Whole Foods CEO and self-professed libertarian John Mackey isn’t a fan of Obamacare , calling it “fascism” in a recent interview.
Makcey has never been a fan of the Affordable Care Act (popularly referred to as Obamacare), having previously denounced Obama’s signature legislation as “socialism” in a 2009 Wall Street Journal op-ed. In an interview with NPR , Mackey revised his statement, now feeling that Obamacare is actually closer to “fascism.”
“Technically speaking, it’s more like fascism. Socialism is where the government owns the means of production. In fascism, the government doesn’t own the means of production, but they do control it — and that’s what’s happening with our health care programs and these reforms.”
Don’t let all this anti-Obamacare stuff scare you away from Whole Foods. Mackey is an organic foods advocate and a vegan, but hardly the granolacrat you’d imagine him to be.
In fact, he has done great work on reforming the American diet alongside First Lady Michelle Obama.
“People in America are addicted to sugar, and to fat and to salt,” he says, opining that our poor diet holds us back as a nation. “Food is intensely pleasurable, and people are afraid that if they change the way they eat, they’ll stop having pleasure.”
What do you think? Is Mackey right on the money with is criticism of Obamacare, or generously exaggerating? In the end, does it really matter what he thinks? Sound off!