,” I guess it’s because that’s not a right–people need to buy their food at Whole Foods!) I find this point of view morally repugnant.
I am regretfully giving up Whole Foods, because I gladly paid more money for the wonderful organic produce.
I am urging my friends to do the same.
Perhaps, since he is opposed to “socialized medicine,” Mr. Mackey would like to volunteer to opt out of Medicare.
My only regret in joining the boycott is that it will have negative repercussions to the organic foods industry. However, my neighborhood supermarket stocks some organic foods and now is the time for organic farmers to push for more of their products in ordinary supermarkets.
August 31, 2009 at 12:18 am
Mr. Mackey’s article does not say most of the things you have represented here in your carefully crafted article. You are obviously intelligent, but you have let your emotions take control of your rational self. I implore you to take another look at what you have written, and compare it to the article that Mackey wrote for the WSJ. You might realize, after taking a breath, that your prancing around is misdirected. If you take this kind of directed focus and put it into finding a way to provide good health for all, we will all be happy and healthy.
August 25, 2009 at 3:02 am
Correction:
1) I meant to say “a trillion dollars” in Iraq, not trillions. Though that’s what it will be eventually if we don’t get out of there. Are you listening, President Obama?
2) Mr. Mackey did include “food” in the usual trio of human rights. However, it’s clear that he has contempt for anyone who isn’t rich enough to afford food, clothing, and shelter.
August 25, 2009 at 4:19 pm
I am 56 and live in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. I know many middle class working people who have lost their health insurance or never could afford any or have small incomes that are just over the cut off for public plans like Commonwealth Care or MassHealth. I’ve always loved Whole Foods and enjoyed shopping there to the tune of $hundreds$ a month. When I read Mr. Mackey’s WSJ editorial I felt like an idiot for paying his premium. I never felt as betrayed by a business before which I guess shows how attached to my local store I was. Nevertheless, I’m boycotting. The best way to explain my response to the hypocracy of Whole Foods is that I can now relate to how conservative voters felt when their elected officials were revealed as cheating on their wifes’. You just can’t do business like that with me. CEO John Mackey threw me and my friends and my fellow citizens under the boss so I left with my money.
Sarah Wenig
August 27, 2009 at 1:40 pm
So I leave this as a opinion I can appreciate what you may be trying to do and I also know that you may not leave this note up as it will not support the boycott but if you want food for thought think of this, who does this boycott really hurt, ok so they loose sales, lets see what this does. Oh Team members that work in the stores and live in your local communities spending money in your communites could possibly loose their jobs, which puts more with out health care, because whole foods does provide health care to their Team members, or lets look at other things Whole Foods buys alot of product from thier local area where ever their stores are located that is why I have been in a california store and cannot find the same products as in their store back east. so in boycotting you are hurting the small local farmers or artisan bakers in YOUR local communites all this base on one mans opinon I have read the article a few times and also done a lot of research and did you know the Wall street Journal changed the name of the article did you know that if you read the article he is for health care reform. Just that we need to look at possible other options than a large government benefit, I believe in this country no one should go with out health care but to have a large program out of our taxes or better yet the taxes of my children at what a 50% tax rate some time in the future and if you think that is crazy if you could go back in time and tell generations of the past what the tax rate is today they would tell you there is no way some day people will be paying 30% of their income in taxes, but any way if you read this just think all you will do by boycotting whole foods is hurt you communitie in the long run. we should be putting this great energy in to talking with those that will make the policie and have the power to change health care and that is not one man it is the politicians we have elected I have not seen this kind of energy put towards politicans in this way. How about 11,000 letters to our congressmen to fix the health care issue with out making another program that will be bankrupt when my kids will need it. thank you for your time and once again I can appreciate what you are trying to do not sure its the correct way. My opipion
September 2, 2009 at 1:55 am
If you go back and look at Red Channels in the 50′s, you’d be amazed at what a boycott does to a company. If we can’t control Washington we need to control the people who control Washington.