As businesses across America struggle under the tremendous burden of Obamacare, those who voice any objection to its onerous rules risk being singled out by our president. Such is the case with Staples which, according to the trustworthy new information source Buzzfeed, has cut the hours of some employees to lessen the cost of Obamacare.
What is new is that a sitting president (apparently on a throne) cited a specific, successful company and its CEO for doing what they are supposed to do: manage their business while implementing rules forced on them by an ever-more intrusive government.
With his disastrous Obamacare sputtering, Obama went out of his way to attack and tacitly threaten Staples CEO Ron Sargent after hearing of his reasoned business decision. Beside disparaging the company, Obama went after its CEO with an irrelevant, class-envy comment: "I haven't looked at Staples stock lately, or what the compensation of the CEO is, but I suspect they could well afford to treat their workers favorably and give them some basic financial security." Our Dear Leader went on to say, "Shame on them."
What does the CEO's salary have to do with Obamacare? It was tantamount to a Mafia loan enforcer asking you where you live and what route your kids take to school. It was a creepy statement from our president.
Obama's thinly veiled threat to the CEO of Staples is the way his Chicago-style political groups go about their business. It is pure class envy, putting a bull's-eye on this guy's back and on his company.
To his credit, Sargent did what few business leaders do when singled out: He defended himself. He spoke the truth when he said Obama "does not have his facts right."
If we have learned anything from the Obama administration's targeting of political opponents by the IRS and Attorney General Eric Holder's selective prosecutions, it is that we live in a new, extremist state where one does not take the Prophet Obama's name in vain.
Obama is known for spanking any detractors. At least in "Fifty Shades of Grey" the heroine had a safe word. One would think a CEO's safe word could at least be the Constitution.
Staples makes about 2 1/2 percent profit on its sales of office supplies. Obama's government takes 35 percent of the company's pretax profits, and sales taxes are about 8 percent. So, Staples made $620 million profit and generated taxes of at least $2.2 billion. The government took 3.5 times more in taxes than what Staples was allowed to keep. As is the case with most businesses, government takes more from their operations than they make for themselves. And Staples is greedy?
An Obamacare refresher: It only works if you don't. It is a Big Government transfer of wealth from hardworking, productive Americans to those who do not want to work but who will vote for Democrats. We pay higher deductibles and more for mandated health care that the government decides we need, so Obama's voting base gets theirs subsidized. Women have to pay for prostate exams and men for gynecological exams. The only person Obamacare will benefit might be Bruce Jenner.
After a disastrous start, Obamacare limps along. The website didn't work, some union buddies were exempted, and the administration said incomes would not be verified. Then they repeatedly extended deadlines and said certain provisions would not be enforced.
The administration kicks 5 million people off their private insurance plans and forces them to buy Obamacare, then brags that the government has insured 5 million people. It is amazing when you boast about forcing people to sign up by threatening imprisonment if they don't.
Obama continues to double down on his failed legacy item. He encouraged Health and Human Services bureaucrats to push Obamacare, calling it "God's work." It is not unusual for narcissists eventually to refer to themselves in the third person.
Maybe Brian Williams can become Obama's new press secretary and explain all this; he has been auditioning for that role at NBC News for years.
Ron Hart is a syndicated op-ed humorist and TV/radio commentator. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com.