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The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare

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Myself

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John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, and a professed admirer of Ayn Rand, wrote a great op-ed for the Wall Street Journal today on health care reform.

The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare

Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That’s because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America
Edited by Myself
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If anyone is interested, the guy who co-founded Whole Foods with John Mackey wrote an article in Huffington Post, defending Mr. Mackey's approach.

Perhaps it is not too much to hope for that the "left" will crack along major ideological lines, with the secular "bleeding heart libertarians" becoming a separate group, and later .... seeing more in common with the secular "hard nosed conservatives" when it comes to political ideas.

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It's sad to read many of the comments. Most of the people there are so far removed from rationality that they cannot even reasonably consider an alternative point of view... It's as if their minds just stop at disagreement and they spout their one-liners.... that usually do not even address whatever point is being made.

You never hear someone explain why it would be so terrible and hateful for someone to be responsible for themselves, do you? It just is....

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I suppose the commenters at Huffington will be particularly socialist-leaning. However, there is also a thoughtful group of people who are for altruism, who are relatively secular, who support the Democratic party, but who also think Adam Smith was right. That last part that "markets and individual incentive work" makes them hesitant about too much government intervention. Also, the generation that lived through the 1970's has bought the lesson that government deficits are bad. John Mackey is not the only businessman in this group, there are quite a few others who would have preferred to see a less left-leaning candidate.

This group is not really vocal, and that is not surprising if one sees how their own try to eat them when they're honest, like Mackey was. However, one voice can inspire others. Mackey's friend is defending Mackey. Perhaps some other folk in the larger Dem camp will take heart and become a little more vocal too... enough to create a wedge that keeps the country somewhere in middle-of-road limbo.

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Michael Strong's Huffington post is interested, but this is line is horrible:

"John and I have worked closely to re-interpret libertarian ideas so that they are based on love and generosity rather than hate and selfishness"

This is exactly what will never work!

Not that "hate and selfishness" go together, but selfishness is exactly what must be defended, as most here know.

Edited by Thales
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