The new GOP Diet
I don’t know about you, but I am not happy about my weight. It seems like there just are not enough hours in the day to cook the healthy balanced meals for my family that I want. Not to mention, the cost of fresh fruit and vegetables just keeps going up.
Like most Americans, I often rely on fast food or convenience chain-restaurants to feed my family. What’s the result? Ever increasing clothing sizes, less energy and sluggish health.
Now it’s time for a change.
That’s why I’m putting my family on the new diet – The GOP Diet!
The G.O.P. Diet stands for Get Off (the) Pounds.
It’s the latest thing to come out of Washington. It’s so easy to follow. Just follow the conservative outrage. Just a few easy steps and you will find the pounds simply melting away.
Step one watch the news. Yes, that’s right. Sit yourself down in front of the TV or computer and just watch the headlines. It seems that every day a CEO of a major restaurant chain is coming out with an outrageous statement regarding Obamacare or some “liberal agenda” ruining their business.
Take for example the CEO of Papa John’s pizza chain. He is threatening to lay off employees instead of cover their health insurance when Obamacare kicks in.
From now on, I will not eat any more Papa John’s pizza. Think of all the calories I’ll save and all the pounds I’ll lose!
It’s that easy. No tricky diets to follow or complicated meal plans. Papa John’s CEO lives in his mega mansion, but refuses to cover health care for his employees and I save hundreds of calories by not eating his pizza.
Zane Tankel, owner of over 40 franchise Applebee’s also has said he won’t hire additional workers, because of Obamacare. http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/11/applebees-ceo-zane-tankel-says-he-wont-hire-because-of-obamacare-video/
Hey Zane, here is a win-win. Calm down Zane (love the name BTW), because I’m not eating at your establishment anymore. The win in all this, is I’ll end up looking fabulous by not doing so! We all know your menu is calorie heavy, the stuff I end up ordering anyway – wings, spin dip and mozz sticks. No more for me! It’s so simple people.
Join me and we will all end up dropping our BMI’s in the process and alleviating our overburdened healthcare system with weight-related healthcare issues in the process caused from the food these establishments serve.
Chick-fil-A – don’t like gay marriage? It’s on the GOP diet plan. No more Chick-fil-A for me!
The only exercise required on the GOP diet plan is the occasional protest outside of a Chick-fil-A for marriage equality.
The complete diet plan is ever changing. It will never get boring since it is guaranteed that more more greedy CEOs will come out claiming their “bottom-line” will be severely cut into by Obamacare. Plan on their messages coming from their multi-million dollar mansions as they Skype from their private putting greens.
The plan is so simple – follow the conservative outrage and the pounds simply melt away!
I’ll update the new diet as we hear more. In the meantime, to follow the GOP diet, remember, no Papa John’s pizza, no Applebee’s from Zane’s franchises and no Chick-fil-A if you disagree with these outrageous statements.
Here’s to a skinnier Democratic Party!
Phil Cardarella
6 months, 1 week agoHere is the flaw in your plan:
In a City with Minsky’s and Waldo Pizza, why would anyone ever order from Papa John?
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 1 week agoAfter everyone starts letting go of employees and cutting hours (the companies you note are just the first), you won’t have anywhere to eat.
Mark Robertson
6 months, 1 week agoRunning a business is tough enough, now Obamacare comes along. What it is already doing to business is exactly what those of us who totally opposed the monstrosity of Obamacare said would happen. Business just doesn’t magically happen. It is understandable that a lib would call the truth an “outrageous statement.” There is the real world and the lib world. The CEOs live in the real world. And did you not notice the huge crowds at Chick-fil-A on the day that they celebrated true marriage? And did you not notice the small group of people who showed up to protest Chick-fil-A? Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence
Mark Hastert
6 months, 1 week agoAny CEO who foregoes demand for his products because he won’t hire enough help to cope with demand needs to get out of business before his competitors put him out. O-care won’t effect his competitors any differently so the playing field remains level. They’re just a bunch of excusifying losers.
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 1 week agoMs. Patton, do you DENY the increased costs to businesses as a result of 0 care?
What is your proposal for a business recouping these costs, if you are not in total denial that their costs are increasing?
BTW, the Applebee’s owner wasn’t from around here, so you can continue to indulge yourself—they have an awesome chocolate chip cookie with ice cream our grandkids love!!!
Mark Robertson
6 months, 1 week agoMark Hastert, Your comment shows that you don’t understand business as well. If prices go up everywhere, then people have the choice not to eat out at restaurants. Obamacare is likely the most destructive law ever passed in this country. It would create economic chaos, while at the same time destroying our health care system. It is devastating. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence.
Aimee Patton
Overland Park
6 months, 1 week agoMark - The “most destructive law ever passed in this country”? Seriously? Go back a few hundred or even just 75 or so. Some blacks, Jews and women may slightly disagree.
Alice J. Mahoney
6 months, 1 week agoAimee, here are few others that are moving their employees from 30 hours at $2.13 an hour to less hours to dodge helping to pay with healthcare: Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn, and Capital Grill - all under the same parent company.
Maybe John Schnatter CEO of Papa Johns thing about someone besides himself - John, so you are going to cut working hours for those employees who work 30 or more hours per week to dodge helping to pay for healthcare costs. Great HR managment John. Why not have managment use their collective heads to figure out a solution to this issue…..like quit spending so much money on TV advertisment and put that money towards healthcare. Even better, increase the price of Papa Johns prizzas and quit selling on the cheap. Hey, maybe you and your managment team could take a pay cut or pay for your own healthcare or save money for healthcare by not being the Officical sponsor of the NFL. Maybe put a sign up in the stores and explain why you need to increase the cost of the pizzas to help pay for healthcare for your dedicated employees. I believe that more people would shop at your stores and increase the bottom line knowing you support the employee, because the people who buy from you are the same ones that made you John. I will no longer buy from your stores until you find a workable solutions to provide healthcare for the employee
Mark Hastert
6 months, 1 week agoThe whining from our conservative friends sounds just like the whining that came after every socially progressive ever made in this country from trust busting to the minimum wage. It’ never been right and it never will. I’ll say it again, any CEO who refuses to hire the personnel needed to meet customer demand won’t be a CEO for long.
William R. Nelson
6 months, 1 week agoDear Mrs. Patton,
The beauty of your ‘gop’ weight loss plan is freedom: freedom not to frequent those establishments and freedom not buy their goods or service. Nor can these establishments force you to buy their goods or service.
The same is not true of government.
Thanks for playing.
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 1 week agoMark - It has little to do with meeting customer demand, if you can’t make a profit while you do so.
You, and Ms Patton, seem to be totally unaware of this fact.
An expert on health insurance on 980 this morning at 7:50 stated that typical businesses such as the restaurants you note are going to find that ObamaCare costs them about $140k per restaurant per year. If you ever worked in this industry, you’d know that the profit margin is very small. An owner who was making about $250k before ObamaCare and now is going to get that cut by $140k would think twice about whether it was worth owning the business to begin with.
Something else that Ms Patton is sure to enjoy with her diet is that her dollar is going to get alot less for her money than it did before thanks to this law.
But according to her, THAT’s A GOOD thing.
Joaquin X Santiago
6 months, 1 week agoWhen I saw the headline “GOP Diet” I figured it was a political column about eating crow. Really.
Aimee Patton
Overland Park
6 months, 1 week agoJR - part of being a successful business owner or CEO is being innovative in finding a way to adapt to change and make a profit. Things change in business all the time - the economy fluctuates, labor markets change, trends change, etc. The point is successful business adapt and still find ways to be successful.
What would Papa John’s pizza do if the price of cheese suddenly went up or if it became uncool to eat mushrooms? He would adapt to still make a profit. If he didn’t he would fold. Same is true with Obamacare. To say these businesses have their hands tied because of Obamacare is crazy. They have dealt with other issues that came at them and have survived. That is what makes them good American companies.
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 1 week agoMs. Patton,
The businesses ARE ADAPTING—they are reducing the costs imposed by 0care.
You just don’t like the way they are adapting, reducing people to less then the goverment defined fulltime status, 30 hours.
Business can deal with MARKET uncertainties as they have done forever under our capitalist model. Today’s problem is a regulation issuing bureaucracy with no limits. Business will merely choose to not take additional risk, AS THEY ARE DOING!!!
I am getting a Papa Johns tonight!!!!
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 1 week agoMs Patton -
They are adapting to try to stay successful, and you are demonizing them about it. ObamaCare as a law will increase costs and decrease care. But is felt good so you guys went for it. Now, you have to prepare to accept reality.
This is not equal in any way to inflationary costs, you are going to see many businesses just shut down because it is not worth it anymore. Please just stop and put 2 and 2 together, it really isn’t that hard.
Businesses cannot continue to absorb all of the costs and regulations put on them. To continue to burden them, especially during a period of anemic is suicide to our economy. It is not your place to tell them how much profit they can make. You don’t really know how this affects their bottom line, instead you assume that they can afford it and then demonize them about it.
So which is it Ms Patton? Is it wrong for them to try to adapt (as you stated they should) or should they just go broke because they are “evil”. Please stop talking out of both sides of your mouth.
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 1 week ago“Please stop talking out of both sides of your mouth” BINGO !!!!
Mark Hastert
6 months, 1 week agoOF COURSE BUSINESS WILL ADAPT OR BE REPLACED BY ONE WHO CAN. IF THERE IS DEMAND FOR A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THE MARKET WILL RESPOND AND THE BUSINESS WILL GROW. COSTS ARE GOING TO INCREASE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR EVERYONE. THE PLAYING FIELD WILL BE LEVEL FOR ALL.
Steven Fetter
66223
6 months, 1 week agoAdd Olive Garden, Longhorn, Red Lobster, McDonalds, TGIF Fridays as restaurants seeking health care waivers.
The field may be level, but not many teams will be playing.
Phil Cardarella
6 months, 1 week agoOf course, if we had a single-payer plan like Canada, no business would have an advantage or disadvantage over another. Guess the Chamber should have used its juice to get that done instead of lying about Death Panels..
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 1 week agoAre you referring to the Canada where its citizens come to America for treatment phil or some other Canada?
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 1 week agoAnother business trying to counteract higher costs ms.Patton….
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/16/medical-supply-giant-stryker-corp-makes-pre-emptive-strike-against-pending/?test=latestnews
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 1 week agoSomething wrong with your caps Mark. So costs across the board is a good thing now also, huh.
So it’s good for all of us to have more costs, huh?
Mark Hastert
6 months, 1 week agoGrumble, grouse, whine….It’s OK guys. It’ll never effect your SS and Medicare “gifts” from Obama. Maybe you can get an AARP discount at Papa Johns. The rest of us makers will soldier on. Our economy will do just fine and people will enjoy nearly universal health care. America will be a better place for all.
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 1 week ago” Our economy will do just fine and people will enjoy nearly universal health care. America will be a better place for all.”
Until the economy crashes because that unending supply of money that think we have get called from our debtors. There will be no SS or Medicare “gifts ” for me. By the time I get there there will be no money. That nearly universal health care won’t exist for long either.
Just wondering, do you know have to balance a checkbook? Do the words debt, asset, deficit, debit mean anything to you?
Just for the record, how much can we continue to borrow for your marvelous social programs before we become the Weimar Republic? Give a figure. How far out of touch can you possibly be?
George Hunsucker
Northland
6 months, 1 week agoMr. Hastert would have us believe he owns his own business JR… No idea on how successful they are, but one would wonder how they could be….
JR Beillenhouser
6 months, 1 week agoWhat he doesn’t show in his picture is that about 10 feet in front of his bike is a 100 foot cliff. Notice the smile on his face and he seems unaware that he will shortly be over it.
Reminds me of something funny I read.
” Arguing with liberals is like playing chess with a pigeon; no matter how good you are at chess, the pigeon is just going to knock out the pieces, crap on the board, and strut around like it is victorious. Being clueless the whole time. ”
Mark Hastert
6 months, 1 week agoGrumble, grouse, whine…… it’s ok guys, let it all out. There there, feel better? Good ‘cause you still lost and you’re as wrong as ever. If fact I can’t think of anything conservatives have been right about for a long long time. Trickle down, WMD’s, Iraq war over in six months, tax cuts grow jobs, Romney by 300+ electoral votes. Your record isn’t good. That’s why your party has had a rapture of sorts and is leaving you behind.
Mark Robertson
6 months, 1 week agoSuch nonsense from people who likely have never run anything, much less a business. It is so easy for those who have no idea how to run a business to tell those who run businesses how to do it. A number of years ago, the late Senator George McGovern tried to start a motel business. He was shocked by the mountain of regulations and hoops he had to jump through to get it off the ground. He never did get it going. Yet he spent years making regulations for businesses. Obama has no clue what it takes to run a business. He doesn’t care though. In fact, he seems to be wanting to wreck business. Obamacare would essentially end this country. It would destroy what is left of our health care system. When government gets involved, market forces largely cease. All of the money that will be transferred from the private sector to Obamacare will evetually be like throwing money into the inferno. The cost of health care is relative. Free market forces have to be involved, or costs would surge out of control, as is the case with Medicare. Obamacare is all about destroying the private health care insurance business to pave the way for a single payer government system. Obama has said as much. It would be a castastrophic disaster. We have a Marxist in the White House. Why would he not propose Marxist policies. Most businesses already give the opportunity to purchase health insurance. I had a part-time retail job a few years back. I could have gotten health insurance with it, but I already have it with my full time job. This Obamacare is a scam to control the masses. It has nothing to do with helping people get health care. By the way , Canadian “health care” is a nightmare, as is socialized health care around the world. It kills people. Businesses should actually phase out of providing health insurance. It was brought about by FDR wage controls. Individuals should be able to deduct the purchase of health insurance, like businesses do. We should also be able to buy insurance across state lines. In the long run,(and short run) we should get back to direct pay, with such options as health savings accounts. That’s the only way to lower costs. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence.