First of all, anyone who thought Mackey was some bleeding heart liberal hasn't been paying attention. He is a Reagan Republican. He's a Texan. And he has created one of the most amazing companies that does more for the liberal causes these people support than any other company out there.
Thanks to Whole Foods, many family farms are doing better than ever. There is a great deal of attention given to the buy local movement. Organic food and more healthful eating is all the vogue. Companies like Giant and Wal-Mart are actually entering the market and encouraging the production of organic food.
Whole Foods makes it a point of going into poor, messed up neighborhoods, opening stores, giving the disenfranchised residents jobs and helping turn blighted areas into decent, safe places to live. It gives their employees health care. It gives them opportunities to go to school. It pays a decent wage. It gives them opportunities for advancement.
The company invests in wind energy and generates enough wind energy to power all of their stores.
The whole of Whole Foods corporate policies should be the gauge by which we measure this company. Not some op-ed written by a conservative guy who happens to be the CEO and who actually knows how to ensure that people get health care.
What gets me is the irony of these Democrats and liberals who scream for the ACLU any time they think someone is denied a voice, criticizing a guy for speaking his mind. This guy walks their walk. He just has a different view on how things get done. Let him talk. Maybe we can learn something from what he has been able to accomplish with his company.
I always shop at Whole Foods, but now I'm all the more motivated to go there for everything.
